What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?

by Connie Neal

Book Overview

Answers to the Burning Questions Christian Parents, Educators, and Others Are Asking about Harry Potter.

In the world of publishing, few successes have equaled that of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series--magical stories centered on one boy's adventures at Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Yet this popular series presents a perplexing--even divisive--challenge to the Christian community. Although the books present a...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578564719
• ISBN13: 9781578564712
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A book that encourages respect

I'm probably coming from a rather different place than most of the other reviewers. I'm not a Christian, and I picked up this book after I'd agreed to read a passage from the first Harry Potter novel at a reading of banned books. I wanted to know more about the reasons the books had been banned in the first place and a book written from a Christian perspective caught my eye. What really impressed me about Neal's book is how respectful it is. It's so easy for both sides of this cultural divide to just dismiss each other--you're either a secular Satanist or you're a fundamentalist yahoo. I think it's this lack of respect that Neal is really trying to get at. She thinks the debate over the Harry Potter books is worth having but she wants it to be a reasonable, thoughtful, respectful debate. The book is really a warning against some of the unthinking traps that Christians fall into when they criticize the Potter series. But it's also a plea to take the cultural debate seriously. She admonishes Christians for not being more serious about the debate--for simply accepting what they've heard about the books without reading them or thinking about the issues in context. (For example, she says that, yes, there are mythical and magical creatures in the Potter stories but also points out that such creatures exist in stories by Christian authors such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Dickens. The point is to figure out what these creatures are doing in the context of the novels, not merely to see that there are such creatures in the books and simply stop there.) But she also speaks to non-believers like me. There's a passage in chapter seven where she writes: "I must add a word for any reader who does not believe there are invisible and evil spirit beings seeking to influence and harm ususpecting people . . . . Can you see how people who believe there are would rightfully be alarmed over others telling their kids, 'Don't worry. All the witchraft and questionable practices depicted in the Harry Potter books are just fantasy.'" And, I had to admit that my response was, yes, I could. It's this tone--of trying to get people to understand and respect both sides of the argument and both sides of the Christian/secular divide that I think makes it a really remarkable book. Connie Neal gives me hope that Christians and secularlists can really talk to each other and not at each other.

Finally A Sane and Logical Approach To Harry Potter!

I was confronted several years ago by our then extreme, right wing, homeschooling mommy neighbor with accusations that "Harry Potter is evil, he is the antichrist." My response to her was twofold: 1. Have you bothered to read the books in the series? 2. Have you read Connie Neal's book "What's A Christian To Do With Harry Potter?" Sadly to say she had done neither, but was basing her statement on an article which had appeared in the Madison based, parody newspaper "The Onion". Connie Neal covers the issues which parents are raising questions about in regard to the Harry Potter series. Her approach is sane, logical, and it makes sense. I would encourage any parent who has questions about the series to read Connie's book first, then read the Harry Potter series for themselves before they pass judgement on J.K. Rowling and her work.

This Is the Book to Read

If you think any Christian who would be concerned about the Harry Potter books is a right-wing fundamentalist from the dark ages, don't read this book. If you are a serious Christian who wants to know whether your kids should be reading Harry Potter, or whether you should, THIS IS THE BOOK TO READ. Do NOT waste your time with "Pokemon & Harry Potter: A Fatal Attraction" or "Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick." Those authors are only a couple steps from the Inquisition, and they simply don't understand literature and how it works. Connie Neal, who works for Focus on the Family, explains why the Harry Potter books ARE good for Christian children. She explains the difference between the "wizardry" in these books and the witchcraft books found in the New Age section of your local bookstore. She shows how you can help your children find God in the Harry Potter books. I have a Ph.D. in literature and I teach the Bible on the college level and edit a theological journal, so I'm better qualified than most to say that the Harry Potter books are significant from both the literary and the spiritual viewpoints. They are at heart about the battle between good and evil, the same battle that swirls around us, and about the forces that are trying to lead us to choose the good and the competing forces trying to lead us into darkness. If you help your children find these themes in the books, the books can have a powerful influence for good.

A Challenge...

Unfortunately, the apparent answer commonly given to Neal's question is "Panic". The most widely reported and distributed Christian responses have been littered with hysterical, inaccurate and inconsistent reports of what the Harry Potter books are going to do to young children near you. In a pleasing contrast, Neal presents an informed and balanced account and analysis of the Harry Potter phenomenon. She begins her book by presenting a wide sample of Christian writing on the Harry Potter books. Neal suggests a view of the Christian church big enough to accommodate both people who enjoy reading the Harry Potter stories and those who do not see the books as suitable for Christian families. While Neal goes on to argue in favour of the books and to see opportunities in their popularity, she maintains respect for those who may choose to disagree with her views. Neal ably categorises the Harry Potter stories as fantasy, bringing with them many of the elements of classic children's stories. As such, she questions the legitimacy of imposing on parts of the story meanings inconsistent with their use in the story itself. However, Neal does recognise risks associated with the various motifs of magic and witchcraft employed in the Harry Potter stories and devotes two chapters to a Bible-based response to these issues. The books are definitely not "How to" manuals on magic - as another writer put it, the magic in Harry Potter is on a similar level to the technology in 'Star Trek' (Hertenstein) - but Neal is alert to the curiosity about such things the books may arouse. She suggests this may in fact provide an opportunity for parents to discuss with their children the dangers associated with magic and witchcraft. However, the greatest conclusion of 'What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter?' is "we find that the Harry Potter stories are rich in parallels to our Judeo-Christian faith." Neal traces this through the debates about the morality presented in Rowling's books and into a personal story in which Neal used the Harry Potter story to share the gospel with a family friend. Neal's concluding challenge to Christians is to develop ways to use the Harry Potter stories similarly - to "use that interest as an open door to share with them the greatest story of all." 'What's a Christian to do with Harry Potter?' is addressed almost solely to parents and teachers, concerned about the children in their care. However, Neal's book can be read usefully by the many older Christians: both those who have not read Harry Potter but are interested in the phenomenon; and those who have read - and even enjoyed - the books but have some questions as to an appropriate Christian response. You are allowed to disagree, but Neal's arguments are worth considering.