Author: Ava Bergen

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On Respectful Disagreement

This past March, Middlebury College in Vermont hosted the controversial political scientist Charles Murray as a guest speaker. Murray has been decried as a “white supremacist” in light of his book The Bell Curve, which arguably supports scientifically-defended racism. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Murray a “white nationalist” who “believes in the intellectual and moral superiority of white men and advocates for the elimination of welfare and affirmative action.” Clearly, some of Murray’s expressed views are contentious at best and extremely harmful at worst. But does he retain the right to speak, and engage in respectful discussion in an academic setting?

Middlebury students, evidently, did not think so. Groups of angry students protested his talk, turned their backs to the stage and yelled out organized chants over his words. When college administrators moved the talk to another room to be broadcasted online, protesters pulled the fire alarm and cut off the connection. Afterwards, protesters followed Murray to his car, rocked, hit, and even jumped on the vehicle. This violent display by upset students is shocking. Yet, I couldn’t help but be reminded of our own community’s response to Julian Cook’s chapel this past February. I want to be clear: I’m not arguing that those who walked out of Cook’s chapel are the same as the violent demonstrators at Middlebury.

Yet, their similarities must be observed. Both of these actions (walking out, pulling the fire alarm) carry messages of outright disrespect, regardless of one’s personal opinions concerning either issue. The message implicit in both protestations are clear: “I refuse to listen to your wrongful opinion,” and in both instances the rigid unwillingness to listen prevented any genuine (and potentially enlightening) dialogue to take place.

I was embarrassed and angry as I watched members of our Houghton community walk out of Cook’s chapel. I was even angrier when a student sitting in front of me jeered and made a public show of putting in headphones while Cook laid bare many of his fears and hopes. I find this unwillingness to entertain other perspectives, evident in both the reactions to Cook’s chapel and the Middlebury protests, deeply disturbing.

I personally disagree with Charles Murray, and probably agree with the opinions of some of the Middlebury protesters. Yet I am appalled and horrified by their actions. They had a rare opportunity to engage and listen firsthand to a recognized figure with whom they disagree. What better way to deepen their knowledge and learn to argue respectfully, and what better context than an academic setting?

I am proud of our community’s attempts to facilitate open discourse. But we cannot have open discourse if we ourselves are not willing to be open. This means we must relinquish our claims to absolute moral superiority against an unrighteous other. I heard several reasons for walking out of Julien Cook’s chapel, one of which stated that Cook was saying hateful things against the police and was expressing racism against white people.

Regardless of whether or not you disagree, Julian Cook deserves to be listened to. He had the chapel floor. Disagreeing with his message does not justify the insensitivity and downright rudeness of leaving in the middle of his talk. It is your choice not to listen. It is your own choice not to learn. But something changes when your actions hurt other people. Though leaving chapel is not as extreme as jumping on a car, it sent a message to everyone attending chapel that day: “I do not respect voices that are different from my own.” And that, in this college where we are privileged to interact with diverse opinions every day, is unacceptable.

Ava is a senior majoring in English and communication.

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Nuance Over Nonsense

For most of my young adult life my father worked in administration as the Provost of Greenville College, a small Christian liberal arts school much like Houghton in the deep south of the Midwest. At dinnertime, Dad would occasionally relay censored snippets from his job: hints of internal college struggles, miscommunications among faculty with redacted names, and arguments between dissatisfied groups all equally convinced of their own rightness (and sometimes, righteousness).

Confrontation and concentrated frustration appeared to be what my Dad dealt with on a daily basis. He was able to tell me very little about these situations due to confidentiality, and mostly unable to answer my probing questions (which of course only served to further my curiosity), like “Wait, what did who say about what? Why do you have to meet with her parents?” He would just say, “I’m sorry, but I am legally obligated not to tell you.” And I had to be content with not knowing. It was my Dad who first taught me to consider that I might be wrong, that no issue or disagreement is ever simple, and that it’s possible to be blinded by the belief in one’s own rightness.

This background perhaps explains my persistent skepticism at any group, or person, who claims to advocate for “the moral truth” and leaves no room for nuanced dissent. Even within (or maybe I should say, especially within) Christianity, disagreements over the definition of truth arise frequently, and are the source of traumatic schisms in the church. It seems almost too obvious to write down, but as Christians we are called to love one another, not just those who agree with our perspectives. Of course, now is the time when the definition of what “love” actually looks like can be disputed.

