Doug in Indiana September 8th, 2007

Enjoyed the program. Good balance between baptizing all fantasy by trying to make it redemptive and showing redemptive themes in fantasy. I was also encouraged to hear that Steve is enjoying Harry Dresden. Jim Butcher cannot be thus baptized and it is unlikely that there will ever be a Theology According to Harry Dresden book but the themes of right/wrong, good/evil, human fralty, fighting temptation, and redemption there too have a home in the overshadowed Harry. There truly is a God shaped vacuum and men desire redemption. Fantasy is an opening from the popular culture that allows us to tell the eternal story. May God's people never reject in a knee jerk fashion but use it as an opening to provide the only true answer to the cry of the soul.

Jenny September 8th, 2007

Hello,

This was a great Steve Brown show. Connie Neal said so many things (and more!) that I had loved so much about the Harry Potter books. I was crushed at the end of Book 7, though, when neither Snape or Draco Malfoy were transformed or redeemed.

The amount of love and courage that Snape had to have to do what he did would have opened his heart and softened his spirit much more.

I didn't believe that Snape actually killed Dumbledore. I believed that Harry would have to face that he shared in his death and on this realizaion he and Snape would bond under a common mission.

Or it could have gone another way.

Just as Saul took on the mission of Stephen while allowing him to be stoned and became Paul, so it should have gone with Snape. It did in part, but where was the love? Where was the redemption and the healing transformation?

The message to me was "Good people are Good, and Bad people are Bad." No one ever really changes. Totally untrue.

I was really disappointed with this ending of Book 7, so if anyone can help me to see it differently, I would appreciate your insight.

Keep up the good work!

danny September 10th, 2007

In fact there were 2 Bible verses cited in HP 7. One was the one mentioned by Connie and the second was : Where your treasure is there your heart shall be.
The end is great, it shows that there is no such thing as totally bad. Even bad characters can be changed. And judging by appearence is wrong.

Great show.

Obed September 10th, 2007

I too really enjoyed this weeks show! I haven't yet read any of the HP books, but as I'm in between reading material, it may be time to check 'em out. I was pleasantly suprised to hear that Steve is diggin' the Dresden Files. I just finished reading them myself. And while they're certainly not from an overtly Christian worldview, the epic themes that make up so much of fantasy really speak to the "God-shaped vacuum." I've been listening to Key Life for years, but have only recently been turned on to Steve Brown, Etc. The sorts of things I'm reading and hearing here really get to what it means to be a Christian outside of the Church walls.

links for 2007-09-14 « MouseNaround September 14th, 2007

[...] Steve Brown Etc. » Blog Archive » Fantasy, Reality & Christianity (& Harry Potter) It is worth listening to the whole audio! From the page: "If you've boycotted the Harry Potter series…. And if, like me, you're cynical about using pop-culture parallels…" (tags: christianity literature podcast harry-potter steve-brown) [...]