Spinning Yarns That Deceive

The Harry Potter phenomenon is the biggest thing to happen to children's literature in decades. And plenty of ink has been spilled arguing about the underlying worldview of these books.

But right behind Harry Potter on the bestseller lists are the books of another author whose worldview is perfectly clear--and that's the problem. Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" trilogy illustrates that stories may be used for ill as well as good, and reminds us of the importance of having a well-developed worldview critique.

Philip Pullman is a teacher and a storyteller who delights in capturing kids' imaginations--and he's very good at it. His fantasy series, the "Dark Materials" trilogy, has been translated into 21 languages and has sold more than a million copies.

Some have compared this English author to J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis--and there are parallels. Not only are his stories immensely popular, he lives and writes in Oxford. What's more, he's very conscious of the relationship between literature and worldview. For him, children's stories are about questions like: "Where did we come from?" and "Where do we go?"

By all accounts, Pullman's trilogy is quite sophisticated: Even adults are attracted to the way he weaves together elements from "Star Wars," quantum mechanics, John Milton, William Blake, and other literary sources.

But that's where the similarities end. As Pullman himself puts it, Tolkien would have "deplored" his writing and "Lewis would think [he] was doing the Devil's work." Why? Well, by his own admission Pullman is writing stories to "undermine the basis of Christian belief."

Continued on page 2: »