In the case of the “Choose Morals Over Money” protest, I have been frustrated not only by the absolute moral certainty expressed by those involved, (either in person or on Facebook), but also by their vocal dismissal and blind distrust of the administration. I want to make a distinction between blind trust and blind distrust: I am not supporting either. One of the reasons this group gives for Jackson’s termination is that Houghton fired him to save money. Hence the tagline “Morals Over Money.” This reasoning simply makes no sense to me, as Houghton is most likely losing money from this decision. Replacing Jackson will be costly and time-consuming; terminating someone so integral to a new and exciting major means tremendous potential to lose revenue from prospective and current students. I can’t imagine the administration was happy to make this decision; in fact I’m sure they agonized over it, only making the decision in response to undeniable evidence.

I understand there is tremendous pain involved, and for this I am truly sorry.

I am sorry for the students who have lost a beloved professor, I can only imagine the frustration this precipitates. I admire the students who peacefully protested, and commend their persistence and passion. However, part of me is indignant that this is what students have chosen to publicly unite over, as opposed to the racially charged hate note a student recently received. I am also troubled by the apparent inability to entertain nuance when no one is in possession of all the facts. I ask that we as a community consider perspectives beyond our own, especially as Dean Connell has expressed in a compassionate and kind email, “I do want to encourage you to be cautious about assuming that you know why this decision was made.  As I have talked with many of you over the last few days, it’s clear that a lot of misinformation and speculation is making the rounds.  Events have been misinterpreted or over-simplified…. I regret that I cannot simply clear up the confusion by sharing the specifics of the situation; all I can do is ask you to be careful about accepting narratives or coming to judgments that do not reflect the full picture.” There absolutely are legal constraints on the administration right now, those who have complained that Houghton has not been honest with us should be aware that this confidentiality is in place to protect not only the students involved but also Jackson’s privacy. Additionally, the administration could be sued for any breach in confidence.

I am not claiming to know the whole story. I am not even claiming to know half of the story. Yet I do know that the answers are not simple. It is not a case of “We are right, the administration is wrong” or even, “The administration is right, and the protesters are wrong.” This sort of simplicity grates on my conscience. When we allow rigid black and white thinking to dominate our perspective, we only serve to dehumanize each other. I ask that we treat those who disagree with us with compassion, and seek to listen and consider before demonizing the actions of others.

 

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Film Review: The Revenant

“As long as you can grab a breath, you fight.” These opening words whispered by an unkempt Leonardo DiCaprio set the tone for The Revenant, a visually assaulting cinematic masterpiece that explores the sheer brutality of the human condition.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, Amores Perros, Babel), The Revenant follows the grueling story of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), a fur-trapper in the untamed 19th century American Midwest. Early into the film Glass gets mauled by a bear in what might be the most viscerally affecting scene of the entire movie (this is saying a lot, as we also witness DiCaprio devour raw bison liver, crawl inside of a horse carcass for warmth, and descend down an icy waterfall). His throat and back are violently ripped open by bear claws, and we hear DiCaprio’s expertly agonized cries, the sound of bones crunching. Glass somehow manages to kill the bear, but his half-Pawnee son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) and companions find him in grim condition. There’s nothing like seeing someone’s throat get ripped out to remind you that your own day isn’t going so badly.

RevenantIt’s no accident that despite the violence that saturates the film, the setting and cinematography are devastatingly gorgeous. Shot entirely with natural light, the beautiful scenes of nature form an interesting contrast to Glass’s suffering, perhaps as a testament of nature’s callous unconcern.

After the attack, Glass’s companions and son valiantly attempt to carry him back on a makeshift stretcher, but the journey is too far and the weather becomes dangerously cold. Companions John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) are nominated to stay behind with Glass, if only to give him a proper Christian burial. It’s the decent thing to do.

Glass is in terrible shape, but it’s clear he’s still fiercely fighting for his life. Unfortunately Fitzgerald doesn’t seem to care about this. When he sees Glass’s wounds he dismisses him as “already dead” and believes waiting behind is a dangerous waste of time. After all, his fur-trapping companions are getting further and further away while he is stranded in the wilderness. This is not to defend Fitzgerald; his motivations are mercenary and he remains the scummiest of scumbags. Fitzgerald dupes Bridger into leaving the still-breathing Glass behind, but not before throwing him into a freshly dug grave. What makes this scene so frustratingly poignant is Glass’s utter helplessness when confronted with betrayal. He cannot speak or move, only stare in rage at his betrayer. The range of emotion DiCaprio is able to convey with grunts is astonishing; if this performance doesn’t finally win him an Oscar, I’ll eat raw bison liver.

