The Christian Hallows

The Christian motifs of Book 7 in the Harry Potter series are pretty obvious, from Harry’s willing sacrifice of himself to save the world, and his afterlife way-station conversation with the spirit of Dumbledore (Just because it’s only in your head, Harry, doesn’t mean it isn’t real), notwithstanding his decision to return to life to defeat the evil Tom Riddle. Other interesting thoughts on these scenes are here, thanks to No Left Turns, and here at the Sword of Gryffindor and also LaShawn Barber. I was surprised by the intensity of the ideas in Book 7, but had to admit that much of the Potter books have, all along, mirrored Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, whose authors were serious Christians. I am not a Christian at all, but nevertheless find all three series inspiring in our, often oppressively, secular age.