An open letter to Christian muggles and ‘Ministry of Magic’ types

As an author that is a Christian, I have followed the discussion about Harry Potter’s relationship to Christianity with interest but have stayed out of it, at least in public. I have long believed that there were Christian themes percolating in the books, a belief that led me to accurately predict the fates of Snape and Malfoy. How intentional and deliberate Rowling was when exploring these themes I won’t speculate upon because that is something that she herself is in the best position to answer. However, her explicit exclusion of two Scriptures “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” and “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (#7, pgs 326 and 328, Matt. 6:21 and 1 Cor 15:26) suggests to me that anti-Harry Potter Christians would do well to re-consider their opposition and re-think their position.

The numerous nods to Christian themes in Rowling’s books are explored by many others so I won’t dig into them here beyond what I’ve already said, but I will take just one moment to respond to the charge that anything ‘magical’ is forbidden and of the devil. Certainly the Scriptures are not to be ignored on the point. In retort, it is often pointed out that there is ‘magical’ content to Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and in retort to that retort, it is given “But yes, those are Christian authors,” apparently ignorant that Rowling is herself a Christian. Intuitively, most of us recognize a difference between the ‘magic’ in these worlds and the sorcery rejected by the Scriptures.

The more serious charge, that enjoying the magic of Harry Potter (and perhaps Lewis’s and Tolkien’s, if one is going to be consistent) may tempt the young reader to dig into actual witchcraft and sorcery, needs a special mention. I have great difficulty thinking that the silly, made up, clever spells that are often no more than plays on words in Harry Potter could ever be understood as anything more, but this brings us to the edge of the purpose of this letter: for, I assume that when we have this concern, we are thinking of non-Christian youth; if we are worried about our Christian youth being tempted into paganism via Harry Potter, the problem is not Harry Potter, I assure you.

Oh no, it certainly is not. If there is any legitimate concern here at all, it only means that there is a failure within the Christian churches on a number of levels. Several of witch (sorry, couldn’t resist) I will address here.

In the Harry Potter series, a ‘muggle’ is a non-magical type that is more or less ignorant of magical world surrounding them. The wizarding community has long decided at this point that ‘muggles’ are better off not knowing. Muggles are often hostile and bewildered when confronted with the knowledge that there is more to reality than we perceive with our senses. Now, if one has a Christian worldview, it follows immediately that there is more then we perceive with our senses. Or it should, anyway. The conviction that there are ‘things unseen’ (Heb 11:1-2) is a fundamental aspect of Christian theology.

Objectors to the ’sorcery’ in Harry Potter object to ‘things unseen,’ that’s true. These Christians are right to fear the real life ‘Lord Voldemort’ but seem to forget that, like in Harry Potter, this enemy has been defeated. It is simply bad theology to imagine that the ‘things unseen’ that belong to God are inferior in strength and potency then the things that belong to the Enemy. Perhaps we ought to act like it. We ought to boldly claim what is ours, transforming the strongholds of the Enemy into retreats of wonder.

God has created a world that fill humans with awe left and right, using different means- the expansive night sky, the deep red canyons, the crimson sunset… the brave hero that sacrifices himself for another, the indescribable sense of love inside a parent’s heart for child… these things are not best expressed by doctrinal formulations but are no less real. In fact, to be pedantic, doctrines are themselves shadows of the realities they express. Dorothy Sayers, in her essay “The Dogma is the Drama” chides Christians for not being enchanted by the reality expressed by the doctrines. Imagine, really, a world under siege where God has personally assaulted to reclaim. In a Dumbledorish nod to human dignity, God then hands over tasks of reclamation to those of his Kingdom. That is the world we live in. That is what Christians say they believe.

God has intended to reclaim what is his yet the Christian arts receive precious little support. This part of God’s realm, though of great strategic importance, is nearly abandoned. Imagine it- millions and millions of people enthralled by a vision of the world portrayed in Harry Potter, and if we are to believe it, are drawn to explore witchcraft- and the Christian community has no message of its own to attract these millions? I don’t believe it! I do not believe the best we can do is to warn the non-Christian community away from the dangers of paganism. I believe the best we can do is show that their fired imagination is perfectly at home and even explained within the Christian worldview and not only that, they will find their imagination urged on continually the deeper they go.

I encourage ‘Christian muggles’ to remember that we are made in God’s image and therefore we can learn a bit from studying human nature. Namely, we love story telling and reveling in the story told. One can hardly remain a muggle when pondering the creativity of the Master Storyteller. Don’t misunderstand me: I am not suggesting that God is like a story teller and we are the specially created characters within the Divine Drama, playing out our part, big and small. It is that.

But I cannot limit myself only to those whom think that the Grand Romance consists merely in truisms about the lovers, as though any man every fell in love with a woman merely by hearing her described and never actually meeting her. There are some within the Christian ‘Ministry of Magic’ who do no better then the muggles.

In the Harry Potter series, there are not merely muggles who are ignorant to ‘magic’ and hostile once informed, there are also those who gravitate towards the ‘Ministry of Magic’ in the belief that anything of value first passed muster through a system, a bureaucracy, an organization. The ‘Ministry of Magic’ tends to gravitate towards the predictable, explicitly sanctioned, and homogenous. ‘Predictable’ and ‘homogenous’ are the last words we could use to describe the arts.

In words, most acknowledge the ‘priesthood of all believers’ (1 Peter 2:9) but in practice, the laity is feared. Those with spiritual inclinations, especially men, are directed into pastoral ministry- as though the only thing the church needs are pastors! Those with more unique gifts are unlikely to be supported by our institutions, and this includes our artists.

A search for Christian bands on Myspace.com reveals many talented, but struggling groups. These are forced to fend for themselves in the marketplace, as though God called us to be capitalists with fellow Christians! If the Parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15) means anything, it means that the tasks that Christians give their money are diametrically opposed to the principles of the world.

When you think about how wealthy the Christian church in America is, one can hardly imagine that within the Christian community at least, there wouldn’t be a single ’starving artist.’ “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

If the Harry Potter phenomena shows us anything, it shows that there are literally millions of people enthralled by themes such as bravery, loyalty, right and wrong, good and evil, redemption, faith, hope, love, and victory over death. These are themes that abound in the Christian Scriptures and permeate the Gospel message. It is high time that we invested time and resources in captivating these willing souls. If on reading such material they wish to find the source behind them, let us be prepared to point them to that Source, without insulting the sense of wonder that brought them to that point in the first place.

This will require raising up and supporting those poets among us, alongside the scholars and theologians. This will require being willing to act with courage as individuals rather than waiting for institutions to give their stamps of approval. This will require a change in the way we use our ‘treasure.’ This will require coming to grips that we truly are at war with an Enemy and the stakes are not bottom lines and failed or passed resolutions at church conferences, but the millions of thirty souls who we know are ready to drink from the Waters of Life, if only they knew where and how to receive it, and did not think that by drinking it they were consigning themselves to a sterile view of the world.

We long in our hearts to be part of something bigger, something vibrant, something alive. Christianity provides this, and it is the Christian poet best able to remind us all that The Dogma is the Drama.