Harry Potter is NOT Jesus, writes author Andrew Peterson.<\/p>\n
“This story isn\u2019t inspired, at least not in the sense that Scripture is inspired; but because I believe that all truth is God\u2019s truth, that the resurrection is at the heart of the Christian story, and the main character of the Christian story is Christ, because I believe in God the Father, almighty maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only begotten son\u2014and because I believe that he inhabits my heart and has adopted me as his son, into his family, his kingdom, his church\u2014I have the freedom to rejoice in the Harry Potter story, because even there, Christ is King.”<\/p>\n
In Harry Potter?<\/p>\n
“Wherever we see beauty, light, truth, goodness, we see Christ,” writes Peterson. “Do we think him so small that he couldn\u2019t invade a series of books about a boy wizard? Do we think him cut off from a story like this, as if he were afraid, or weak, or worried? Remember when Santa Claus shows up (incongruously) in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe<\/em>? It\u2019s a strange moment, but to my great surprise I\u2019ve been moved by it.<\/p>\n “Lewis reminds me that even Father Christmas is subject to Jesus, just as in Prince Caspian<\/em>the hosts of mythology are subject to him. The Harry Potter story is subject to him, too, and Jesus can use it however he wants. In my case, Jesus used it to help me long for heaven, to remind me of the invisible world, to keep my imagination active and young, and he used it to show me his holy bravery in his triumph over the grave.<\/p>\n “C.S. Lewis had some strange theological ideas. I still read and love his work. George MacDonald was a universalist. His book are still instructive and beautiful. Tolkien had his own theological failings. After watching the fiery debate over the Harry Potter books, I wonder if any novel, Christian or otherwise, could withstand the theological nitpicking that\u2019s been inflicted on Rowling, either in the work itself or the author\u2019s worldview.<\/p>\n