Pop Culture Saturday: Are You Under J.K. Rowling's Spell?

Pop Culture Saturday is intended to be a more light-hearted look at American culture. There's much more going on in America than the darkness of Liberalism.

Although he's not the main character of the series, Rubeus Hagrid has one of the best lines in all the books. He jokingly tells Harry Potter to shape up with the phrase "C'mon, Harry!! Don't be such a muggle!!" A muggle, you see, is how wizards refer to any non-wizard character. The term of disparagement became a household word early in the series, but faded quickly from overuse. With the author's recent announcement about the release of the seventh and final book, the term may be back in vogue soon.

The series of Harry Potter books from J.K. Rowling has captured the world's imagination with death-defying battles against dragons, impossible escapes from treacherous evil villains, rather humorous encounters with school bullies, and feats of wizardry that can only be described as entertaining. Well, okay ... some anti-fanatics are describing this series as occultic. Loosen up, ye simple-minded!! There is an abundance of redemptive features in Rowling's books.

The wonderful folks at Focus on the Family have said it best (and doesn't that just burn you fire-and-brimstone right-wingers): "We need to raise up more Christian thinkers who can enter the realm of entertainment armed with a critical knowledge of both the Scripture and the false world views they’re combating." Instead of buying the books, I bought the audio cassette tape versions of the books. My son and I listened to and discussed each chapter. I could do this because he is able to deconstruct literary works into their various components.

For those of you educated in the public skrewl, that means we can talk about the characters, the classic battles, and the literary devices Rowling employs to build the storyline. As an educated Journalist, I have learned that the best writers are those who read the most. The parting shot from Focus on the Family supports this idea: "Indeed, it is these Christians who will have a redemptive effect on society, making positive changes for the long run." If Harry can lead your child into witchcraft, it is no wonder Christianity is suffering from spiritual anemia.