Sorting Hats, Quidditch and the Quest for Truth: Harry Potter and Religious Education
While serving as Christian education pastor in the summer of 2003, I created an intergenerational Sunday
school class to explore the Christian faith through the Harry Potter series. At the time controversy was
brewing within the religious community as some parents and pastors suggested the series promoted
witchcraft. Over the last few years the academic community has turned its attention to the popular series.
Some authors present a Christian defense of Harry Potter while others raise important concerns about how
power, gender and social privilege are portrayed in the series. In this research paper I discuss how the
Harry Potter books can help adolescents learn about the Christian faith and discipleship.
I consider the following main points. First, I identify my philosophy of education and the theological and
educational beliefs that inform my approach to religious education. These include: the Reformed
tradition as revitalized by feminist and liberation theologians; Progressive and liberationist education
philosophies; postmodern insights; and personal experience. Second, I locate myself within H. Richard
Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture paradigm as a “Christ transforming Culture” educator. I address why
educators should pay attention to popular culture and how we can teach young people to unmask and
confront racism, sexism and other expressions of intolerance in popular culture.
In the main section of the paper I discuss why the Harry Potter series is a useful resource. First, I agree
with Dewey that education should be centered on the child’s interests. The Harry Potter books meet this
criterion. I identify two reasons why young people like this series. First, young readers see themselves or
aspects of themselves in the three main characters: (1) Harry, an average student who struggles with
homework and self-doubt and often feels like an outsider; (2) Hermione, a brilliant young woman who
struggles with peer acceptance and stress as an overachiever; and, (3) Ron, a good friend who often feels
jealous of and inferior to Harry. Second, young readers experience many of the same challenges Harry,
Ron and Hermione experience. This includes adolescent development challenges. A central theme in the
series is Harry’s quest to discover his identity. As Harry grows older he learns more about his family
roots, negotiates common challenges associated with adolescence such as peer pressure, sexuality and
dating and discovers his vocation as “the chosen one” called to defeat Lord Voldemort. Ron and
Hermione go through similar developmental journeys.
Second, I advocate using the Harry Potter series because the books contain Christian theological beliefs.
These include: the redemptive power of love; the triumph of good over evil; the broken nature of
humanity; the redeeming power of forgiveness; the Christian vocation to confront social injustice; our
individual call to use our unique gifts, skills and abilities to help transform society; and maintaining hope
in the face of suffering and systemic evil. The characters model Christian values such as love,
compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, courage and a commitment to social justice.
Third, I suggest using the Harry Potter series to teach young people how to confront harmful messages in
popular books, movies and music. This includes unmasking gender and sexual stereotypes. Finally, I
conclude my research paper by providing a curriculum for a Sunday school class with adolescents.
My research methodology is two-fold. First, I use my own analysis of the Harry Potter books and my
experiences teaching the 2003 class. Second, I draw upon insights from scholars and practitioners in the
fields of theology, English, children’s literature, and clinical and developmental psychology. Key
resources include but are not limited to the following: (1) Faith Journey through Fantasy Lands: A
Christian Dialoguing with Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Lord of the Rings by Russell W. Dalton
(Minneapolis: Augsburg Books, 2003); (2) Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger (Carol
Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2006); (3) Reading Harry Potter: Critical Essays edited by Giselle
Liza Anatol (Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2003); and (4) The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter:
Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2002).