What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?: Amazon.ca: Connie Neal: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

In January, this column panned a Harry-bashing evangelical book called Harry Potter and the Bible, from Christian Publications. Now, PW is happy to point to a much more thoughtful Christian take on the young wizard phenom: Connie Neal's What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? In the storm of controversy, Neal navigates a via media by offering support to Christians who have decided to boycott the series, but also giving suggestions to parents who wish to read and discuss the books with their children. Spiritual discernment, Neal says, is the key for any Christian and an important quality to help children develop.

Review

"...get ahold of Connie Neal's book. ... Christian discourse would dramatically improve if we followed her example". -- Michael G. Maudlin, Christianity Today International, Executive Editor of Christian Parenting Today magazine

"Harry is now part of the culture. Learn from it; and allow Connie Neal to help you and your children." -- Stephen Arterburn, founder and chairman of Women of Faith and New Life Clinics

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
"You will most likely agree more with one side than the other, but you'll probably also find some points on the opposite side that make you pause to think." Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

47 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (47 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Helps You Decide for Yourself about Harry, July 23 2002

By

A. H. Wagner "media junkie" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? (Paperback)

Several months ago I picked up this book out of sheer curiosity, assuming that it was just another Harry-basher. To my pleasant surprise, however, I found that it was in fact a refreshingly unbiased and intelligent discussion of the story of Harry Potter. Connie Neal explains not only why the books are popular, but also the values readers can learn from them and even their correlations with biblical principles.

I think this is an excellent book on the topic of Harry Potter for two reasons. One, the author presents J.K. Rowling's series as literature rather than as a mere cultural phenomenon. I am a Christian who has grown up on classic fantasy by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum and other notable writers, and I have always thought that the Harry Potter books belong in this category. To me, they are simply good morality tales embellished with magical feasts for the imagination. As Connie Neal points out, classic fantasy uses magic as a literary device to make stories more exciting; writers of the genre usually make it clear that this magic is set within the context of an imaginary world and does not bear any direct correlation with the real-world practices of witchcraft and the occult. I believe Harry Potter should be examined within the context of the fantasy genre, and Connie does an admirable job of giving J.K. Rowling's stories fair treatment in this way.

The second reason I highly recommend this book is that Connie makes an earnest effort to bridge the gap between the two extremes of the Harry Potter debate by getting at the true heart of the argument: simply put, we must agree to disagree. And we must *graciously* agree. Most authors who write on controversial topics aim to persuade the reader to agree with their viewpoint. I really appreciate Connie's approach: she actually entreats you to "decide for yourself." She presents both sides of the debate and then arms the reader with Paul's guidelines for Christians who are in disagreement about personal conduct (Romans 14-15 and I Corinthians 8-10). I join the author in pleading with Christians, no matter which view they lean toward, to "stop passing judgment!" Connie points out that we do not gain anything by bickering with or criticizing the opposing viewpoint. I would go a step further and say that in this kind of hysteria we lose our focus and weaken our mission as Christians to love others as Christ loves us.

If you are uncertain what to think about Harry Potter, or if you are simply looking for a unbiased treatment of the issue, read this book. Connie Neal does not force-feed her opinions; instead, she equips you with enough information and background about Harry so that you can make your own decision regarding the world-famous wizard boy.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, Jun 20 2004

By

Kelli (Somewhere out west) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? (Paperback)

This book has been able to explain my opinion of Harry Potter books better than I could myself. I don't know a single child who has become interested in the occult from Harry Potter. They are fantasy magic, and even with subjects such as divination, they are shown to be rediculous. This book encourages you to think for yourself. It also shows how you can see whatever you want to in books. No matter what other people say, I give this book an A+.

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4.0 out of 5 stars good stuff, May 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? (Paperback)

reason, common sense, and understanding, all in a paperback!

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