The Revenant is a story of raw endurance. Driven forward by a thirst to revenge himself against Fitzgerald, Glass crawls up from the grave and begins his long journey of both survival and vengeance. We see the desperate lengths he goes to survive, and we are disgusted and impressed. The movie serves as a reminder of our own mortality: as we watch Glass gut a dead horse in order to crawl inside its warm body we may shudder, but we also understand.

When Glass finally succeeds in revenging himself on Fitzgerald, it feels perfectly unsatisfying. Glass’s sole motivation for survival is over; Fitzgerald’s death fades and falls in line with the rest of the carnage in this film. If Glass’s success feels anticlimactic, perhaps that is the point.

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Stories In Focus

Aerialist and Juggler Extraordinaire Senior Jens Omdal

During the school year, senior Jens Omdal is a political science major. During the summer, however, he is a professional circus performer working for the Aerial Trapeze Academy. Based in South Florida and Palm Beach, the Aerial Trapeze Academy are experts in the performing arts, presenting circus shows as well as teaching workshops in trapeze to the public. Omdal works as an aerialist and a juggler, specializing in tricks on the flying trapeze and fire juggling. “It’s something I enjoy,” says Omdal. “It’s definitely a challenge but it’s rewarding.”

Jens RGBOmdal began his training in the art of circus performance when he was 11 years old, when lessons were offered at a kid’s camp he attended. As he became more skilled, Omdal went on to work professionally with the circus as his summer job. When asked what initially attracted him to the trapeze, he responded, “I think it’s that I was scared of heights. It was a way of overcoming an obstacle.”

Omdal’s typical workday begins at eight in the morning, teaching students the mechanics of flying trapeze.  Some days are devoted to these classes, with each lesson lasting about an hour. If it’s a performance day, the afternoon is spent setting up for their evening show. Omdal remarks that the Academy’s schedule fluctuates fairly often. “Show times vary; in the summer there’s a lot of carnivals and festivals that want us to perform, so it’s possible we would perform every night for a week. Other times you go three weeks without a show. It depends on where the attractions are.”

Jens2When asked specifically about his job description, Omdal described himself not only as a performer, but also as a staff member. “The circus term for it is a Roustabout-someone who sets up the show. Everyone begins as a Roustabout; so you know how to set up the rig, change sets. If you can’t do that, then you’re not helpful to the show, and if you’re not helpful to the show then you are destructive. If all you are capable of is your own particular act, then you’re only good for five minutes.” As well as contributing to set up, Omdal performs a juggling act, starting with a few balls and then slowly increasing the difficulty level up to juggling fire. He also does an Adagio act, meaning an act showcasing an acrobatic partnership typically with a man as a stabilizing base while a woman performs flips and twists. Finally Omdal performs tricks with four other artists on the flying trapeze. These tricks include layouts, or forward moving backflips, and a plounge, which involves placing the trapeze bar behind your hamstrings and arching your body upside down. Acts on the flying trapeze require careful precision and planning. Omdal commented, “We have our tricks planned beforehand because we want our tricks to work together aesthetically as well as sequentially.”

Omdal could feasibly make his living working professionally as a performer and aerialist. When asked why he attends Houghton, he replied, “I desire an education, and Houghton is my outlet for that. A lot of people who perform in the circus make it their career and livelihood. But it’s a short-lived career because of the toll it takes on your body, after 15 or 20 years in the industry your body is well advanced.” Despite the risks involved, Omdal remains passionate about his role as performer, as well as its impact on his life. “Circus is a way of making art with our bodies.  We are creative in our own right. One thing the circus had taught me is that you have to commit. If you’re performing a trick on the trapeze and you don’t commit, you’re going to fall.”

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Dean Jordan’s Campus Revival

As a Christ-centered college, part of the Houghton community is engaging in spiritual life together. This year Dean of the Chapel Michael Jordan is hoping to revitalize spiritual practice on campus by providing new channels to come together in worship.

When asked about these changes, Jordan replied, “Well, some of it’s new, some of it’s just tweaking what we did before. This semester I moved morning prayer earlier (7:30am) so it doesn’t conflict with classes at all.” What was known as evening prayer last year is now communion at 3:45 pm in the 3rd Floor Library. Jordan discusses his reasoning for the time and building adjustments: “I moved evening prayer out of the basement prayer chapel, I wanted it to be a little more integrated with the academic stuff that we do. It’s before people have left, before faculty have gone home so they can still participate.” The decision to shift from an evening prayer service to a daily communion service is one motivated by Jordan’s passion for Christian practice. “Changing evening prayer to communion was a desire to integrate ritual more into our life together…practicing it every day says communion is really important here, without making it something where everyone is forced to come.”

