Thursday, January 28, 2010

Vampire love

There is no fear in love (1 John 4:18).

Vampires have become extremely popular in recent years. From the time that Anne Rice started writing about them and Buffy began slaying them each week on TV, vampires have grown into a mass-media phenomenon that is more sexy than scary.

It wasn’t always that way. In his novel Dracula, Bram Stoker emphasized the horror of dark seduction. But in recent years, these creatures of the night have become less like monsters and more like sexy bad boys. These days, some people dress up like vampires—some even experiment with drinking blood. Vampire fiction dominates the fantasy shelves in bookstores, and each year brings a new vampire-themed TV program or movie.

I’ve thought about this trend, trying to figure out why vampires are so alluring. I think it’s this: a vampire is powerful and confident, yet it needs blood to stay alive—it needs you. Power and confidence are sexy; intimacy grows from being needed. Put these traits together, and you get a powerful aphrodisiac.

And yet, the human/vampire relationship is ultimately a destructive one. Sooner or later, the predator kills the prey. Those who enjoy the thrill of a dangerous relationship end up getting hurt.

Vampire fantasy distorts the true nature of love. Love is not about thrills. Love is not about taking risks. Love finds no pleasure in bad behavior or in controlling others. Listen to how the Bible describes love: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).

That is not the defective love of humans or vampires; that is the perfect love of God. That is the love which sent Jesus to the cross, so you and I could be forgiven when we cause pain instead of happiness. God’s love is perfect love; don’t crave for anything less.

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