Charles Colson on the Harry Potter Question
From Charles Colson:
Fifty years ago, Christians charged that Lewis was teaching kids witchcraft. Yet today, most Christians—myself included—consider the Chronicles of Narnia classics and the Narnia books and movies are in most church libraries.
So how are they different, if at all, from Harry Potter? Colson distinguishes the series’ on three grounds:
- Narnia is clearly an other-wordly realm.
- While Narnia is clearly an allegory about Jesus, Potter has no reference, allegorical or otherwise, to God.
- The Narnia tales are stories about the great truths of the Christian faith, and Potter is nothing more than a moral tale.
Colson’s conclusion?
It’s a simple risk/reward calculation. Both authors include fantastic and preternatural material. Both series should be handled with care—especially if your children have an unhealthy interest in the occult. Parents need to be wise and attentive to the bent of their children.
The reward with the Harry Potter books and movie is a moral tale. The reward with the Narnia books, on the other hand, is nothing less than Christian truth embedded in stories that have delighted and stirred the hearts of Christian kids for generations.
My advice? Use all the hoopla today over Harry Potter to introduce your kids to the real thing: C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles.
Although Colson says that he has “major reservations” about Potter, note the absence of any harsh criticism of the series that does not also apply to the Narnia series.
