On Friday I posted a short post about the new Harry Potter film featuring an artistic rendering of my patronus. I have not yet been able to see the movie. We spent all weekend studying for the GRE, which went really well (although I can’t blog about it or its contents for fear of losing my soul based on all the things I had to sign before I took the test). After the GRE, Jen had her wisdom teeth removed – all four of ‘em. She is still recovering, but is doing much better today. We have made a double-date with some friends of ours to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 on Thursday, and I am pumped.
I am very excited about this movie. I resisted the Harry Potter craze as long as possible. The first book came out when I was in middle school, and I can recall some lady at one of those traveling book fairs waxing eloquently about how it was such a great book blah, blah, blah. I was a burgeoning teenager in no need of more childish literature involving magic and wizadry. I ignored Harry Potter. By the time I was in high school, Harry Potter was a full-blown phenomenon. I, however, was a Tolkien fan. I rigidly stood against the Harry Potter series as a childish challenger to the great Tolkien and Middle Earth. Plus, I was (and am) a devout evangelical, and many people in my circles of influence saw the “sorcery” of Harry Potter as suspect at best.
In college I had a whole heap of friends that geeked out over Harry Potter. I watched half of one of the films with some of them on a trip, and although interesting, I did not get hooked. To me it simply was not nearly as epic as Middle Earth (and I use the term epic intentionally as a literary term, not like all these half-ignorant teenagers that constantly spout “epic fail”). This all changed once I got married. My wife liked all the Harry Potter films, but had never read the books. She asked me to watch the films with her before Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came to theaters. I agreed, and I enjoyed the films this go around. I enjoyed each film more as the plot took on darker and more adult themes (and I mean adult in the common sense of the word, not in the perverted sense employed by the moral Cretans that run “adult bookstores”).
Being the book-nerd that I am, I decided that we had to read all of the books before the next film was released. Being a seminary student, I really did not have much time to read for pleasure. So, we borrowed the audio books from the Louisville Public Library in order to listen on trips to Tennessee. We loved listening to these readings by Jim Dale (although i will forever hate his rendition of “Weasley is our king”).
We completed the series shortly before the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 was released, and we greatly enjoyed the entire experience. This series is spectacularly written (although I do still prefer Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings). I have no qualms about being a Christian and enjoying this series of books and films centered on wizadry. In the midst of going through the books and watching the films, I have never once thought, “I should look into practicing magic myself.” Some people may think that, but they are already mentally unhinged. Some of the fears that some Christians have about the popularization of magic may have some merit, but the fact that the vast majority of the anti-Potterites also love the Narnia series or Tolkien is hypocritical.
Harry Potter is not a Christian series. It does not have a hidden allegory of the gospel. But like all good literature, it bears marks of common grace. Virtue is lauded, although one will not find a perfect character in the series. Self-sacrifice and love are also lauded, and to quote Jesus – and Bagheera from Disney’s Jungle Book – “Greater love has none than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” For these reasons, and many more, I heartily recommend the Harry Potter series to anyone. I also recommend that you read this great post from Christian songwriter Andrew Peterson on reading Harry Potter as a Christian, it is the best I have read yet.
So, if you haven’t already. Go read the series, or at least watch the films. You will enjoy them, and if you don’t, it is very likely that you are uncultured.
Until later friends…
Related Articles
- Harry Potter, Jesus, and Me (Andrew Peterson’s Post: Spoilers Included)
- My Patronus (For Aslan…and the Volunteer State)
- Harry Potter vs. LOTR vs Star Wars (A Poll)
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
August 12, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Kathy Schwanke
Hello. I came to your blog because I was looking on google image (for one of Metaxas’ Bonhoeffer book), as I was going to blog about reading it. I like your writing so I have browsed a few of your posts. This one caught my eye because I am an {non-hypocritical
} opponent of Christians viewing Harry Potter. I want to understand how others think about this because I feel very convicted by the Lord, based on His word, that I should oppose it. {So why the different convictions?}
The main reason I feel such a strong conviction is because of the word “influence”.
For whatever reason, when I look at the “bigger picture” of what we do as Christians, I come up with different conclusions than many. From being a human being (insert smile), I can vouch for “easily following” popular ideas. Even as a 20+ year Christian (in my forties) I can fall for things that the greater Christian world embraces without realizing I have compromised my convictions.
Considering then, “the world” watching Christians (like a hawk in some cases~whether like the Pharisees to trap us, or to justify their own behavior contrasting, comparing, measuring) When we do “whatever we do” the watching world “reads it and applies it to their lives”. Living Bibles that we are…
Besides the fact that the Bible declares that God hates witchcraft, and that rebellion is compared to witchcraft, and that we are “to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” and “it is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret”, we have a fearsome word from Jesus that it is woeful for us to be a stumbling block.
The rise of paganism in our culture is exponential, and I wonder if people consider the effect of that on the future generation and our responsibility to leave godly legacy for them. Not sure if you have children yet, but I noticed you are going to seminary, so you will have many spiritual children and seek to grow the kingdom of God with your life. Perhaps I am totally wrong and God might say, “Go ahead and feast your eyes and heart on movies with paganism in it, it doesn’t bother me at all.” Or. “You are not responsible at all with how people interpret what you do, you are entitled to watch and read anything as long as you enjoy it.” Or. “Even if it offends other Christians, they are just being legalistic anyway and they will figure it out eventually. Unity of Body is secondary to freedom.”
I realize that those sound harsh. Please realize they are formed over time by the responses I have seen from Christians who defend their right to watch Harry Potter {seemingly} without giving thought to the “whys” of opposition, it seems it’s easy to “blow them off”…(so the statements are not in rebuttal to your article, but the greater defense of watching the movies)
I prayed with a woman once who had a death threat on her life. As she was telling me her story with shaking hands, it included having a mother who practiced witchcraft. She used to take her children to the graveyard and dip their hands in blood and other such things that haunt the woman today (in her 40s).
I hope you understand I am not writing to you as a guilt trip, or a “law” you must follow or be condemned, but just to ask you to consider the things I have expressed and perhaps you can help me understand the freedom that so many have in going somewhere I feel deep conviction not to. {I did watch the first Narnia movie and the Lord of the Rings. The first was a major disappointment as I was looking for Jesus’ glory in Aslan, and was greatly disappointed, the L.O.R. disturbed my spirit terribly. I had to stop watching it.} I don’t oppose them except to say that they are the “gateway” (similarly you referenced that) movies to the occult-promoting things like Potter and Twilight series.
For evidence of the alarm I feel, consider this “Faith Mom blog” contest that recently took place. Moms have lots of influence. http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/faith#_ (seemingly half of the nominees are pagans)
Thank you for reading my long message. I pray you will consider and you will not feel offended by my words, but look through eyes of grace as I hope I have in conveying my convictions.
Blessings to you as you pursue Jesus.
Kathy Schwanke
August 23, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Movies Have Gotten Much More Epic Over The Years
[...] I am a Christian…and I like Harry Potter (foraslanandvolstate.wordpress.com) [...]