BK Vampire Mormon Burgers Part II
(go here for part I)
The Invitation to Vicarious Participation and the Monster Guilt Theory
Teenage girls—even Mormon ones—could care less about theological allegories (provided Grangers analysis even has merit). What teenage girls care about are mysterious, misunderstood handsome boys. But what they’re really, really enamored with is mysterious, misunderstood girls like themselves. So while I still don’t think Wilson’s Monster Guilt Theory quite connects, he’s right to point out that story telling is about an invitation to vicarious participation. A teenage girl drawn into the world of a dark, misunderstood protagonist is just given license to…remain dark and misunderstood herself. So now she lives under the law of her guilt-ridden identity which affords her a shield from the evils of non-authentic types. And in an effort to shake the guilt of being a bratty teenager, she’ll keep telling herself when problems arise that the problem isn’t her, but them because they just don’t get it. Unfortunately, the guilt is still there, she just slithered out of it by smoke screening everyone with her “I’ve just got to be me” diva-tude. And everybody knows the self-described misfit is kinda cute at 16. Just not so much at 20 and beyond…
Vampire Authenticity VS Gospel: Gospel Wins Every Time
Authenticity is a good thing but this generation’s obsession with “being true to yourself” can get carried away. Militant authenticity boils down to the idea that nothing outside the self is as important as being honest about what you feel in the moment (thanks to Greg Ten Elshof’s analysis). And those with teenagers in their lives know that they’re deeply committed to their authenticity. Now throw a penchant to latch on to vampire themed misfit identity into the mix and the world of parenting now resembles a greased pig rodeo. Now think about the authenticity thing for a moment: if you get a hyper authentic waiter next time you go out, you will get lousy service precisely because they refuse to “act” like a waiter. As Christians, we strive for something true and worthwhile beyond ourselves. The Authenticity Ethic only blesses others when it “feels like it”. But as Galatians 3 says, Christians very much “put on Christ” as He holds our ultimate purpose and is our true identity. Obviously, the Christian life isn’t about faking it. But as we cooperate with The Spirit and imitate Christ, we are transformed.
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6 comments
Frank Sonnek says:
Dec 14, 2009
"As Christians, we strive for something true and worthwhile beyond ourselves. The Authenticity Ethic only blesses others when it “feels like it”. But as Galatians 3 says, Christians very much “put on Christ” as He holds our ultimate purpose and is our true identity. Obviously, the Christian life isn’t about faking it. But as we cooperate with The Spirit and imitate Christ, we are transformed.>
we are told that we 'put on christ' literally in our baptism. this putting on christ is called faith.
that 'outside of us' purpose then becomes serving our neighbor.
in faith we no longer do works for us, to try to grovel before God, so we are then free to use the law to mortify our flesh and in subduing our reason and willpower, we are able live for and serve our neighbor.
Sean Norris says:
Dec 15, 2009
Hey Matt,
Thanks for your post. Interesting stuff. What does it say about me that I am fascinated by Vampire stories as well, and I'm not a teenage girl? I'm a 30 year old man! (That's not a serious question, so please do not answer it;))
Anyhow, I wanted to ask you about the idea that Christianity is really about cooperation and transformation. I think that it is actually more about death and resurrection. We are not simply changed; we are actually put to death in our sin and raised a new creation in faith. AND all of this is a foreign work done by God. In fact, I would argue that we resist God's killing work in the Law. We always try to prove that we can be transformed through our effort (cooperation) because we don't want to die, but that is exactly what is required. Our only cooperation is the fact that we are the object of God's work through Jesus Christ.
What do you think?
Matt McCormick says:
Dec 15, 2009
Hey Matt,
You say "Obviously, the Christian life isn’t about faking it. But as we cooperate with The Spirit and imitate Christ, we are transformed."
So are you saying that transformation is dependent on the cooperation of human will? What transforms? Human cooperation or The Potter's (God's) creative hand?
Christopher says:
Dec 15, 2009
"the world of parenting now resembles a greased pig rodeo…"
love this line, and thanks for the link to Granger's analysis.
Matt says:
Dec 15, 2009
Sean / Matt
I almost changed my wording regarding the cooperation part last minute before I posted this and decided to keep it. For the record I am reformed in my soteriology and absolutely believe in this:
"We always try to prove that we can be transformed through our effort (cooperation) because we don't want to die, but that is exactly what is required. Our only cooperation is the fact that we are the object of God's work through Jesus Christ."
I coulda worked out the nuances a little more carefully but, you know, it's a blog and I didn't want to write a long blog. Thanks for the clarification though. I agree
Todd says:
Dec 16, 2009
Matt, thanks for this. There's so much to say about the Twilight series, but drawing attention to Wilson's monster guilt theory is particularly interesting.