What’s the Matter With Harry Potter?
Many Christians seem to “get their knickers in a twist” where the matter of Harry Potter is concerned. We seem to forget that, at his worst, the enemy can only present the bait while we, as Christians, must decide whether we’re going to allow ourselves to fall for it or not. In other words, we should actually expect the enemy to utilize the things of this world in his onslaught against us. Let’s not be so surprised. Let’s not curse the darkness either. In this Author’s opinion, the Church needs to strategically determine HOW it plans to utilize the schemes of Hell and the things of this world to advance the Kingdom.
According to a study conducted by the Barna Group, the exposure of America’s teens to Harry Potter books and/or movies has doubled since 2003. Currently, more than four out of every five (84%) have read or watched Potter including those referring to themselves as being “born-again” (78%). Among those born-again teens, only 13% recall ever receiving any input from their church on the subject or spiritual themes of Harry Potter.
NO HARM DONE?
Sadly, only one-fifth of all teens and one-third of born-again Christian teens said they had discussed the supernatural elements of Harry Potter with their parents. One out of every eight teenagers (12%) said that the Potter chronicles actually increased their interest in witchcraft. That translates to nearly THREE MILLION American young people who admit to have taken an interest SINCE their personal exposure to Potterism.
David Kinnaman, the director of the research for the Barna Group, put the Harry Potter phenomenon into perspective. “… the vast majority of teenagers and adolescents find entertainment value in Potter, most Christian leaders and parents have responded by either condemning the series or ignoring it. That response hasn’t worked because most teens still consume the stories – along with dozens more like it – but without the critical input that would help them make sense of the supernatural dimension described in the Potter universe.”
Kinnaman believes that Christian parents and youth leaders should take heed of the Biblical directive that we should be “in, but not of” the world. “The teenage years are an important transition from the leadership of parents to independence and reliance upon God. Instead of simply trying to isolate children from all the spiritually dangerous material available in our media-saturated culture, parents could prepare their kids to be missionaries to their peers and to our society.
Even though the approach and even the outcome will look different for every teen, helping teens to respond biblically to the messages of popular culture – such as those found in Harry Potter – is an important function of parents and church leaders. You do not get a free pass if you are not interested or if you do not enjoy stories like Potter. Young people are avidly consuming contemporary pop legends. Adults can guide them in knowing how to interpret that information and to respond in a Christ-like manner.
“The Bible notes that believers should always be ready to answer questions about their faith whenever people ask. While not minimizing the spiritual danger of stories like Harry Potter, the upside of such content is that it raises questions of purpose, destiny, relationships, isolation, redemption, spiritual power and more – the very topics that are so important to the message of Christianity. But, as things stand, many parents and church leaders are letting those spiritual opportunities go to waste.”
ARE WE WISE AS SERPENTS… OR SNAKE FOOD?
I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Kinnaman. Too often, the Church can be found running from that which it deems inappropriate rather than arming our kids for the world they’ll ultimately be forced to face, quite often as early as tomorrow. As one who has ministered to all levels of children from infants to collegians, even the best of Christian kids are consistantly showing themselves to be less than equipped to face adult life as Christians on planet Earth and its demonically-inspired system of values.
The child whose parents forbid him from playing with toy guns can never stop him from pointing his finger and shouting “Bang!” when he’s alone with his buddies playing Cowboys and Indians or Space Invaders. The young man raised to respect women has his defenses penetrated daily as the check-out counter feeds him a steady diet of scantilly-dressed females on magazine racks. I once ministered to an awesome band of Christian musicians. One by on, every one of its members sought ministry as each had been caught in the trap of pornography.
I get my share of eMail messages from well-meaning Christians who are pretty steamed about all the Harry Potter hoopla. Rest assured, I’ve written a few scripture-laden messages both to those who were confused by as well as those who were defenders of the popular books. Such preachy moralizing usually has little impact, trust me.
But, it makes me feel better.
I once read a quote from Bruno Bettelheim, who was referred to as “the great child psychologist.” Never heard of him, but I don’t get out much. Bruno said, “The question for the child is not ‘Do I want to be good?’ but ‘Who do I want to be like?’ ” I liked that and I remembered reading that a child under 5 generally has difficulty distinguishing the reality of Jesus over Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy, behooving us, as parents, to emphasize Jesus in our homes. All the time, not just on Sunday or at Christmas.
