Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I've been reading Twilight. I'm not 14, nor am I a girl, nor am I gay. But so far, this series makes me happy. I'm sure you're wondering why. Well, I'll tell you.

I've only read the first book and a good portion of the second, but I'm seeing things I haven't seen in years--chivalry, self-control, infinite desire matched with incredible restraint. Abstinence in popular culture brings me great joy. The idea that guys don't have to behave like animals, unrestrained in pursuing their desires, just isn't something that makes the final cut these days.

Guys have urges. There are times we want to act on them, and there are times we feel that death is inevitable if we don't. Or something close to death, anyway. The problem is that we mistake these urges for needs.

I don't need to have sex. I want to have sex. I really, really, really want to have sex. And I'm grateful that God saw fit to give me a woman who is willing to have sex with me. So glad. But if Misha never came along, I would have survived. As Mark Gungor says, "No one ever died of a build up of sperm".

We've been fed a crapload that tells us that we can't really expect teenagers, particularly boys, to refrain from sexual activity. So it is a breath of fresh air to read such a popular book and watch such a popular movie that has as a central theme...abstinence!

Guys know the animal urges that rage inside them. And they also know that acting on these urges are not best outside of the context of marriage. In fact, they know that they can be downright destructive for everyone involved. Twilight highlights these facts in a way that evokes sympathy for Edward, and also inspires our boys to behave like the knights we know they are.

Go Edward!