The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Leader's Guide for Group Study [Paperback]

Neal (Author), Connie W. (Author), Samuel F. Parvin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2004 | Series: Gospel According To...

A companion to the best-selling The Gospel according to Harry Potter: Spirituality in the Stories of the World's Most Famous Seeker, this ten-session study, appropriate for youth and adults, explores the religious themes that are prevalent in the popular series of children's books and films. Each session recommends scenes from the DVD and video releases of the first two Harry Potter movies, along with corresponding passages from the books, to facilitate discussion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Connie Neal is the author of over thirty books and Bible projects, most recently What's the Christian to Do with Harry Potter?. She toured as a speaker with Women of Faith in 1998 and now crosses the country conducting workshops on Harry Potter's influence in the Christian community. Along with her husband, Connie is raising their three children to remain culturally literate without compromising their love of God.

Samuel F. (Skip) Parvin is an established youth curricula writer and is the coauthor of the companion study guides for The Gospel according to The Simpsons and The Gospel according to Harry Potter. Parvin is also a former pastor of Isle of Faith United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 84 pages
• Publisher: WJK; Stg edition (January 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664226698
• ISBN-13: 978-0664226695
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #770,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Connie Neal is sought by secular and Christian media discussing pop culture and its intersection with Christianity, as well as family, marriage, and parenting issues. Connie has authored dozens of books including:The Gospel According to Harry Potter featured in Time, Christianity Today, and Entertainment Weekly. What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? featured in Newsweek, also Wizards, Wardrobes, & Wookiees and her signature book Dancing in the Arms of God, Connie has a BA in Communication from Pepperdine University and a MS in Education, specializing in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University. She has created videos and curriculum for parents and teens. She toured as a guest speaker with Women of Faith. Her latest focus is on transitioning content to electronic publishing and online learning in keeping with the science of instruction and research-based multimedia learning principles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource for Parents and Youth Pastors, July 27, 2005

By 

A Christian Reader (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Paperback)

This book gives parents and youth leaders a way to redeem the Harry Potter stories, while also warning kids about the dangers of real witchcraft and distinguishing between fantasy and reality.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting take on HP, August 25, 2007

By 

Deborah Loffredi "scully931" (Pittsburgh, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Paperback)

I had the pleasure of seeing Connie Neal speak in person a few years ago. I had read her book prior to the event. There was quite a mixture of people in the room: christians, jews, atheists, wiccans, etc. Everyone seemed to find the talk quite interesting despite their differences in religious beliefs. What struck me most about what she said is this: (I'm paraphrasing) in a work this size you can find almost anything you look for. Every religion or political cause could find something to back up their claims. (Kind of like the bible, in my opinion) Does Ms. Neal really think Jo Rowling purposely wrote biblical teachings into Harry Potter? Nah. But, the comparisons are fascinating and there are definately some moral lessons to be learned from the books.

5.0 out of 5 stars Youth/Young adult resource, September 18, 2011

By 

beth a. o'malley (frederick, md, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Paperback)

The Leader's Guide highlights relevant topics for youth and young adult study groups (as well as older adults), providing good links between scenes in the Potter books/movies and Old/New Testament passages. Our college age group found the study questions to be thoughtful and provocative discussion starters around the topic of moral development and faithful decision making. The leader appreciated specific page numbers of the Potter series and scene suggestions in the movies. The author's willingness to address the controversy over Christians reading the Harry Potter books was articulate and helpful. We found the leaders guide to be accessible by and valuable to members of other faith traditions as well.