What did you like, and what most disturbed you?

SM: Writers often write fiction to give a voice to the voiceless, or those they perceive as voiceless. Pullman is doing that too. John Milton's classic Paradise Lost gave a voice to Satan's side of the heavenly rebellion, and Pullman wants to pick that up and take the next step, even naming the trilogy after a quote from Paradise Lost. It makes for something very compelling, where it is easy to be sympathetic. There are ideas that really resonate within me, like how intriguing it is to think deeply on just what's going on whenever you have an inner monologue with yourself, what sorts of things your soul/that voice inside you can do for you, etc. But at the same time, how disturbing is that, and how humanly glorifying.

Still, those are the same factors many will leave the theater feeling good about, perhaps without even knowing why. Who could dislike the story of the Bear's return to his kingdom? Who wants to suffer seeing children tortured? Tom [Perrault, our Director of Operations,] noticed that when Lyra offers herself as a daemon to the reigning king of the bears (it's a trick; animals don’t and can’t have daemons), it's really a very sensual scene in terms of movement and dialogue, which plays to the concept of the intimate relation between person and daemon.

MK: It was a good story! When I was reading the book I was immediately drawn in. It certainly didn't feel like work! Visually, the film was beautifully made and presented a cast of fun characters with fascinating stories. As for what I found disturbing, I obviously didn’t appreciate the blatant attack on the Church. Considering this is 'children's literature,' I really didn’t like the way it sets the viewer up to want to go into the next two books/movies which are far more blasphemous and sexual in nature. They've presented a nice cute story with likable characters and you find yourself rooting for those we would consider the “bad guys.” If we as adults can get turned around, we need to be that much more concerned for young minds still learning the difference between fantasy and reality.

SJ: I really like a couple things about both movie and book: Again, he's clearly got a gift with words and storytelling. I kept thinking, "Why can't we have more Christians who produce media on this thought-provoking level?" And the book and movie challenged me. But what disturbs me most is how Pullman and New Line Cinema have targeted children for this story. A lot of the themes he presents in the movie and the book have hurt a lot of children. The idea that you're better off only trusting yourself and without any moral boundaries or framework is detrimental. His concept of Original Sin (via 'Dust') is not consistent with the Christian doctrine of original sin!

Can one read or watch The Golden Compass and just be content to locate Christian themes?

MK: If one hopes to, one will soon be disappointed. Lyra's character is willing to do whatever it takes – all the way to self-sacrifice – to save her friends and get an object to her father that she believes he needs. Sacrifice is a great Christian theme, but “whatever it takes” in this story often means lying, disobeying, and taking a variety of other inappropriate measures. Unlike the Narnia books which are abundant with Christian themes, you would really have to search and make a case for them in this series.

SJ: Pullman makes it very difficult. There are so many things that are incompatible with or misrepresentative of Christianity that it drowns out any Christian themes. While Lyra is sacrificial, she's also very selfish and wild. She's very selective in who she sacrifices for and why. Some of the Christian themes can be very confusing because they never really explain what 'good' is. The gyptian characters just seem to be 'naturally' good, in their spirits of the water way, just because of who they are. Why are they so good?

SM: One of my favorite books is Epic by John Eldredge, in which he discusses how we so love stories because they're ripe with elements of the greater story we're a part of. So even if I were to read Harry Potter, or other stories that some Christians don't necessarily love (and countless hundreds that they do), I could still find some of the great themes of the overarching Biblical story. Here, I had a hard time doing that. It's the first book I've encountered that just really turns everything on its ear. There is redemption in the return of the Bear King Iorek Byrnison, there is seeking for truth, there is loyalty, and there is familial care - though not through the typical family.

What's your conclusion?

MK:  I keep thinking of the verse in 1 Corinthians that reminds us that just because something is lawful or permissible, doesn’t mean it is profitable or edifying. It’s not necessarily wrong to watch or read The Golden Compass, but it will make an impression and there are issues readers need to be prepared to examine and explain.

The truth is that you cannot read the book or leave the movie unscathed. I’ve been telling friends, “I’m reading it so you don’t have to!” That being said, I believe it can also be great a tool and discussion starter for informed adult readers. For the work we're doing at Crosswalk it's been beneficial, but we went in prepared and with a purpose.

For parents trying to decide for their children, I don’t think it’s worth the risk of harming young hearts and minds. There are plenty of other exciting stories that are edifying, honoring, and appropriate for children.