Product Description

In this enlightening look at J.K. Rowling's phenomenal bestsellers, a Christian minister illuminates the powerful, positive message Harry Potter and his magical world bring to readers of all ages.

Potter fever has swept the world and shows no signs of abating. the books and the recent movie have attracted millions of followers and fans, all of them eagerly awaiting the next installments. Along with the widespread enjoyment and appreciation of Harry Potter and his friendships, however, criticism of the series has also emerged. The opposition has focused on two issues; the darkness of the novels and their apparent endorsement of witchcraft and the occult. In A Charmed Life, Francis Bridger, a theologian and pastor, argues that far from promoting the dark arts, the Potter books are firmly based in Christian values, and offer valuable insights into our characters, our relationships, our priorities, and our spirituality.

Taking readers on an entertaining tour of Potterworld, Bridger shows that each adventure presents new ways of expressing and exploring key spiritual issues, from the meaning of justice, to the need to confront fears, to the debilitating effects of evil. As Harry and his friends deal with one another, face their enemies, cope with their variously dysfunctional families, and experience the common problems o fgrowing up, Bridger domonstrates, it is their intrinsic human goodness, love, and friendship--not wizardry or magic--that allows them to triumph over evil.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1339464 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-17
• Released on: 2002-09-17
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 8.50" h x .38" w x 5.50" l, .46 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The irony inherent in the suspicious reception of Harry Potter by conservative Christians, so different from their embrace of the equally magical worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, is not lost on Bridger, a theologian and principal of Trinity College in Bristol, England. This gently eloquent book points out the many ways in which J.K. Rowling is heir not only to Tolkien and Lewis's imaginative tradition, but to their theological tradition as well. While he scrupulously refrains from guessing what Rowling herself believes indeed, he strangely fails to cite her public affirmation that she is a member of the Church of Scotland and had her daughter christened there he is eager to unearth the distinct, if perhaps residual, Christian underpinnings of Rowling's moral universe. In her stark treatment of good and evil, her account of moral development and even her approach to magic (which he argues is more a literary device than the central interest of her writing), Bridger sees parallels between Rowling's world and that constructed by Christian faith. He reads Rowling with some sophistication, especially in his penultimate chapter, which offers some intriguing guesses about the shape of the series as a whole and the changing role of magic within it. If his writing has a certain air of professorial condescension, Bridger still offers more than enough reasons for Christians to follow Rowling's subsequent work with interest if they have not already placed their pre-order for volume five.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
"The moral Universe of Potterworld," says Bridger, "is one [of] real evil and real good." An Anglican scholar from England who has served as a parish pastor and currently teaches ethics to seminarians here and in Britain, Bridger identifies strong moral themes for all ages in the best-selling Harry Potter series in his brief, readable study. He asserts that although fantasy author Rowling never mentions Jesus or the Resurrection, her writings emphasize the superiority of the power of love over the love of power. Bridger provides many examples from the first Harry Potter novels that echo Christian teachings about positive relationships. Now that Harry can be seen on video, Rowling's critics are back in full force, so parents and educators will welcome the news that Harry Potter and his friends live by the Golden Rule. Highly recommended for public, school, and seminary libraries. [There is no shortage of Christian commentary on Harry Potter. Other recent titles include Connie Neal's The Gospel According to Harry Potter, which defends the series, and Richard Abanes's more strident Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick. Ed.] Joyce Smothers, Student, Princeton Theological Seminary, N.
- Joyce Smothers, Student, Princeton Theological Seminary, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
FRANCIS BRIDGER is Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, England, and Visiting Professor of Pasoral Care at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His previous books include Counselling in Context, and the award-winning Children Finding Faith.