I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

This is one of those instances where the unintellectualism of America upsets me. There are a group of "conservatives" who talk about Harry Potter as though Harry were the anti-Christ. Liberal America equates being conservative with being stupid. However, I find that the American public in general - liberal, moderate, conservative - tends to be ignorant in general. The ignorance simply takes form differently depending on where you fall in the line-up. In this case, it happens to be ignorance about a particular book and hypocrisy in choosing some wizardry (ie Lord of the Rings) over others.

Finishing the final book, I am proud of Harry. I got extremely misty-eyed when Harry believed that in order to fully defeat Voldemort, he had to die. He couldn't fight. He had to simply walk into the camp and let the Dark Lord destroy him. This nobility, this heroic action, reveals in each of us what we desire most in our heroes - a desire to go to the end, no matter how far or how dire, so that we may live in peace.

As Christians we miss that this hero resonates with each of us. Yet we have such a hero and better yet He is perfect and triumphant. Christ was led like a lamb to the slaughter and willingly laid down his life.

I'm not suggesting that Rowling was intentionally Christian or even thinking of Christianity at all (although interestingly enough, two major quotes in the last book were straight from the New Testament and one from Christ himself). Only that truth echoes in each of us, but that most suppress it. However, in rare moments, like in good writing for example, it shines through and we see something that we resonate with. Something that seems right in a world where so much has gone wrong.

Even beyond that is that my favorite character is vindicated - Severus Snape. I have held out since the beginning that he was fighting for what was right all along. After being called a coward by Harry after doing one of the hardest things that can be asked - he is finally seen as the brave man he was.

In Snape's character we learn and understand that evil has no power in the presence of love and that there is always hope. We are taught not to judge by appearances, but by character. Snape did not receive glory in his life for what he sacrificed. Indeed, more than Harry, Snape was a hero to the end.

The story is happy, sad, dark, and light. Just like life. As Christians we should be able to appreciate good art when it exists. We should likewise be able to see common grace in it and be willing to use it as a means of teaching (and dare I say it, enjoyment?). God is glorified when stories echo His Heroism. His willing to fight for our souls to the end. Even to the bitter end when he was nailed to a cross.

So let us not discard Harry Potter as a mere childish story or as witchcraft in disguise, but instead recognize the life lessons that are taught and smile because we have a true hero.