God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a fellow pastor AND fan of the Harry Potter novels, I picked up this book with much interest. The introduction was intriguing enough, so I proceeded with the book. There is no doubt in my mind that evangelicals will dismiss this book as blasphemous. Harry Potter as Jesus? Dumbledore as God the Father? Fawkes as the Holy Spirit?? While I recognize the merit of Killinger's basic argument--that many of the themes in the Potter books are themes that have a Christian basis (if not an outright Christian character--I felt that his comparisons are exaggerated or altogether too weak to stand.
Of course, like others, I am totally embarrassed by the Christians who have dismissed the Potter books as "evil." I was hoping this book might be a reasonable, substantive argument against those accusations. Alas, it is not. In fact, it reads more like a synopsis of each of the Potter books in print with some theology thrown in to boot. Killinger's admiration for the Potter books stands out more strongly than any argument he makes for the books not being anti-Christian.

Click Here to see more reviews about: God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels

Click here for more information about God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels

Read More...

A Charmed Life: The Spirituality of Potterworld Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Up till 'Charmed', books about HP have been (1) diatribes against the books due to the dark magic therein, (2) defenses against type 1, and (3) analyses of HP as literature. In types 1 and 2, the various authors usually tell the reader what his or her conclusion should be.
This book takes a different approach, one of positive analysis with thoughtful conclusions -- but not forcing those conclusions down the reader's throat. It is extremely well written -- and is as readable and enjoyable as the HP books themselves.
'A Charmed Life' is divided into 5 long chapters, plus a shorter 6th with conclusions, and the long chapters are helpfully broken by mid-chapter headings. These chapters give an indepth look at some of Rowling's favorite issues, such as:
(1) actions have consequences,
(2) beware of the deceitfulness of appearances [a major lesson in LOTR],
(3) the target audience [first, JKR herself; second, those that like an exciting mystery], and I might add parenthetically, when Jo Rowling is interviewed, she constantly insists that her books are written for older teens and adults.
(4) the world view -- what you see is not all there is, [helpful to the Christian]
(5) the complicatedness of the moral world -- when things aren't exactly black and white,
and (6) periodic comparisons with 'The Chronicles of Narnia', LOTR, and Lewis Carroll's works.
Bridger looks at the issues of faith, fact, and truth, as portrayed by Jo Rowling, and finds much that is compatable to the way Christians are to think and believe.
'Charmed' is a helpful book to those who want to think carefully about these things.
To those who like their conclusions given to them, it is not so helpful.

Click Here to see more reviews about: A Charmed Life: The Spirituality of Potterworld

Click here for more information about A Charmed Life: The Spirituality of Potterworld

Read More...