Gildenforum Blackmoon » I pondered this expert's

Many Christians seem to "get their knickers in a twist" where the matter of Harry Potter is concerned. We seem to forget that Wholesale Baseball Jerseys , at his worst, the enemy can only present the bait while we, as Christians, must decide whether we're going to allow ourselves to fall for it or not. In other words, we should actually expect the enemy to utilize the things of this world in his onslaught against us. Let's not be so surprised. Let's not curse the darkness either. In this Author's opinion Wholesale MLB Jerseys , the Church needs to strategically determine HOW it plans to utilize the schemes of Hell and the things of this world to advance the Kingdom.


According to a study conducted by the Barna Group, the exposure of America's teens to Harry Potter books andor movies has doubled since 2003. Currently, more than four out of every five (84%) have read or watched Potter including those referring to themselves as being "born-again" (78%). Among those born-again teens, only 13% recall ever receiving any input from their church on the subject or spiritual themes of Harry Potter.


NO HARM DONE?


Sadly, only one-fifth of all teens and one-third of born-again Christian teens said they had discussed the supernatural elements of Harry Potter with their parents. One out of every eight teenagers (12%) said that the Potter chronicles actually increased their interest in witchcraft. That translates to nearly THREE MILLION American young people who admit to have taken an interest SINCE their personal exposure to Potterism.


David Kinnaman Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping , the director of the research for the Barna Group, put the Harry Potter phenomenon into perspective. ?... the vast majority of teenagers and adolescents find entertainment value in Potter, most Christian leaders and parents have responded by either condemning the series or ignoring it. That response hasn't worked because most teens still consume the stories ? along with dozens more like it ? but without the critical input that would help them make sense of the supernatural dimension described in the Potter universe.?


Kinnaman believes that Christian parents and youth leaders should take heed of the Biblical directive that we should be ?in, but not of? the world. ?The teenage years are an important transition from the leadership of parents to independence and reliance upon God. Instead of simply trying to isolate children from all the spiritually dangerous material available in our media-saturated culture, parents could prepare their kids to be missionaries to their peers and to our society.


Even though the approach and even the outcome will look different for every teen Wholesale Jerseys China , helping teens to respond biblically to the messages of popular culture ? such as those found in Harry Potter ? is an important function of parents and church leaders. You do not get a free pass if you are not interested or if you do not enjoy stories like Potter. Young people are avidly consuming contemporary pop legends. Adults can guide them in knowing how to interpret that information and to respond in a Christ-like manner.


?The Bible notes that believers should always be ready to answer questions about their faith whenever people ask. While not minimizing the spiritual danger of stories like Harry Potter, the upside of such content is that it raises questions of purpose, destiny, relationships, isolation Wholesale Jerseys , redemption, spiritual power and more ? the very topics that are so important to the message of Christianity. But, as things stand, many parents and church leaders are letting those spiritual opportunities go to waste.?


ARE WE WISE AS SERPENTS... OR SNAKE FOOD?


I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Kinnaman. Too often, the Church can be found running from that which it deems inappropriate rather than arming our kids for the world they'll ultimately be forced to face Cheap MLB Baseball Jerseys , quite often as early as tomorrow. As one who has ministered to all levels of children from infants to collegians, even the best of Christian kids are consistantly showing themselves to be less than equipped to face adult life as Christians on planet Earth and its demonically-inspired system of values.


The child whose parents forbid him from playing with toy guns can never stop him from pointing his finger and shouting "Bang!" when he's alone with his buddies playing Cowboys and Indians or Space Invaders. The young man raised to respect women has his defenses penetrated daily as the check-out counter feeds him a steady diet of scantilly-dressed females on magazine racks. I once ministered to an awesome band of Christian musicians. One by on, every one of its members sought ministry as each had been caught in the trap of pornography.


I get my share of eMail messages from well-meaning Christians who are pretty steamed about all the Harry Potter hoopla. Rest assured, I've written a few scripture-laden messages both to those who were confused by as well as those who were defenders of the popular books. Such preachy moralizing usually has little impact, trust me.


But Cheap Baseball Jerseys , it makes me feel better.


I once read a quote from Bruno Bettelheim, who was referred to as "the great child psychologist." Never heard of him, but I don't get out much. Bruno said, "The question for the child is not 'Do I want to be good?' but 'Who do I want to be like?' " I liked that and I remembered reading that a child under 5 generally has difficulty distinguishing the reality of Jesus over Santa, the Easter Bunny Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale , or the Tooth Fairy, behooving us, as parents, to emphasize Jesus in our homes. All the time, not just on Sunday or at Christmas.


I pondered this expert's quote and concluded that his statement was probably true even of adults. The things that impact us the most are the stories of people we can identify with. A preacher may preach a good sermon Cheap MLB Jerseys Online , but notice how much more memorable it becomes when he shares a story we can all relate to. Jesus was an expert at this, using parables and allowing the people to identify wi

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