Well friends, I just finished reading Harry Potter. This was a rather momentous occasion because when Harry Potter first came out, I was among those who believed it was dangerous for a Christian to read this series. I had heard that these books seemed innocent, but were essentially manuals on the occult, and reading them would open the door to occult influence in a person’s life. After reading the books, I can happily report that I am not involved in any occult activity. Though, I did have the urge to say “Accio phone!” (a spell in the book that is used to make an object come to you) when I got a text message but was across the room from my phone, reading comfortably under a blanket…

I say this, of course, somewhat tongue in cheek, but I actually don’t want to minimize the dissonance I felt while reading this book after having spent many years feeling that Harry Potter might potentially open me up to harmful influences. At that time, I didn’t want to risk affecting my relationship with God. I wanted to stay pure and holy for the Lord, and avoiding certain influences seemed necessary in order to do that.

In fact, there was another book that I read and very much appreciated as a child that clearly taught this message. It was called “Mrs. Rosey Posey and the Chocolate Cherry Treat.” You can probably guess from the title that this book was not on the same caliber as Harry Potter. In fact, it was only a picture book, but the message had a profound effect on me. In the book, a young girl goes to visit Mrs. Rosey Posey, who was somewhat of the neighborhood grandma. The little girl’s friends were trying to convince her to break some rules, and she wasn’t sure what to do. Before answering, Mrs. Rosey Posey offered her a chocolate-dipped cherry, but let her choose what plate she would like it on – a dirty paper plate from the trash, a plain dinner plate, or a fine China plate. Of course she chose the China plate. Then Mrs. Rosey Posey told her a story about the plates. All the plain boring dinner plates were staying clean as they waited to be used by the king. They heard about a picnic and most of the plates decided that rather than staying clean, they would go party with the baked beans. When they returned, they had turned into dirty paper plates with baked bean stains. When the king came, looking for a plate, he saw the one plain dinner plate that had kept herself clean for him. When he selected that plate, she transformed into a fine China plate.

Now, perhaps the message here was a bit overstated, but as a child it inspired me as I learned what it meant to follow God. I wanted to keep myself clean and pure so that God could use me in His service. Clean and pure meant free from the negative influences of the world, both in behavior and also in the media I consumed. Once something comes into one’s mind, it is there, and can’t be removed, like baked bean stains on a paper plate. My family lived this way as well – there were many books, movies, activities, etc. that we avoided in order to stay pure in a world that we saw as loving the darkness. Though many people might think this way of living is oppressive, I appreciate having grown up this way. It gave me a firm identity in Christ, along with a strong sense of purity, and a desire to be “set apart” for Christ.

When I became a parent, I had every intention to raise my daughter the same way, but I found that the nature of my life meant I couldn’t be so easily separated. My daughter watched “The Little Mermaid” (gasp – her immodest clothing!) in daycare, and I realized that rather than staying separate, we would have to talk through the themes and messages that she was hearing in order to find out where they align with Christ and where they do not. I was worried about what she would take in, but I discovered a positive result as well. My daughter and I have actually had the opportunity to see some wonderful messages of Christ in unexpected places. I have realized that “common grace” - the kindness of God given to all humanity whether they are saved or not - extends even to popular culture. Through literature and media it is found in messages that reflect the characteristics of God. In fact, there are many such messages in Harry Potter: messages of love, mercy, and self-sacrifice. 

But, after I read Harry Potter, I struggled with some “cognitive dissonance”. I appreciated my upbringing and the Christ-focused identity that it built within me, but, I also appreciate being able to see messages of Jesus in popular culture, and to hone the skill of discernment. So, which one is “right”? Is it better to “Rosey Posey” avoid anything that might have a negative influence in order to be set apart and to keep one’s mind pure, or to “Harry Potter” discern what honors Christ and what does not, potentially risking impurity, but also seeing traces of Him even in non-Christian media? 

I will admit that I wrote this blog post with the intention of having an answer by the end, but no matter what verses I read or logic I applied, both ways of living seemed to have Biblical support and value in Christian living! In the end, I think the verse that makes the most sense is Romans 14:3. In this verse Paul says, “The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” The context here is eating meat sacrificed to idols - some people felt convicted that they should abstain completely from eating it, and others felt like it was okay. Since these idols aren’t real gods, being sacrificed to idols means nothing. Paul doesn’t say one is right or one is wrong, but instead that God accepts them both. They are both acceptable ways for a person to worship and serve God - to be “set apart” for Him. 

If I were to apply this verse to the context of books and media, I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to word the verse this way, “The one who reads or watches everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not read or watch everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” No contempt, no judgment. Both the choice to abstain and the choice to partake with discernment are accepted by God. When a Christian chooses one or the other path, we should not look down on them or judge them for that choice. Instead, we should respect them in the knowledge that God accepts what is, in fact, worship for them.

Now, Paul does say that those who abstain from eating meat are the “weaker brother”, but he also spends a great deal of space in chapter 14 explaining why we should not judge these people, or put a stumbling block in their way by forcing them to go against their convictions. I do think it is fairly easy to slip into the mindset that whatever a person’s personal convictions are, they are “right”, and everyone else is “weak” in their faith. I also think it is important to fight against this tendency, and instead to be open to hearing and understanding other people’s convictions, and treating them with respect. As Paul says, no contempt, no judgement. Perhaps the Holy Spirit would use that kind of conversation to change someone’s convictions, but that’s up to Him!

A few years ago, I had an online conversation I had with a group of Christian moms where the question of reading “Harry Potter” came up. I shared my convictions, and I was soundly rebuffed by the group. The responses to my reply ranged from pitying courtesy to outright disdain and even anger. I did not come away from the conversation with any desire to rethink my convictions on Harry Potter, but I did come away feeling significantly hurt by women who should have been sisters in Christ! As I think back, I wish mostly that those who disagreed would have treated my convictions with respect. To be honest, I don’t remember what I said but I may have come across as judgemental and I could also have been more respectful! We could have had a better conversation if they had shared their convictions and how the books met them, and I had shared my convictions and how the books conflicted with them, and we had left the conversation at that. Then, anyone observing the conversation could have determined how the books met their own convictions, and the Holy Spirit would have had room to work in all of us.  

In the end, I am thankful that I grew up in a way that taught me to be set apart for the sake of Christ. I am also thankful that I have had the opportunity to read and watch various things that have shown me messages of Christ, though they didn’t come from a Christian viewpoint. I very much enjoyed reading Harry Potter…and…God continues to use me in His service - a fine China plate set apart for the King!