Dean Jordan CMYKStudent Government Chaplain Melissa Maclean (’17) and Chapel Deacon David Gordon (’16) are both students working alongside Jordan to engage students in spiritual life on campus. As chaplain, Maclean acts as a liaison between students and faculty in spiritual life, as well as plans events that serve to bring them together. She’s currently working on United, a night of worship with our sister college Roberts Wesleyan. “I’m hoping to have a night of prayer, worship, and communion with Roberts. We’ve never done anything like this, which is crazy. I think putting everything aside and coming together with other parts of the body of Christ is critical…Half the worship team will be from Roberts, and the other half will be made up of Houghton students.” United will be held in the recital hall October 23.

As a chapel deacon, Gordon is part of a small group of students who meet every two weeks with Jordan. Though Houghton has had a chapel deacon program in the past, its role was adapted as Jordan “decided to re-envision [the program] as a sort of personal mentoring, with an eye towards vocation.” Each chapel deacon is in charge of one substantial project/event for the year that ties into spiritual life on campus, as well as having additional responsibilities, such as leading prayer or reading scripture in chapel. Gordon tributes the chapel deacon program as a way for him to engage with spiritual life more directly, “Becoming involved in liturgical life on campus is definitely something I have a passion for. I’ve seen the effects it can have to really bring peace to those who need it.”

Jordan is adamant in his belief that shared practices, in spiritual life as well as liturgical life, contribute to a community on a foundational level. “I think there are limitations in saying that our shared belief holds us together; shared practices can form a more coherent base for life together.”
As a collegiate community of faith, we are offered the chance for spiritual cultivation; to be rooted in spiritual practice. Jordan urges us to thoughtfully engage with the unique environment Houghton provides:  “If you are serious about wanting to become the kind of person who is appropriately opinionated and convicted, and at the same time open to the views of others, not made anxious by people who disagree with you, corporate worship is a strategy you can use to become that kind of person. So, neglect chapel at your peril.”

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Recommended Record: Passion Pit’s Kindred

Eclectic indie pop band Passion Pit released their third album Kindred this past Tuesday, full of vibrating, bubbly synth and sparkling vocals. The album is frontrunner Michael Angelakos most cohesive work to date, deftly weaving sonic euphoria with sounds of nostalgia and inward struggle.

passion10While previous Passion Pit hits, like “Make Light” or “Little Secrets” are deceptively upbeat, often masking cynical undertones, the lyrics of Kindred are more attune with their vibrant sound. This is most likely due to Angelakos’s brazen honesty concerning his own personal struggle with bipolar disorder. Despite the stigma attached to mental health diseases, Angelakos halted his 2012 Gossamer tour in order to seek help for the extreme highs and lows he experiences. “Once I started accepting my mental condition, it stung for a little bit, and then everything improved,” he comments.

Arguably the catchiest tune on the track list is “Lifted Up (1985)” a song bursting with Passion Pit’s characteristic frenzied electronica, dedicated to Angelakos’s wife, Kristina Mucci. Glitchy synth and Angelakos’s giddy voice proclaim, “1985 was a good year/The sky broke apart and you appeared.” Contrary to a typical love song, the speaker acknowledges his intrinsic faults, and subsequent failures: “Oh, but yeah I’m so tired/I fight so hard and come back beaten…Oh but yeah, all my life I stay here waiting.” In “Whole Life Story”, also inspired by Mucci, the listener is given insight into their complicated relationship. Amidst peppy handclaps and sugary synth-sounds, a falsetto voice cries: “I’m sorry darling, how could I have turned this/Into such a, darling, difficult position for you”.  Yet this apology is quietly accepted: “And you didn’t make a sound/You were looking out the window at the city/Then you turned and said you loved me.” The most beautiful aspect of Kindred is its persistent optimism despite acknowledged failures. In an interview with TIME, Angelakos speaks in regards to his inspiration: “Growing up. It’s all the things I wish I had been doing instead of dealing with all of the complications from my disorder. It’s also about figuring out my relationships with other people and how to deal with love in a very real way.”

