It is sadly apparent that Lewis and his creative tall tales have been taken as an open license to endorse any canon that has the remotest semblance to THE redemptive retelling of Christ. What we produce is a slew of coffeehouse college-age theologians with nothing better to do than to attempt to justify their wanting library of literature as valuable in the eyes of faith, DESPITE it's atrociously glaring deficiencies and contradictions to explicit doctrine.
SO, when your soft-hearted child is endorsing things that are contrary to ideal faith, you can thank people who prefer good story telling over wisdom's scrutiny. You can see where your deficiency of caution has opened the flood-gates of near blasphemy; because we are so desperate for entertainment, we'll make room for it in the meeting halls of our churches and cathedrals, then stare quizzically out the doorways wondering why we seem just so similar to those strolling happily by.
In sum, what you put in, is what you get out. At least acknowledge the contrary aspects of what you watch and read, instead of salving the burn left by personal entertainment choices that make obvious the tragedy of spiritual dichotomy in your life. The sad part is, many of us are so dulled by popular culture, we don't even see the contradictions, and so, all I have just written is of little or no consequence to you.
(In an effort to add the context you've lacked in the former paragraphs, I'll add the following:
We're using Harry Potter to explain Christian Doctrine, but the law of affiliation demands that Potter and his canon be at least somewhat justified in any contradictions to Biblical models. All this to say, the use of witchcraft and wizardry, the fantastic intertwining of the powers for good and evil, and the impossible righteousness of one group of men over another: all these things must be justified before we throw them into the Christian thought-life as examples of godliness. It can't be done, so we should throw it out. Instead, we elevate Potter to the level of a Christ figure, we glorify sorcery as make-believe fun, which if you think that, you may as well explain away the Holy Spirit.
I don't intend to demand all Rowling's good writing be burned, I am not in the business of book burning, though there are a good number that should be burned. What I am disturbed by is the lazy theologians of our age using ungodly tools to explain Christian Doctrine, with not a caveat to be found that even begins to acknowledge dichotomy exists between the world of magic and the spiritual reality of our faith. At least adding a mention here and there pointing out discrepancies would be encouraging. ANY Proof that someone has done some critical thinking about the mess of these horribly wanting examples would be of some comfort. If you find these tales so worth your time to be placed in your biblical message, at least draw a line in the sand as to where the stories match redemption and where they part ways.)
By this point, having come out and named names, you're probably all in a huff over my belligerent ignorance. How dare I suggest that your opinion is unthoughtful and your use of these models in your theological thought-life very near heretical? But I beg you, dear reader, give me the benefit of the doubt! Please consider our savage and fleshly nature before you run off in a mental tiff. Think on where God stands and where the content of these tales stand. I don't want you to reject a 'good read' outright, but I think the Spirit in you might be pleased that you can discern between things of darkness and things of light as you read.
I'll leave you with this final thought: John 1:5, "The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it." Tell me then, in a world where forces for good and evil both cast spells with whimsical wands, wielding powers drawn from the same source... which is light and which is darkness? Potter too, can whisper the wicked words avada kedavra. The whole premise of fantastical novels is that magic is neutral. But we know that light and dark, good and evil, must be distinct from one another. "Truly, God doesn't practice wickedness and the Almighty doesn't pervert Justice" (Job 34:12) Light and darkness only coexist easily in Eastern worldviews. Such a premise is ill suited to a Christian one. To argue otherwise is to bite off more than you can chew.
No comments:
Post a Comment