A Day in the Life of ...

Life has gotten suddenly very busy for me. As my house nears its completion date, I anticipate having even more to do. My mom and I spent the day doing some painting in my house -- I wanted to do some Guatemala-style faux painting in my kitchen, and then we painted several other walls red and green. As Lowly Worm (and my young brother) used to say, "It's been a very long, busy day."

While we were painting, we listened to several broadcasts of the White Horse Inn. One that I found particularly interesting was, "Should Christians Read Harry Potter?" I was so pleased to hear that we can (if not should).

John Granger, author of the book Looking for God in Harry Potter, was the guest on the show. As you might have guessed, he found God in Harry Potter. According to Granger, JK Rowling is a Presbyterian who has integrated her worldview into her literature. Examples of this include the strict ethic of right/wrong, good/evil that pervades the books and the teaching about the nature of friendship. Another advantage of the books is that, in a world pervaded by anti-supernaturalism and materialism, people are thinking about an alternative "real world." In literary manner comparable to that of Tolkien or Lewis (a Rowling hero), she sneaks Christ-imagery into the minds of MILLIONS of young kids who would previously have preferred watching TV to reading a 600 pg book. Magic? She made up all of the spells, and there is no dabbling in the sort of demonic engagement that the Bible forbids.

When I was in college, a friend loaned me two Harry Potter books when I was having a tough week. I read both of them by the end of Saturday. They were super fun, super fast reads. Like Granger, I think it's okay if you are conscience-bound not to read the books. But if you haven't given them a chance and you have a few spare hours, check 'em out!