Tough Questions 2008: Should a Christian Read Harry Potter?
August 21st, 2008 § 9 Comments
Sermon audio: Should a Christian Read Harry Potter?
In 1987, I went on a summer missions trip that required training in a Florida swamp. I brought my violin along — never left home without it — and perspired with several hundred other teenagers. Presumably to relieve the misery, the organizers gave a general invitation for musicians to play and sing during the sweltering tent meetings, so I volunteered.
But the woman in charge seemed to think my participation was a problem.
The only music she allowed during the meetings was the kind with words — on the principle that musicians shouldn’t just show off during worship. Was someone going to sing with me? No. Was I playing a hymn or a chorus? No. I had thought of playing some music written for the violin by Bach.
Bach?
Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach. A Christian who wrote show-off music (as I yearned to say).
There was a long silence in the tent, unbroken except by people slapping ferocious mosquitoes. At length, she said that if the Bach song had words, then I could play it. If not, well …
She gave me a songbook called “Sacred Classics” that she was sure would be more appropriate, out of which I offered to play Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” And what did this Baptist lady say to the famous hymn worshiping the virgin? It was from “Sacred Classics.” It had words. Approved.
My rendition of “Ave Maria” was a hit with the protestants. But I felt resentful.
Evangelicals have a tortured relationship with the arts, and often use specious principles to discern good from bad. So the next tough question I address in this year’s series is whether Christians should read Harry Potter books. It came from a mother who can’t understand why her fellow believers have fits over J. K. Rowling, but let their kids read C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Just for fun, let’s recall what a principle is.
A principle is a timeless truth, a moral or spiritual reality that won’t budge. The ten commandments, the biblical statements about God’s character, the particular wisdom of individual proverbs are all principles. We can reason about them. They apply consistently, though differently, across varying situations. They demand obedience, especially when obedience costs us something.
Many evangelicals seem to have ditched principles in favor of ideals.
An ideal is a generalization that sounds emphatic but leaves goodness hazy. Neighbors ought to “care” for each other, movies ought to be “clean,” and children should be taught “family values.” Everyone can agree with such statements, but we can’t reason about them or use them to make any real commitments. Their main appeal is nostalgia.
Evangelicals seem to think of morality in the same sloppy way as the rest of our society: matters of conscience are really just strong preferences. So, when they peer into the “gray areas” of the arts, evangelicals often blunder into hypocrisy.
Yes, Lewis has witches and Greek gods in his stories. Ideally, he would have left those out, but we know he was a solid Christian, and we’ll assume his best intentions. Yes, Tolkien’s stories are full of sorcerers and magic. Ideally, Gandalf would’ve been a prayer warrior, but Tolkien was a solid Christian too. We know what he was driving at, and there are such powerful pictures of Christ, etc., etc.
Rowling, on the other hand, is just glorifying witchcraft. So we draw the line at Rowling.
The fact is, Tolkien’s narrative treats magic far more seriously than Rowling’s. Lewis believed that, in some senses, mythology contained divine truth, while Rowling has no such historical agenda. So, in terms of principle, a stronger case could be made against reading Narnia and Middle Earth than against Harry Potter.
But it’s a case I have no interest in making. In lighting a bonfire for Tolkien and Lewis, I would be bound to throw in much Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen and all fairy tales, Star Wars, the vast majority of operas, and maybe even music without the purifying influence of words. To argue this way is to trivialize the actual moral problems of the arts: What is the difference between portraying sin and inciting it? Can art lie? Is mere entertainment corrupting?
The arts — whether literary, musical, or visual — are God’s glory of creativity flowing out of the human imagination. He gave us his creativity so that we could reflect on life, not just its beauty but also its darkness. Jesus himself used literary art, as we will see on Sunday, to challenge our perceptions. That evangelicals should be so seized with moral qualms about the imago dei is one of the most insufferable qualities of an already marginal subculture.
Which brings me back to the Baptist woman in Florida. The resentment I’m still capable of lathering against her narrow and foolish views of music in worship is deeply unhealthy. It is a bitterness from which I’ve often had to repent.
But it’s also a taste of what brews in the hearts of young people in evangelical households that won’t acknowledge the good uses of God’s beautiful, strange world.
