Christmas Present for Christian Harry Potter Fans (or skeptics, for that matter)
December 13, 2011 at 4:18 pm 3 comments
My new book is now ready to order at Amazon! If you’re still looking for a Christmas present for someone interested in Harry Potter, Fantasy, and Christianity, maybe this would be an idea:
Seven Years at Hogwarts: A Christian’s Conversion to Harry Potter
Entry filed under: Books/Book Reviews, Christianity (general), Harry Potter. Tags: books, Christianity, Fantasy, Harry Potter.
1.
bobpazjr | January 3, 2012 at 2:02 pm
I finished your book today. As it turns out, I had been reading Chesterton’s Orthodoxy for the first time leading into your book, which I found a tremendous companion!
Having spent the past few years in youth ministry, I have encountered Christians on both sides of the fence regarding Harry Potter, and so I was very interested to read a more in-depth analysis. I have never been offended by the material myself (just to give you background), but I have been made to understand the opposing position as I have engaged in various discussion.
I wanted to compliment you on your handling of the material. I think you took the time and effort to present material on both sides of the equation while drawing on other works for comparison and contrast. And while fantasy material like Potter often seems to fall under a “matter of conscience” for each individual believer, I think you did well to explain that the alleged inherent evil and supposed danger of magical fantasy, is not necessarily in the material, particularly in light of the entire Potter story as a whole, but in the sinful individual.
I appreciate that you repeatedly adjust the zoom lens, bringing the debate to the entire body of work rather than totally disassembling the story to break down individual instances. It is easy to be heavy-handed on the specifics while ignoring the broader picture. You point well to the sinful nature of man and the honesty of the work in including sin and moral dilemma (or lack thereof).
I could go on, but overall, I thank you for your honest approach and your desire to shed light on the worldview of Harry Potter. I think the book would be useful for folks on both sides of the debate over Christians and magical fantasy.
2.
jacobschriftman | January 4, 2012 at 2:03 am
Thank you very much for your kind words. I’m happy to hear that you liked the book. And I can’t imagine a better lead-in than Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy”!
All the best for your own journey of faith!
3.
jacobschriftman | January 5, 2012 at 4:43 am
By the way, since this book is just a very small publication, I’m happy for any book review on Amazon.