I just finished reading the Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) by Stephenie Meyer for the fourth time.  I read through it this last time looking specifically at the religious implications of the story.  Have any of you looked at this aspect?

The first few times I read Twilight, I was so caught up in the story that I didn’t try to analyze any other ideas in the books.  It wasn’t until we were discussing the series in Sunday School that I really got to thinking about it.

I’m sure a lot of skeptics of the morality of the Twilight series.  But I read through the books looking for positive ideals that go along with the Christian Faith.

First, Edward struggles with the idea that he might not have a soul, and therefore might end up in Hell.  The fact that Heaven and Hell are even brought up in a mainstream fiction was very encouraging to me.  Also, Edward’s goal is to get Bella to the “better place” aka Heaven, even if he doesn’t get to go there.  A true evangelistic heart!  Edward demonstrates a very sincere, selfless kind of love, the kind of love a Christian should have.

The second thing that I found very encouraging for a mainstream fiction is the abstinence of the main characters.  Very rarely, if ever, is abstinence until marriage written about in a top selling fiction novel.  Even more rare is the fact that the motivation for that abstinence is the fate of the characters’ souls.

I loved being able to read this series the third and fourth time knowing that while immersed in Edward and Bella’s world, there would be a morality that would allow me to read with a clear conscious.  With some secular fiction you have to be very careful.  In this series of novels there are a few places where the characters use cursing to express themselves, but I would guess it is much less than many of us hear in our everyday lives.

Overall, I loved this saga.  I would encourage each of you to read it and form your own opinions about it.  Some Christian associates of mine have discredited the Twilight Saga because it is about mythical “monsters” that are supposed to be evil, yet these people haven’t read the books.  I’m one who likes to take in all the information and form my own opinions.  Let me know what you think!

As an enthusiastic reader of Christian Romance Novels, I can honestly say that this book did not disappoint. Usually, in a Christian romance you know which way the plot is going to turn just a little ways into the book…this book is different. You are longing for a happy ending, and you’re not positive it will come.

The plot and subject matter in this book, I’ll try not to spoil, is very mysterious. I have never read a Christian romance book that dealt with this particular problem before and it was refreshing to read deeper into the mystery and gain a deeper understanding of the characters and all they went through.

The author weaves a love story around the main characters Melanie and Joel. They fall in love and Melanie only knows the vaguest basics of Joel’s life. This leaves Melanie wondering how well she really knows the man she claims to love. Someone from the past arrives and Joel is forced to demonstrate his love for Melanie in the most painful way imagineable.

This book is a very entertaining read as you try to figure out:

• What is Joel hiding?

• Will Joel and Melanie’s love survive?

• Will there be that “Happily Ever After” that CRN readers crave?

I hope you enjoy A Scarlet Cord as much as I did.

A. Gail