This is evidenced especially in lilting tracks like “Five Foot Ten (I)” and “Until We Can’t (Let’s Go)”, where pounding, out-of-control synth undulates the listener up and down, a visceral parallel for Angelakos’s intense mood shifts. Admirably, the only extraneous track on the album is the autotune experiment gone wrong, “Ten Feet Tall (II)” where Angelakos’s high pitched, overzealous techno-warbling serves more to give the listener a headache than convey any concrete emotion. Taken as whole however, Kindred does well to reflect it’s creator’s liberating ideal: “Being as honest and transparent as you can be…that’s actually really, really empowering. It shows you have guts.”

Angelakos’s attempted honesty makes Kindred as a whole chaotically compelling. It’s messy, but underlying its sonic extremes is an overall message of perseverance.

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Celebrating Black History Month

Black Heritage Club is not just for black people. Black Heritage Club is a place for people of all races to gather and engage in honest communication. This is the goal according to President Nailah Pressley, sophomore, “This year I really want to focus on bringing people together, and getting to know one another aside from racial differences.” This ambition is evident through the events Black Heritage Club has planned for campus during Black History Month. Each occasion provides an opportunity for fellowship and conversation, starting with Soul Food Night on Thursday, February 19th.

Club Communications Director Travis Trotman, sophomore, commented on the convenience of this year’s Soul Food Night versus previous years: “Last year we had it in Gillette and you had to get a ticket beforehand…this year, because it’s up in the cafeteria it lets everyone participate. We have some things planned, and we’re going to be playing soul music, and it will be a very interactive night for anyone who wants to come.” The Club will also be screening the new ABC television show Black-ish down in Big Al’s on Wednesday the 11th and the 18th, as well as facilitating a discussion with responses to the show afterward. Pressley said the club picked Black-ish in particular because, “It deals with racial issues in the world today but I also feel like it’s a show that anyone can relate to.”

Other main events include the showing of the critically acclaimed film Selma on March 6th, featuring David Oyelowo’s portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. and the ongoing fight for civil rights in 1965. The Black History Club has also managed to secure the Reverend Marvin McMickle, Houghton’s CLEW speaker in 2014, for the last chapel of the month.

The Club has changed its focus under the leadership of Pressley, in comparison with previous years. Secretary and Treasurer Lauren Lund, junior, has been a member since she was a first year and said, “It has definitely changed—different cabinets have different goals and that orients the type of activity we do. I know last year [then President] Katrina Sawyer was more focused on education and lectures. And my freshman year, Julian Cook focused most on outreach.” Pressley commented her main focus on the club is, “to encourage people to talk. Even if you disagree with what I think, what I’m saying, then let’s at least have a conversation. Because nothing happens when people don’t talk.”

Pressley speaks about how her goals for the club changed as her perspective changed: “I came into this position wanting mostly to inform people, talk about what black history is, why this is important…but after listening to a lot of the feedback here on topics of race, I just realized that we need to connect on a human level first, and then we can get to the hard-hitting issues. So, I listen and observe a lot more.”

Lund says that her involvement in the club has been invaluable in terms of broadened horizons: “It’s interesting because [while I’ve been involved] different events have happened both outside and within campus that relate to controversial social issues. To listen to different inside perspectives, how people are affected by these events, it really affects the way you think of things…I don’t just see the events, I think how would my friends be affected by this? It’s so important to learn how other people feel about things, not just your own opinion on how they should feel.”

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The Promising Final Season of Parks and Recreation

Arguably the funniest show on television right now, Parks and Recreation is back for its seventh and final season. The sitcom premiered this past Tuesday (January 13) on NBC, marking the inevitable end of the viewer’s relationship with the town of Pawnee, Indiana (First in Friendship, Fourth in Obesity), and the quirky characters that live there.

Featuring former Saturday Night Live star and Golden Globe Award winner Amy Poehler as the energetic and capable Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation follows the lives of an eclectic band of government workers employed by the Pawnee Parks Department. Leslie’s boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), is a profoundly libertarian, whiskey-drinking woodworker who acts as a foil for Leslie’s ceaseless work ethic and optimism; Ron only works for the government with the hope that he can destroy it from the inside.

Parks-and-RecParks and Rec’s brilliance lies not only in absurdist, deadpan humor (think 30 Rock meets The Office), but also in the gripping, sentimental evolution of the characters. I mean “sentimental” in the most complimentary sense, with the viewer becoming emotionally invested in the lives of each individual character, as well as their interactions with one another.

