Follow-Up: The Very Christian J.K. Rowling?

"The Nervous Witch," Jack Chick

Religious Opposition to the Harry Potter Series

(Image from Wikipedia)

I only have time for the briefest of posts this morning, for I'm heading out to present my paper on "Celibacy and Salvation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," but I want to follow up yesterday's post with some citations on J.K. Rowling and Christianity that I've been collecting but putting off reading until I'd finished reading the Potter series.

Although Rowling's Potter is disliked by some Christians -- as the Chick comic above suggests -- Rowling herself claims to be Christian. In an interview with Max Wyman, "'You can lead a fool to a book but you can't make them think': Author has frank words for the religious right," The Vancouver Sun (British Columbia), October 26, 2000, Rowling acknowledges that she doesn't believe in magic, prompting Wyman to ask her if she is a Christian:

"Yes, I am," she says. "Which seems to offend the religious right far worse than if I said I thought there was no God. Every time I've been asked if I believe in God, I've said yes, because I do, but no one ever really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that I think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to guess what's coming in the books."

In an earlier interview with Linton Weeks, "Charmed, I'm Sure," The Washington Post, October 20, 1999, Rowling had already mentioned her church:

In Edinburgh, mother and daughter belonged to a Church of Scotland congregation. [Her daughter] Jessica was christened there.

So much for the author. What about the books? Here's a bit from a report by Mark Gudgel, "In Defense of Harry Potter," RelevantMagazine.com:

Connie Neal, John Granger and John Killinger, among numerous other Christian writers, have all authored books in favor of Harry Potter. Their insightful writings offer theories about the books and their connection to biblical stories and themes. The underlying battle between good and evil is but one of the compelling connections offered to bridge the gap between Potter and our Christian faith. The remarkable thing about the works of Granger and Neal is that both writers admittedly set out to read the Harry Potter books in order that they might explain to their children why they were not to be allowed to read them. It was through their research and diligent parenting that they came to discover that there was no harm to be found in Rowling's works, but instead, a meaningful connection to the most significant principles of Christianity.

Finally, there's this very recent article by Dave Bruno, "Harry Potter 7 Is Matthew 6," Christianity Today (August 2, 2007). Bruno suggests that "The young wizard may not have read the Bible, but someone else certainly did." I won't quote from it due to lack of time, but follow the link (unless you haven't finished the book and and don't want any plot spoilers).

Now, I'm off to the conference...