Harry Potter Revisited

I have been thinking a bit more about this whole Harry Potter thing and I had a momentary flash of brilliance. I thought that rather than just stick up the regurgitated thoughts of other people (as I have done previously) I might try to dig deep and write down some of the thoughts down.

Genius (as young Annabelle would say).

I am a person who tends to think in point form so I might set out my thoughts here like that if that is ok.

The war that is in disguise:

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

These verses tell us that our war is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities in the spiritual realm. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

For there to be a war going on in the spiritual realm there needs to be 'sides' or 'teams'. Simply put you are either for God or you are against Him, and all that is not for Him is against Him.

This applies in the natural and is mirrored in the spiritual.

Some would argue that my stance is some what simplistic, and perhaps it is, but I am a simple kind of gal. You are either for God or you are against Him, you are either going to heaven or going to hell.

Harry Potter, whether fictional witchcraft or modelled from the real thing still focus's on a 'spiritual battle', but now it becomes a war between the 'good witches and the bad witches'. I do not believe this is a true reflection of the Spiritual warfare that Ephesians 6 is talking about. The battle in the heavenlies isn't about two divisions of witchcraft fighting it out, it is between the agents of hell and the agents of heaven and it involves US. We know this because we are asked to take an active stand in the ongoing verses of Ephesians 6.

I really dislike the personification of witchcraft as being 'good'- even if it is only in a fairy tale or within fantasy literature. I have the same dilemna with that old classic movie 'The Wizard of Oz'. The fact that we now have the Wicked Witch of the West, warring the White Witch is spiritually subtle to say the least.

I 'personally' don't have the same feelings towards CS Lewis Chronicles of Narnia as I do towards Harry Potter. The reason for this being that there are obviously two sides in Narnia. The Witch who represents evil, and Aslan who is considered the 'Christ' figure. For me it does not hold the spiritual ambiguity I see in Potter.

The Coat Hanger

Many people secular and Christian alike, talk about the virtues, values, character and issues of life that the young boy Potter deals with on his way to becoming a man.

While I have no doubt that many deep issues are explored within the pages of these novels, I don't personally 'feel' I need to learn those lessons myself clothed in the garments of witchcraft whether it be 'real or fantasy' in content.

I believe there is enough other literature around that would be values, virtues or moral character based without glorifying wizardry, that may 'even' glorify God!

To debate or not to debate?

While I believe that there are many Christians around who have legitimate minstries to those in the occult, paganisim, satanism and yes even the New Age, who believe they need to read the Rowlings books in order to be well informed. I do not really 'buy' the argument that as Christians we need to read the books or watch the movies in order to be able to engage people or debate about it.

I have no doubt that it would help to engage or debate people about it if we read it. But my deeper question is 'SHOULD' we engage or debate people about 'spiritual things' without giving them them the gospel to hang it on, or before they are ready to receive them?

1 Corinthians 2 says;

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.[c] 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?"[d] But we have the mind of Christ.

Without having the Holy Spirit impart wisdom, we are told in the above passage that the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the spirit of God for they are FOOLISHNESS to him.. he simply can not understand them, because they are spiritual discerned.

This is not to say that I believe we should never talk to the unsaved about Spiritual matters, I just believe we need to be listening very closely to the heartbeat of God for how we should address those we are engaging.

Jesus when talking to the woman at the well started in the natural and moved on to the spiritual. The same as when he was brought the woman caught in adultery. Each time he discerned the Father's heart for these women and how to go about 'unlocking' the door to their hearts to the gospel.

He didnt need to engage them about the latest fad or trend in their world. He went straight for the issues of the heart, he showed them their need for a saviour and then opened the door for them to receieve Him.

We may have many enjoyable conversations with people, or spiritual debates, but do we really need to fill up on every new fad or fettish that comes along in order to do it?

OR should we be so full of the word of God, full of His presence, renewed and transformed in our mind that when we meet the unsaved along the way, we can easily discern the beat of the Father's heart at that minute like Jesus did and get to the very crux of what it is that we are meant to be doing... leading people to Jesus for their salvation, eternal security and an intimate ongoing relationship with their Father- God... as they were created to have.

Do we need things like Harry Potter, the DaVinci Code or whatever the flash in the pan trend seems to be at the moment to hang the gospel on? Or does the gospel stand alone?

I suppose that is the deeper question I am asking here!

In finishing for now... I am aware that Jesus spoke in parable's from life, and perhaps as our modern day existence seems to take on more and more fantasy than ever before, literature such as Potter could be legitimate forms of parable telling, I just think I am going to need a lot more convincing about the need to use wizardy/witchcraft to expound the gospel of Christ Jesus.

~ S E L A H ~