Harry Potter and Methodists

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling brims with themes of sacrifice, redemption, humility, truth, and ultimately resurrection. Ms. Rowling has taken the basic elements of Christianity. Harry, undetected, has been evangelizing the masses. Harry, as the beloved who was redeemed by selfless and unconditional love, struggles to live as a disciple of that love. We Methodists concur about the transformative power of grace and the irreplaceable mandate of love. Why then have we failed to communicate that message with the same broad success that Harry has? The good guys are recognizable by their loyalty to one another and their honorable treatment of everyone - including bad guys. Good guys don't often waffle; when they do they repent, then are forgiven and welcomed back. They apologize when they mess up and take responsibility for their mistakes. But nobody apologizes for truths of life like "the consequences of sin are death."…Do people want a fictionalized messiah story more than they want a real Savior? The lesson is not that we need magic in our ministry. If we can get the basics right - tell the truth, be good, love people - we'll have crowds lining up to read our story, too. [Shannon Vowell, United Methodist Reporter, Sept. 7, 2007.]