Connie Neal, who previously penned What’s a Christian to Do With Harry Potter? turns her attention once again to the ever-controversial young mythical hero. This time, she seeks to draw comparisons small and large between the Harry Potter story and the gospel. She dedicates this book, “For those who have eyes to see.”
With an obviously extensive knowledge of the Harry Potter series, as well as Scripture, Neal typically summarizes in a paragraph or two a key plot point from the Harry Potter story, then follows up with a small essay revealing the Christian imagery and symbolism, both specific and thematic, that can be interpreted from J.K. Rowling’s series. For instance, Harry had to “walk through a wall” to get to train platform nine and three-quarters, just as we must walk through a wall of doubt to find faith and God’s Kingdom. Neal also finds themes of original sin, repentance, redemption and the cosmic struggle of good versus evil in the series.
At times, Neal’s conclusions seem stretched so thin as to be groan-inducing, and breaking a children’s fantasy series down so precisely and systematically seems to rob us of some of the wonder of it all. Still, for those legions of ardent fans of Harry Potter and his fantasy adventures, especially those who also have a faith in Christ, this book can be an interesting read.
Used by permission. CCM Magazine © 2002