'Potter' books have relevance for Christians, editor says
7/31/2003 News media contact: Linda Green · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn This report can be used as a sidebar to UMNS story #381. By Linda Green* KNOXVILLE,
Tenn. (UMNS) - The "Harry Potter" book series, which have stirred
debate among some church folk because of their focus on magic, are
specifically relevant to Christians, according to an editor at the
United Methodist Publishing House.
Teens attending the
international Youth '03 event watched Josh Tinley take Harry Potter to
"confirmation class." During a workshop at the July 23-27 gathering,
Tinley showed how the Potter tales deal with themes of good versus evil,
and he discussed them in the context of the Christian storytelling
tradition.
"Harry Potter has renewed the interest in
storytelling, and as Christians, storytelling is important," Tinley
said. "We have to realize that until a lot of the books in the Bible
were written, they were carried on by people who sat around and told
stories."
The popular series by J.K. Rowling is about a
teenage boy who discovers that he's inherited magical powers. He goes
off to a boarding school for wizards to learn about his abilities and
how to distinguish between good and evil.
With the popularity of
Harry Potter among teens and adults, a debate has emerged among
Christians about whether the books are appropriate reading or whether
they endorse witchcraft and black magic - practices forbidden by the
Bible.
Potter spends much of his time fighting dark forces for
the cause of good, justice and mercy, which are biblical themes, Tinley
noted. Culturally relevant stories, he said, are those that are familiar
or well known and that communicate a message or teach lessons.
"Everything from Hamlet to Star Wars to the Three Little Pigs are relevant," he said.
Particularly
important to Christians is that the Potter tales have returned people
to the art of storytelling, prompting many people who never read for
pleasure to pick up a book, he said.
Many books in the Bible do
not read like history or newspaper articles, he noted. "They read like
stories and have a lot of drama, and you want to know what happened."
The
gospels are a great example, Tinley said. The gospel writers had
numerous ways to tell the story of Jesus but chose to do so in a
narrative, he said. Jesus also used stories or parables to convey
messages or make a point.
Christians are familiar with the Old
Testament books of Daniel, Job, Ruth, Jonah, but Tinley astounded the
teens in the workshop when he said biblical scholars contend that the
books "are ancient fictional stories that were told about these cultural
heroes that all the ancient Hebrew people would have known about."
What
is fascinating about that theory, Tinley said, is the idea that these
fictional stories were so powerful and important that Jews and later
Christians included them in their scriptures.
He added that
while Esther is a book in the Bible, it does not mention God. "But there
is something about the story. It is so strong that Jews and Christians
alike said it was going (into their holy books). Even though it does not
mention God, it says something about God in the stories."
The
Harry Potter books do not mention God either, but they are filled with
Christian themes, some of the teens said, in defense of one of their
favorite characters.
Three themes throughout the Potter books -
the power of sacrificial love, befriending the poor and marginalized,
and the prevalence of justice - are also commended in the Bible, Tinley
said.
The controversy among Christians about Potter centers on
the language, he said. Although sorcery and witchcraft are in the book,
"Harry brought the real world and the magical world together." Potter
was born with special powers and did not use them for evil.
What
the books have done is force people to look beneath the surface and find
the Christian themes. Potter and his friends do not blatantly do
anything related to the occult, Tinley said. "He just happened to be
born with these special powers."
How does Harry Potter relate to the Gospels? Both talk about sacrifice, he said.
"Look
at the sacrifice Jesus made of his life," Tinley said. "Though Potter
is not on the same scale, (sacrifice) is represented over and over in
the books because you see people putting themselves through all sorts of
ordeals to try to serve others and to try to serve a greater good."
The heroes in Rowling's books show concern for the poor and the oppressed, the teens said.
"The
books illustrate that you should not judge people by their powers and
abilities but on how they use their abilities to deal with situations,"
Tinley said. Potter uses love, courage and perseverance time and time
again.
"Fictional stories can be relevant to faith and storytelling," he said, "and can be used to pass on that faith."
# # #
*Green is United Methodist News Service's Nashville, Tenn., news director.
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