22 May

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

Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0312308698
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
Average Customer Review: (From 16 total reviews)
List Price: $22.95
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description:

“The Potter stories, far from being ‘wicked’ or ‘Satanic,’ … are in fact narratives of robust faith and morality …

“What Ms. Rowling has furnished us, besides what the Brits call ‘a good read,’ and a whopping good one, … is a modern interpretation of the gospel, the wonderful news that ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself’ and making sure that the goodness of creation would never be obliterated by the forces of darkness and evil.”

Since their first publication, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels have brought joy to children and adults alike. Many conservative Christians in the United States, however, have decried the books as wicked, as preaching witchcraft and the occult, and as glamorizing dishonesty. A minister in New Mexico held a “holy bonfire” on the Sunday after Christmas 2001, at which he publicly torched the Potter books, declaring them “an abomination to God and to me.”

John Killinger, a Congregationalist minister and an academic in the field of contemporary literature, beautifully demolishes the objections of right-wing Christians to this bestselling children’s series. He compellingly argues that, far from corrupting children’s morals, the Potter stories actually influence young readers to follow the teachings of Jesus. He cites passage after passage to illustrate how the world of Harry Potter would be inconceivable apart from the strictures of Judeo-Christian theology and the way human existence should be approached by every follower of Jesus. Additionally, he reflects on the possibility that Harry Potter, like Dostoevsky’s Prince Myshkin and others, is a witting or unwitting Christ figure who actually battles the forces of darkness for the souls of the faithful.

All through this extraordinarily well-written, compelling, and very entertaining little book, the author points out that stories like this are worth more than any sermon toward producing people who truly follow the lessons of Jesus.

Download Description:
A beautifully-written examination of the lessons contained in the “juvenile” series that has broken all records and captured adults as well as their children.

Customer Reviews

Waste of Time and waste of shelf space by T. Miller
Now I didn’t read most of the book. I’ll admit that right off the bat. I picked it up because I wanted to see how long it would take to reach the most ridiculous of comparisons and how far off track they would go. Well at one point I couldn’t stand it so I shut the book. But seriously, from what I did read and know is that by the end of the book you will realize that it should have been found in the fantasy fiction section more so than the Harry Potter books themselves. Harry Potter is in the genre of fantasy and it’s called FANTASY for a reason people. It’s not supposed to always make sense and fit into whatever over zealous, over analytical, overreaching for conspiracy box you feel it should be in. I know this guy is supposed to be defending the series against the people who have nothing better to do than question every original thought that comes from someone’s mind, but he was quite counter-productive so to conclude: waste of time, waste of shelf space.

Good points, but sloppy by Lady Ealasaid
I find that this book has some good points, excellent things to point out and, with a bit more work, could have been an excellent defense of Harry Potter. However, I also find that there is much summary of the Harry Potter books, often without a clear reason for doing so. Moreover, the author is not always careful with details from the Harry Potter books. For instance, on p 33 of this book, the author says, “And, after a scuffle in which he [Hagrid] turns Vernon Dursley into a pig, Hagrid carries Harry off to London to get him [Harry] ready to go to Hogwarts.” This is not how the events of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone unfold. It is Dudley, not Vernon whom Hagrid attempts to turn into a pig. Moreover, Hagrid’s attempt was not fully successful. Rather, Dudley only grew a pig’s tail out of it. The needless summary and the careless mistakes in referring to events of the Harry Potter books make the writing come across sloppy. Still, I do say that the book is not wholly without merit.

An Interesting View on the Series by Angela M. Weir
John Killinger’s book is a fascinating read and one that I was eager to get started. I am a Christian who happens to be a Harry Potter fan and was eager to see if my thoughts on the series were in fact what others were thinking. I like the book for the most part, I truly do. I can see the analogies he makes very clearly and have often sited the same passages in my defense for the books. I do feel that he has left some details lacking and could have gone on to explain his hypotheses on certain areas a bit better. I found myself in certain sections agreeing wholeheartedly with his assertions (such as Harry Potter being the embodiment of hope for those he is trying to save much in the same way Jesus was viewed by his disciples) but on other areas I found myself scratching my head wondering where the heck he had gotten that information from. Some of it does appear to be pulled out of thin air or he stretches the reading so far that it fails to make any sense whatsoever. I would be interested to see another book such as this be released now that all the books in the series are released. I wonder what John Killinger would have to say about the “resurrection” of Harry at the end of book 7? What other symbolisms could be made from such simple things such as Dumbledore’s core group of defenders being called the Order of the Phoenix (the phoenix in fact being a symbol for Jesus in history) or what he would have to say about the true master of death symbolism? It would be interesting to say the least. If you are not a huge fan of ancient mythologies or theologies you may find this book to be lagging in some areas. It may in fact bore a reader with only an interest in Harry Potter and not any of the hidden messages within the text. The only part that did annoy me a bit was what appeared to be simple errors when discussing the Harry Potter world, something that should have been more closely researched if he was releasing a book about that universe. In the first book Hagrid did not turn Vernon into a pig it was in fact Dudley. And in the third installment of the series a Patronous is not used to repel a boggart but instead it is used to repel dementors. These errors, although very trivial, do make me question his authenticity about his literature studies or his basic knowledge of the books he writes about. Does he truly care about the Christian world view on these books or is he in fact trying to profit off the Harry Potter series? It has to make you wonder just a bit!

All in all I will be rating this book a 4 for several reasons:

1. The book is put together in a sensible fashion that makes for a very well-organized read. It also makes this book great research material since all the areas are easily marked for quick reference.

2. I do believe that his heart is in the right place and his views are so interesting.

3. His research into ancient texts, not just the Holy Bible, is interesting and must have taken much time to locate. I am very interested, now, in picking up many of the books he sites within his page for further knowledge on my part.

4. Although there was some glaring mistakes when it came to the Harry Potter books, I do feel that most of the information was accurate and knowledgable…easily followed up by references to ancient texts.

5. It will, if nothing else, make it easier for Christian’s, who happen to be fans of the series, to defend their reasoning. It will give them ammo to shoot back when they feel “under the gun” from book burners. And all in all it will make for a great debate.

What more can I say? by Tigerpaws
Dr. Killinger makes a lot of sense. If you’ve been worried about your children reading these books, please worry no more. And please take the time to understand what Dr. Killinger has to say. He doesn’t just spout opinion, but explains his premise excellently. He’s brilliant and right on point.

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Posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 5:03 pm under Hardcover .

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