For those of you who do not know what this is, let me give you a quick overview and a bit of an introduction. This is a blog in which I will be posting my notes, thoughts, musings, and reactions to my Harry Potter and The Gospel class that I will be taking this semester at Union University. Many of my friends at school have asked me to share my notes with them so that they may enjoy the class vicariously, and thus I thought there would be no better way to do this than a blog.
This was a very sought after class at my school not only due to the fact that is may be the only time it is ever offered, but also in part because of the fact that almost everyone loves reading/watching/living/breathing Harry Potter these days. And then there is the added bonus that the one and only Dr. Hal Poe is teaching this course. If you don't know who Hal Poe is, I will now tell you. He is the closest, living, male relation to THE Edger Allen Poe. And to top that off, he is an amazing teacher that I have already had the pleasure of studying under.
Now, you might be a bit confused by the name of the course, so before we journey any farther let me clear this up. First of all, Union is a Southern Baptist school so we aren't just going to have a Harry Potter class just because we feel like it. Second of all, Dr. Poe is primarily a theology professor, blessing students with his knowledge in the New Testament and the Biblical Gospels whenever they are able to fit such a great class into their already tight schedules.
"But why on earth would a Christian school have a class about Harry Potter?" you might be asking. Depending on your experience with the books, your questions may range from "Aren't those books written by the devil himself to ensnare young readers into dark sorcery and lead them straight to the gates of Hell itself?" to perhaps the more moderate, "I don't really see anything 'Christian' in those books?" So how is Dr. Poe going to do this?
"But why on earth would a Christian school have a class about Harry Potter?" you might be asking. Depending on your experience with the books, your questions may range from "Aren't those books written by the devil himself to ensnare young readers into dark sorcery and lead them straight to the gates of Hell itself?" to perhaps the more moderate, "I don't really see anything 'Christian' in those books?" So how is Dr. Poe going to do this?
The answer is, I DON'T KNOW! That is why I am inviting you on this journey with me by posting you my notes and thoughts on the class as we progress through the semester. So join me as I explore these books and discover new stories and ideas for the first time!
But perhaps you would like to know a bit more about me before you join me in this quest for knowledge. Therefore, I will quickly introduce myself. You may call me Victor Bennet. I have never read the Harry Potter books before now, but I am already looking forward to reading them for a class. Although I was not allowed to read the books as a child (and had no desire to), I come to them now with an open mind. I have seen all the films now, but I have been told that doesn't really count. I am mostly interested in finding out for myself what all the fuss has been about for the past 15 years and if there is some theologically redeemable inner story to these books.
Although I will do my best to post my notes and thoughts twice a week, I will warn you now that I do have a full load of class work and responsibilities beyond our joint enlightenment. I cannot promise that my notes will either be understandable, thought provoking, or cohesive in anyway shape or form. Neither can I promise that they will be free of spelling and grammatical errors. In fact, I may almost promise that they will be rife with them! But if you can put up with my short comings as a student, I believe that this will be a very enjoyable partnership!
-V. B.
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