Much has been said within the Christian community about Harry Potter. I have neither read the books nor seen the movies. This was not because I felt there was something necessarily objectionable about them, but simply a matter of not being a big reader of fiction (to my discredit), and not having gotten around to see the movies.
That being said, I found the following comments by Jerram Barrs to be quite enlightening. Jerram was one of my seminary professors and I can think of very few (if any) people who I respect as much as him. In contrast to many Christians, Jerram is unapologetically supportive of the books. In the video below he discusses the redemptive themes found specifically in the final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
*********** WARNING! THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS VIDEO! ***********
I know that there are a few folks out there following this blog who happen to live in Scotland. I'm not exactly sure how that came to pass...but I'm very thankful for you all!
Here is the info on his visit from the Solas website:
Solas are delighted to bring the church in Dundee another great opportunity…Dr Jerram Barrs from Covenant Seminary in the USA. Due to a late cancellation he is now available for a meeting in Dundee on Friday the 10th from 12-2pm. He will be leading a seminar on communicating the gospel in today's culture. The cost is £0 – please bring your own packed lunch – we will provide the drinks – but let David Robertson know you will be coming... david@stpeters-dundee.org.uk. The luncheon will be at the Solas Centre - 4 St Peter Street, Dundee, DD1 4JJ.
Check out the video below to gain a little insight into Jerram's heart. And I hope some of you are able to attend!
"Thank God, we have a representative, a champion who has faced the devil's worst attacks and has won a great victory for us. Despite our failures in the face of temptation, the Father looks at us through his beloved Son, the One who has overcome the accuser for us. Because we are in Jesus, he looks on us with love. Because we are in Jesus, he does not count our faults against us. Because we are in Jesus, he forgives us. Because we are in Jesus he lifts us up when we fall. Because we are in Jesus, he strengthens us for each day's struggles. Because we are in Jesus, the day is coming when he will give us complete victory over our enemy, and then we will never fail or fall again."
The Beach Boys once sang, in all of their brilliant harmonies, "Be True to Your School." It can not be debated; I have heeded this command.
I still follow my high school's football and basketball teams as closely as I can from 568 miles away. I have read about them in the online edition of my hometown's newspaper, exchanged text messages with friends and family members while they were at games, watched games streamed live on the internet and even once upgraded my TV package so that I would have the station that was carrying a game in which my high school was playing. As a matter of fact, the color scheme of this blog is inspired by the orange and black of the Webster Groves Statesmen.
I still show the same type of support for my college as well. Each Saturday during football season, you're sure to find me decked out in my Mizzou black and gold, watching the game if the Tigers happen to be on TV, or listening to the radio broadcast online if that's the best I can do. More Saturdays than I'd like to admit have been made or ruined on the basis of a Tiger football game.
As much as I am committed to my high school and college though, I am perhaps even more enthusiastic in my support of my other alma mater. I have often told others that my three years at Covenant Theological Seminary provided me with a foretaste of heaven. Thanks to both the teaching in the classrooms and the atmosphere that is cultivated, an ethos of grace pervades the campus.
Dane Ortlund captured my thoughts perfectly when he recently wrote about Covenant:
Every institution is filled with nothing but sinners. We are fallen, and our schools reflect that. And when I left three years ago, the school's overall sin-meter dropped considerably. But the norm is for institutions, even seminaries, to contain islands of grace amidst an ocean of self. Covenant is the only school I've ever set foot on that contains, in the mercy of God, islands of self amid an ocean of grace.
I shake my head with wonder at God's kindness to this institution.
Covenant recently released a number of faculty videos on YouTube that help communicate what makes Covenant so special. I've included four below from some of the professors who had a particular impact on me.
Congrats to my former professor Jerram Barrs who recently was honored by Outreach Magazine. His excellent book, Learning Evangelism From Jesus was named the book of the year in the area of Evangelism.
This is a well deserved honor. I recently taught a Sunday School class on evangelism, and this book was one of my primary resources in preparation. Jerram epitomizes someone who has the heart of an evangelist and is truly one of the most Christ-like individuals I've ever had the privilege of meeting. It is no exaggeration to say that among the highlights of my seminary education was the opportunity to learn from him.
Kudos, Jerram! And thank you for your service to our Lord and to the Church.
, 
, 
and 