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Tagged: art, C. S. Lewis, evangelicals, Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, J. R. R. Tolkien, stories, Tough Questions
I confess that I’m a non-christian that was drawn here by your interesting headline, so feel free to ignore my opinion.
Q: Should a Christian read Harry Potter?
A: Why not? Because they will disagree with some of it’s underpinnings, namely, the use of magic? What sort of person only reads things that completely conform to their worldview? Isn’t a good idea for a person to read things that challenge him?
But in fact, that wasn’t the question you asked in the text.
Q: Should I let my child read Harry Potter?
A: Why not? Because you think that if they read about magic that will somehow draw them away from Christianity? Isn’t this a question that they will have to deal with for themselves? If they never have the opportunity to deal with those questions — if, in effect, they are Christians because you’ve told them to be — do they have any real christian faith at all?
My 10c.
Well put on both points. I think people should read things that challenge their points of view, especially when their views are strongly held. I also think Christians should walk with their kids through an exploration of the world, rather than trying to shelter them.
Thanks for dropping by!
[...] file on this blog. I have put the audio for the first four sermons in their respective posts here, here, here, and here. I’ll continue to do so until the church puts up a new site. Thanks for your [...]
[...] Tritone Life is some version of, “Should Christians read Harry Potter?” Readers land on a post from my Tough Questions series last [...]
The question itself shows the pitiful way of thinking of extremists who dare to call themselves Christians. How paranoid can people be, to take a wonderful children’s book and consider it a threat to their way of life? Do they really believe that the devil made JK Rowling write these books to poison their children’s minds?? Some people should be barred from becoming parents.
Harry potter is no different from spiderman except that their superpowers are magic instead of spidey senses. If you let your kids watch spiderman, let them watch Harry potter. If you don’t let tem watch spiderman then your way too overprotective.
Dear Sir,
I have to completely disagree with you on this. I would like to start out that, One. Two or three yrs ago, i would have completely and totally agreed. Two. I am a teenager, so this should be fun. I think the thing MOST christians haven`t realized about the H.P. books, (and i am a christian, but guess what? They are my favorite books) is one, reading the complete series helps, and two…its not witchcraft. The ‘spells’ are latin words (you can plainly see it when reading the books) the ‘potions’ are mythical objects…as are the animals. There is no difference between this and the works of the great C.S. Lewis or J.R.R Tolkien. I think you also should know that like these authors, J.K. Rowling is a christian, and if you read the series you will find parrelells to the Bible. Example: In the final installment of the book, Harry has to sacrafice himself for his friends and family, as they are fighting a battle that is slowly getting them all killed. Voldemort (which is plainly the interpretation of the devil, snakes, and so forth) kills Harry. Harry dies. somewhat (i cannot explain it all now, but J.K. does not make harry Jesus, but like C.S. uses a metaphor to represent if you will, but harry is a human and imperfect character) He comes back, and Voldemort can no longer harm anyone, because Harry sacrificing himself was a sacrifice of love, and in the books, Love concers all evil. Get it yet? No! Oh my!! There are wonderful parrelels that as a christian i find lovely to read about. And no, sir, i am not ‘decieved’ by the devil! Now, I strayed from these books in earlier days because i believed as you, that they are BAD. Why? a friend of mine thought H.P. was her brother and Voldemort was after her. In later yrs, i realized, Where was her mother and father? Who are devout Catholics, who knew of this, Who bought her spell books, REAL spell books? THESE kind of children should NOT read any fantasy, because they dig to deeply adn believe it. But I prayed about it, I am not easily influenced, and a smart, mature person can easily say it is fantasy as C.S. Lewis or Cinderella. They are well written and should be applauded as a christian book for OUR generation. Some quotes are Bible verses, (refreshing!) and J.K. herself has said she wanted to make parrellels to the Bible to show the stance of the book, but could not reveal it as it would completely RUIN the last book! So i invite you to read them, really read them, and also look up the work of John Granger, a wonderful christian man, (homeschooler also, to boot!) who has written many books on Potter and why it is good!
P.S. A tip for parents: If your child read The lion witch and wardrobe and tried to find a magical land in a closet, i recommend they do not read any fantasty books for awhile.
Anonymous, I think you may have misjudged my post. I agree with you completely! Thanks for your comment!
[...] my blog Tritone Life is some version of, “Should Christians read Harry Potter?” Readers land on an old post on that [...]