Baptizing Harry Potter: A Christian Reading of J. K. Rowling

In this exquisitely detailed book, a monk gives his own Christian take on the Harry Potter series. He traces the intricate pattern of J K Rowling’s surprisingly mystical tale with wit and insight. He brings out the wisdom of her understanding of good and evil and links her magical world, shown to be a rich mine of spiritual and Christian teaching, to spiritual reality. The author identifies the many symbols and illuminating connections both to the Christian tradition and among the books themselves and shows how they are ultimately rooted in the death and resurrection of Christ. Never didactic and always engaging, the author expounds on, among other things, the values that Harry learns at Hogwarts, which set the vulnerability of love and sacrifice against the ignorant and self-defeating power seeking of Voldemort. Packed with literary insight, richly referenced, and argued with fine literary acumen, this book will be a delight and an enlightenment for all lovers of the Harry Potter series. I †