Here is our take on the controversy among some Christian families over witches, magic, wizards, fantasy and raising children, in 3 parts:

Part 1: Witches, Magic and Wizards

A classic debate among Christian parents and church leaders is whether we should allow our children to read any book that has a portrayal, or even a mention, of evil. The writings of people like J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter), J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) and, C. S. Lewis (The Narnia Chronicles) are targets ripe for criticism. Each author incorporates into their stories magic, witches and/or wizards. Christians generally agree that it is wrong and harmful to pursue powers that do not come from God and that we should steer clear of witches, wizards and the powers they wield. But that is where agreement ends.

Some among our respected friends believe that no one, child or adult, should read books that contain witches, wizards, demons and the like. To quote one mother, "If 'the stuff' has offensive elements, then we don't read 'the stuff.'" While some people in this camp find BookAngles helpful in identifying the offensive "stuff," they may not agree with our recommendations. For a taste of reasoning behind this viewpoint, or to help bolster your own bent in this direction, see the commentary on C. S. Lewis at "Keepers of the Faith." There, Lewis is described as not really a Christian, but rather a clever debater and worse.

With due respect to those who choose to totally avoid books with witches, wizards and the like, and in some cases fantasy books altogether, we have made different choices in our family. Realizing then that people of different opinions rely upon BookAngles for guidance, we will elaborate here on our position in this controversy.

First, we do not write C. S. Lewis off as the heretic that he is by some portrayed. Nor does it validate an assassination of Lewis' writings when concerned Protestants complain that he was greatly influenced by his Catholic friend, J. R. R. Tolkien. Neither does it necessarily matter to us that J. K. Rowling seems to embrace nothing approaching Christianity. We judge the works of these authors on what they have to say and on what they recommend to us. Even unbelievers are capable of repeating the truth.

In our own analysis of the works of these authors, we conclude that Lewis' and Tolkien's merit a reader's consideration, and we conclude that the works of Rowling do not. (We do, however, offer on the site the thoughtful opposing view from one young Christian woman who finds good in the Harry Potter tales.) In our own review on this web site, we contrast Harry Potter with The Lord of the Rings like this:

Potter tantalizes the young to wield power. In The Lord of the Rings, the protagonist triumphs by forsaking supernatural power in favor of loyalty, nobility and wise council. That is why we highly recommend this book (Rings), despite the presence of magic and wizardry.

Some will not read anything that mentions witchcraft or evil spirits. We do, and we highly recommend them, including these books: Deuteronomy, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Luke and Acts, just to name a few. It is not the existence of evil in a book that offends, although we certainly recommend caution with impressionable young children. Rather it is how that evil is portrayed. The Bible clearly portrays witchcraft and spirits not of God as evil. So, too, do Tolkien's and Lewis' works, in our opinion. For example, the witch in Narnia is clearly an abomination and a usurper, and Lewis illustrates her ability to tempt one to evil in a way that children can understand. Her power, like that of Satan's real followers, is harmful yet limited, and it does not triumph in the end.

In fantasy, there are plenty of witches represented in ways fundamentally different from Biblical reality, for example, the "good" witch in The Wizard of Oz and the nose-twitching Samantha of TV fame. Sorting through these various portrayals takes effort and discernment. It is much easier to avoid anything requiring effort and discernment, just as it is easier never to love, for fear of being hurt.

Adopting fear and avoidance as our guiding principles, we miss the core of human experience. We humans love to make rules; they help us feel safe, good and accepted. Rules-based religion is man's system for making himself right with God. God's way requires our dependence on Him for daily guidance.

Let's use Tolkien's protagonist, the wizard Gandalf, as an example of a fantasy character we approach with caution. We would rather someone who wields supernatural power exclusively for good not be called a wizard. Yet that is the terminology in this story. We have been able to guide our children concerning this character, and we believe it is worthwhile to do so in order for children to benefit from what the story has to offer. Gandalf could as easily been called an angel. Many role models in the Bible use supernatural power for good. Moses will not be changed should we begin referring to him as a wizard, but such terminology is confusing.

There is such a thing as "poetic license," as well. In fantasies, we expect and learn to deal with seeming contradictions. In fact, working through such issues can be very instructive for children and parents, alike, at the proper season.