Book Review: ‘Touched by a Vampire’ by Beth Felker Jones

A Helpful Guide through the 'Twilight' Series
By Lauren Yarger
Beth Felker-Jones’ guide through the ‘Twilight’ series, "Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga" (Multnomah Books ,October 2009) is just that: a great guide.

Jones is a knowledgeable source for those who want to know more about the books without having to read them, and a facilitator for fans who want to read the novels with a biblical context. It comes just in time, too, as the blockbuster movie sequel “New Moon” opens in theaters this weekend.

Jones, an assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College, takes an even-handed look at the novels by Stephenie Meyer in the run-away best seller Twilight Saga series for young adults. Telling the story of the romance between human teenager Bella and vampire Edward, the four books, “Twilight,” “New Moon,” Eclipse,” and “Breaking Dawn” have been a source of controversy for Christians. One the one hand, some Christian mothers have given thumbs up to the books because Meyer (a Mormon) has the characters refrain from having sex before they are married. On the other hand, they are stories about vampires and the occult.

Jones, in a non-preachy way, gives us all the information we need to know to make an informed choice about whether this is something we want our kids reading or not, and how to address some of the issues and circumstances in the Twilight world from a biblical reference. I would have loved a book like this for the Harry Potter series which was all the range when my kids were still young enough to have their mother involved in the book-selection process.

Besides giving an excellent overview of what the series is about and the main points of interest and themes, the book includes chapters on the specific topics that come up in the series, each concluded with questions to prompt thought about what Christians should and shouldn’t embrace in the story. In addition, a book-by-book discussion series is included for each novel in the series and an online leader’s guide allows easy use in a bible study or book discussion group.

Jones also includes come information on the Mormon themes present in the books. I found it to be one of the most thorough, thoughtful and helpful guidebooks of this type I have read.

Buy it here.

--Lauren Yarger
A free reviewer's copy of this book was provided by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Sphere: Related Content

Book Notes: ‘Thirsty’ by Tracey Bateman

Family struggles and everyday hardships aren’t usually topics that many (especially me) want to spend their free time reading about, but Tracey Bateman’s novel “Thirsty,” (WaterBrook Press, October 2009) is interesting as it brings to light struggles that so many families face.

Alcoholism plays a huge part in this story and the reader soon finds out that “thirsty” has a much greater meaning.

For Nina Parker, the steps toward recovery from her addiction are smaller than those she must take as she faces her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and tries to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. In the process, she returns to her hometown in Missouri where she catches the attention of someone–or something dark and menacing.

Bateman crafts her characters very well and you can feel the turmoil evolve as their different personalities clash throughout the book. It’s a slow read at first but the further you get, the richer the story becomes. You learn of the Parkers’ past and seeing how Nina has matured has the reader rooting for a comeback.

For anyone who has struggled or is struggling with an addiction of any kind, this story brings to light that it really isn’t a walk in the park to change your life. It takes hard work and determination, and doing things you really don’t want to do.

“Thirsty” was not the story I was expecting, namely some sort of Christian alternative to the “Twilight” series books. Instead, this story is a breath of fresh air. Other then the previously mentioned slow start, the story is heartfelt and entertaining for readers.

Buy the book here.

--Brian Yarger

Brian Yarger is a freelance artist living outside of Hartford, CT. His favorite genre of book is fiction with a supernatural twist. A free reviewer's copy of this book was provided by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Sphere: Related Content

Entries Sought for Short Film Contest

The HOSFU Short Film Contest is now open for entries. Short Film Contest prizes will be awarded at the 2010 Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival banquet, held at the LifeWay conference center in Ridgecrest, NC on June 7, 2010.

Short films which are 5-30 minutes in length, including credits, will be accepted through April 1, 2010. Ten semifinalists for each award category will be announced on May 1, 2010.

There will be four prize packages awarded for Best Short Film, Runner Up Short Film, Best Actor and Best Actress. All prize packages include the following:

1) A cash award (up to $400, depending on the category)
2) Free tuition to the Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival 2011 ($315.00 value)
3) A one-on-one meal with a Gideon faculty member of choice, at the 2011 conference (priceless)

To receive any award, the entrant must be registered for the 2010 Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival as a full access student, by May 15, 2010. For details on the prize packages, please click here.

The contest is sponsored by HOSFU, (an acronym which stands for "His Only Son For Us"), a company dedicated to promoting Christ through the film industry. “HOSFU is blessed to be sponsoring this year’s Short Film Contest at the Gideon 2010,” says HOSFU CEO Eric Highland. “The Gideon, sponsored by LifeWay, is one of the top Christian media events of the year and is truly a don’t-miss event. We fully anticipate a high level of quality submissions from independent filmmakers, to make this year’s Short Film Contest the best that the Gideon has ever seen.”

For complete Rules and Regulations, judging criteria, details on prize packages and the entry form, visit http://hosfu.com/. Sphere: Related Content

Registration Open for Festival of Faith and Writing

Online registration for the 2010 Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College is open.

