Jeanette Matthews finds rich theological themes in J.K. Rowling’s popular children’s books.

One only has to formally study literature at school or university to realise that many great stories – secular and religious – have points of contact with the story of Jesus revealed in the Christian scriptures. At all times through the ages some puritan wings of the Church have forbidden contact with the arts as potentially corruptive, but many Christians have recognised that thoughtful and creative expressions of art and literature often provide analogies to the revelation of a God of love and life. I was disappointed recently to see a Christian bookshop brochure prominently advertising three anti-Harry Potter books but not advertising any books written from the other side (pardon the pun) of the story. My family is currently enjoying reading the fifth book together – someone reads a chapter out loud each night to everyone else so that no-one gets ahead – and as a minister and preacher who is attuned to finding analogies for faith in life’s everyday experiences I am thrilled to find this story also a rich resource with its multitude of theological themes.

Having read all of the books more than once, we are again marvelling at the sheer creativity and imagination of the writer of the Harry Potter series (theological theme 1). J.K. Rowling echoes other well known fantasy stories at times but page after page reveals wonderfully imaginative ideas that are nonetheless accessible to the range of ages in our household. Even the concept that the children at Hogwarts School of Wizardry have to learn their magical crafts in lessons and sit exams is fascinating for us and our schoolchildren. In this book Harry is growing up and, like all moody teenagers, becoming a little less likeable. While he still displays the consideration, courage, determination and resourcefulness that he has shown in his previous years, he is clearly struggling with his identity and trying to come to terms with the failings and weaknesses he is finding in himself and in his past history (theological theme 2). Harry is continually facing the challenge given to him by Hogwart’s headmaster and his mentor, Professor Dumbledore in the second book – that “it is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities” (theological theme 3) and is tempted over and over again to take the easy option of giving in to violence as a means of solving problems (theological theme 4). I used an Iona prayer in a church service recently which began with the words “the devil is the great divider; God is the great uniter; therefore are the peacemakers called the children of God.” I was immediately reminded of the tension at Hogwarts in the fifth book, reflected in the frequent warning that Lord Voldemort – the agent of evil in the series – is trying his best to sow seeds of disharmony between the school’s houses (theological theme 5). Dumbledore in this book is so far a little distant and elusive, especially when viewed through Harry’s sense of abandonment, but when he does make an appearance it is in the role of peacemaker, caring for the ones most vulnerable, providing a place in the community for those whom others would marginalise (theological theme 6). Harry’s personal struggles are frequently put into perspective by the sharing of his burden with other significant people in his life, and allowing them to both change his perspective and bear his burden (theological theme 7). Much of this story’s emphasis is on the need to equip oneself for the struggle against temptation and evil – requiring a disciplined and consistent approach (theological theme 8)

And the difficult part of the story is that we are sometimes called to work alongside those we don’t like, and those who don’t like us, in order to be equipped for the struggle against a greater evil (theological theme 9). The most significant characters in Harry’s life have more than once stepped into his shoes and taken his blame. In The Order of the Phoenix Professor Dumbledore sacrifices his own position as headmaster to prevent his students’ expulsion. In each of the books, when all else fails, Harry has drawn on the memory of his mother’s sacrificial love to carry him through his dark times of self-doubt and fear (theological theme 10).

These are just ten theological themes from the fifth book, off the top of my head, for starters. Overriding themes throughout the series such as the struggle of goodness against evil, the need for a community of faithful to carry on fighting for the good, the priority of love over death, are themes we find in other parallel secular fantasy stories such as The Lord of the Rings (an admitted inspiration for J.K. Rowling), and of course the allegorical Narnia series with its magical setting. None of these is inconsistent with the story of Jesus to which we claim witness. Some Christians have dismissed the series on the grounds that “the bible clearly teaches that witchcraft is wrong”. Such views are always open to argument depending on one’s view of biblical interpretation, and is possibly a topic for another paper. Let me just make a few brief comments. A quick glance at the terminology of “witchcraft,” “wizards” and “mediums” in a standard concordance gives a variety of references in a variety of contexts, although all are in the Old Testament. For example, a prohibition against consulting wizards is found in Leviticus 19 amidst a miscellany of legal material, much of which would be ignored in practice by many of us today. In a very interesting story in 1 Samuel 28 God’s own prophet spoke God’s message through a medium. It would be fair to say that in most cases the Old Testament books refer to quite a different form of witchcraft to the mechanical magic of Hogwarts and other childhood fairy tales that most of us grew up on. To hold to a simplistic approach to biblical interpretation that would prohibit the reading of a story such as Harry Potter would be to deprive ourselves of a wonderfully imaginative tale that re-affirms a meta-narrative common to many of the great works of fiction already mentioned. I would summarise such a meta-narrative as the quest to recognise and live with one’s talents and circumstances so that the gift of life can be affirmed and celebrated, and that which acts against life and love can be defeated even at a sacrificial cost.

Further reading: * Two online articles defending Harry Potter as a resource for spiritual themes are http://www.reality.org.nz/articles/42/42-creegan.html, and http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1999/150/12.0.html * Connie Neal’s The Gospel according to Harry Potter (Westminster: John Knox Press, 2002) – I have not read this book, written after the release of the fourth Harry Potter novel, but I have read some reviews that highly commend it.

Rev Jeanette Matthews is Associate Minister at Canberra Baptist Church. This article appeared in Mosaic 5 (3), 2003, edited by Rod Benson. To subscribe, contact