I pondered this expert’s quote and concluded that his statement was probably true even of adults. The things that impact us the most are the stories of people we can identify with. A preacher may preach a good sermon, but notice how much more memorable it becomes when he shares a story we can all relate to. Jesus was an expert at this, using parables and allowing the people to identify with the characters. Incidentally, if you ever want to REALLY get a child’s attention, start a sentence with the words, “When I was a little child….” Suddenly, they can relate and, I’ve found, tend to tune-in more quickly. It’s as if their little minds exclaim,”YOU were a child? Oh, I gotta hear THIS!”
The thing that turns bad literature into harmful literature is that it reverses this effective process, encouraging readers to identify with certain characters they can relate to, BEFORE drawing them into vicarious experiences such as occult practices, as in Harry Potter’s case.
If Christian parents are looking for a standard by which to gauge the latest kids book or movie, I believe the question to ask is: “Does the story depict sin and encourage its practice?” If sin is depicted in some way, “Does the story demonstrate how destructive the sinful acts are as well as sin’s consequences, or is it glorified?
DOES THIS APPLY TO ADULTS, TOO?
Instances relating to more “mature” entertainment intended for “adults,” well…that’s a different story, right? No, it’s not. From soaps to sit-coms to the silver screen, where adults are concerned it’s not usually occult practices so much as it is vulgarity, fornication, drinking, homosexuality, murder, adultery, lying, cheating, violence, degradation of women, racism, etc. We relate to the hero, who winds up having pre-marital sex with a movie’s starlet, for example.
Or the good guy who killed all the bad guys, broke every imaginable law, and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property by the adventure’s end. Or the beautiful starlet who exhibits worldly choices pertaining to her career, marriage, and morals. By the way, ever notice how often the villain wears a cross or spouts Scripture?
In the privacy of one’s own imagination, a reader, viewer, or listener, can so easily plant the seed, or feed the need, of their secret sins. We may not always act out in accordance with our input (the stuff we feed our spirit), but the Bible clearly reflects that our imaginary indulgences are equally as sinful. Jesus warned that we’ve committed adultery if we’ve so much as lusted in our hearts and that hatred was equally as bad as murder.
There are many famous children’s stories that depict magic and fantasy situations. Some that come to mind include The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, King Arthur, and Oedipus Rex. Even many biblical stories can cause a Sunday School teacher to st..stutter, including, David & Bathsheba, Lot and his daughters, Noah’s drunken nudity and more. What makes ANY of these stories any different from Harry Potter? In the Bible, acts of lust, adultery, murder, incest, are clearly portrayed as wrong and not without consequences. BIG difference! If a writer is going to deal with everyday human realities in literature, movies, and in music, there MUST be a moral lesson. Otherwise, it can have a detrimental effect. Today’s heroes and heroines are literally getting away with murder, but we wink at their sin. After all, we rationalize, they’re the big stars and it’s ONLY a movie, or a book, besides.
The Harry Potter books may be having such a negative impact on millions of kids, but the ball STILL falls squarely in the Christian court. How so? Our ONLY means with which to counter-attack is by letting the world see the results of lives changed through a genuine relationship with God through Jesus Christ. God is the REAL Potter, after all. We are the clay. He is molding and shaping us, conforming us into the image of His Son. We, ourselves, are the book many will be reading, “epistles read by all men.” The world must become jealous for what we’ve supposedly “found” through our relationship with Christ before they’ll EVER want what we’ve got.
Till then, think it not strange when they flock to what Harry’s got to offer instead.
Do we give up and give in? Heavens, no! We should shut the TV and TALK with our kids about the stuff of life. We should exhibit a love for God that so impresses them to the point that they’ll desire to know the One so highly esteemed by their personal Super Hero they refer to as “mom” or “dad.”
That IS the case, correct?
With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, let’s remember that Moses’ mother raised him to love God in the midst of one of the most depraved society’s ever. It CAN be done. We must stop cursing the darkness and let our lights shine brighter than ever.
Now, let’s be good parents and go spend some quality time with our kids.
And with our God.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael’s mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Since 1999, he has broadcast over 300 hundred inspirational articles and a dozen booklets on subjects that will interest the thinking Christian, all designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God’s people.
He is the founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). An Author, Pastoral Counselor and Teacher, his eMail broadcasts, known as “Your Town for Jesus” are reaching millions around the globe WEEKLY. Write team1min@aol.com if you’d like to SUBSCRIBE.
A licensed/ordained minister, a Certified Workplace Chaplain, and a Professional Member of NIBIC, he has ministered in Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, College and Cowboy churches. He is also a Speaker on the Christian Speaker Network and may be available to speak to your church or Christian group.