The festival, on the Grand Rapids, MI campus, will be held April 15-17 and allows participants to discuss, celebrate and explore the ways in which faith is represented in literature and how it plays out in our world today.

Among the authors scheduled to be at the conference are playwright Arlene Hutton, screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi and journalist Tim Stafford. Novelist Wally Lamb will be the featured speaker at the festival's evening plenary session April 15.

To register, click here. Information is provided through frequently asked questions here. For additional information, contact ffw@calvin.edu.

Attendees have the opportunity to submit a manuscript for review by editors attending the conference. They may be submitted online beginning in January. Sphere: Related Content

Enjoy an Evening of Song with Larry Woodard

The Episcopal Actors' Guild presents an Evening of Song with acclaimed voice and musical performer Larry Woodard 7 pm Thursday, Nov. 19 at Guild Hall, the Little Church, 1 E. 29th St., NYC.

Woodard has played at the White House, at the United Nations and to audiences across the globe.

A suggested donation of $10 will benefit the guild's Emergency Aid & Relief Program.
Wine and refreshments will be served. Space is very limited. RSVP to matt@actorsguild.org or 212-685-2927. Sphere: Related Content

Book Review: 'Finding the Groove' by Robert Gelinas

By Jerry Starks
“Finding the Groove” by Robert Gelinas (Zondervan, 2009) is a deep and multi-faceted exploration of the Christian life and jazz. The subtitle entices you with another clue about where Gelinas is heading: “composing a jazz-shaped faith.”

This intrigued me on two levels, because I had assumed that jazz wasn’t really composed– it was more improvised. That also seems to be many people’s style of life– improvisation more than planning. As I read further, I became very engrossed in his thoughtful observations about jazz and Christianity.

Gelinas is not a musician; he is a pastor and a jazz theologian. He explains that jazz is bigger than just music: it can be an entire lifestyle (not just the improvisational aspect), and a very Christian lifestyle at that. “Christian” not just by putting different labels on things but by using patterns and behaviors developed in jazz music when we interact with God and with our fellow humans. Even the history and development of jazz should ring with familiarity in Christian ears. Jazz was developed by African-Americans: people not free living in a free land—just as we were all born slaves of sin living in a fallen world. Yet even in the midst of deep segregation, jazz became a meeting ground where races could actually enjoy the same thing at the same time in the same place—just as in Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor slave.

Three cornerstones of jazz form a framework for Gelinas’ exploration. They are syncopation, improvisation, and call-and-response. He explains how each works in jazz music, then gives examples of how they can work outside of music, often giving examples from Scripture.

This would have been encouraging and enlightening by itself, but Gelinas keeps on going. He discusses jazz greats in many areas of life, such as John Coltrane, a saxophonist, Langston Hughes, a poet, Ralph Ellison, a novelist, Martin Luther King, Jr., a preacher. Each of them was influenced by jazz, and each made significant contributions to America. The depth and scope of Gelinas’ understanding of jazz and American culture is deeply satisfying.

Chapter headings include “Creative Tension,” “Life in Concert,” “Finding Your Voice,” and “Developing Your Ear.” All of them have a musical basis, but all of them go far beyond that art form the just like jazz cannot be restricted to a concert hall: it gets into all of life. In the same way, insists Gelinas, the love of Jesus should break out of our familiar constructs and pulse with life, causing others to stop and listen. One way of doing that is to compose and live a jazz-shaped faith.

You can purchase this book here.

Jerry Starks is associate director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. and has numerous acting and directing credits in both secular and Christian productions. He resides in Essex Junction, VT where he is active in the arts ministry at his church.

Sphere: Related Content

Book Notes: God's Cycle of Music by Mark Paulson

There are many ways to look at God’s amazing relationship with humans: people with different talents, interests, and backgrounds see different aspects of God more clearly. It enriches us when we try to see from another person’s perspective. “God’s Cycle of Music: A Musician’s Explanation of God’s Purpose and Meaning for Our Lives” (Hope Publishing House, 2009) is a look at God’s redemption from the viewpoint of Mark Paulson, a professional pianist and piano teacher in New Jersey..

Some of Paulson’s analogies are expected: it’s almost automatic to cast God as the Composer of the music of life. Yet several of his analogies delightfully caught me off guard. I had never thought of the Holy Spirit as a Conductor, or Jesus as an Agent. In a compact style, Paulson brings up images for several aspects of the Christian experience; then allows us to expand and develop those images, creating our own variations on .the theme. For example, he suggests comparing spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting to practicing scales and etudes. He spins off a list of nine disciplines, gives a paragraph or two on each one for a starter, then encourages your imagination to expand and apply the idea.

Occasionally an analogy gets weak and seems overshadowed by more familiar, non-musical expressions. Any metaphor can only be stretched so far before breaks down, but before that point the metaphor enriches and expands the mind and the heart that considers it. “God’s Cycle of Music” is well worth reading and then building upon. You can purchase the book here.
-- Jerry Starks Sphere: Related Content