Leslie Knope begins the series as an annoyingly perky, overzealous and ineffectual government employee. Her character development is inspiring; over time her inner zealot gives way to heartfelt passion for Pawnee, working to beautify her hometown and eventually running for city council. Similarly, the viewer is allowed glimpses past Ron Swanson’s brusque exterior to the genuine respect he feels for Leslie and his assistant April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza). The shoe-shine boy, Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt), is eventually promoted. Selfish wannabe business mogul Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) learns the necessity of organization after his start-up ends in bankruptcy. Over time the characters are redeemed, though admittedly not without numerous mistakes and painfully (yet hilariously) awkward moments. The only character who never surpasses his initial situation is the useless Jerry Gergich, who defaults as the scapegoat for all Parks Department mishaps.

Initially in the series it seemed that the characters were at risk of becoming caricatures, yet the joy of the show is in vicariously experiencing their maturation from the unrealistically flawed to the believably human. The viewer becomes invested in the Parks Department’s success; Leslie Knope’s triumphs are our triumphs.

Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Parks and Recreation’s accomplishments have served to launch the careers of previously obscure cast members, with real life paralleling the individual achievements most characters attain as the show develops. Actor Chris Pratt (Andy Dwyer) recently starred as Star-Lord Peter Quill in Marvel’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as securing a lead role in Stephen Spielberg’s upcoming film Jurassic World. Nick Offerman, and Audrey Plaza (whose personality apparently mimics April Ludgate’s in real life) have gone on to various movie roles in big names like 22 Jump Street and Life After Beth.

Though Pratt is now a full-blown movie star, he comments on the importance of his experience working on Parks: “I’m realizing the things that really matter about what you’re doing, for me at least, are just the relationships you have while you’re doing it. And for me, this show… I hope that I could possibly have the good fortune of finding another group of people like this, but I don’t expect I ever will.”

With a dynamic cast that loves their characters almost as much as we do, and comedic writing that integrates themes of persistence and hard work, Parks and Recreation is the television equivalent of optimism.

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Harry Potter and Jesus

Reading Rowling in the Context of Christianity

J._K._Rowling_2010“‘Hogwarts School of Prayer and Miracles?’ Harry queried. . . ’I want to go there!’ Hagrid beamed widely. He had been praying so hard to save a soul today; and he was so happy to have saved the soul of such a sweet, earnest little one. The poor boy, being raised by two parents who were not Christian…It was a good thing Hagrid had got here in time. Five years down the road, Harry might have been a fornicating, drug-addicted Evolutionist!”

This excerpt is taken from the Harry Potter fan fiction Hogwarts School of Prayer and Miracles, written by username Proudhousewife. Her motivation behind writing is so her “little ones” can read Harry Potter without “turning into witches”.

While the legitimacy of Hogwarts School of Prayers and Miracles is debatable (gag reflexes worldwide hope it’s satire) it remains that the fan fiction speaks to enduring controversy surrounding the J. K. Rowling Harry Potter series. It is a fairly common opinion that Christianity and Harry Potter are in direct opposition with one another, with proponents of this belief usually citing Revelation 21:8 or Zechariah 10:2. Many parents prevent their children from reading the books, either because they believe them to be promoting Satan or because they are simply unwilling to take that chance. This is unfortunate, as once one actually reads the series it becomes difficult to hold fast to belief in its anti-Jesus agenda.

In fact, Harry Potter can be read as an allegory for Jesus’s resurrection. While obviously the plot isn’t an exact parallel, Christian themes pervade throughout: the ultimate triumph of love over hate, speaking out for the oppressed, standing beside and supporting the weak. Voldemort, the Dark Lord notorious for his explicit and unapologetic evil, possesses a “gift for spreading discord and enmity”, and stands as an allegorical representation of Satan. Like the fallen angel Lucifer, he too was once beautiful; his pride in attempting to create his own immortality is his downfall.

Ava BergenHarry himself is an imperfect character allegory for Jesus; unlike Jesus, Harry is flawed. Yet there are unmistakable parallels to be found between the two: Jesus ignores the value the world places on social standing and wealth; he breaks bread with prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. Harry similarly refuses to acknowledge the hierarchical barriers the wizarding world places on the purity of one’s “blood”, and instead operates outside them. Harry’s loved ones do not fit into conventional pureblood wizard society. His closest friends include “muggle-born” Hermione; Ron, who comes from an embarrassingly poor family (who in addition are “muggle” sympathizers); Hagrid, a  “half-breed”, half-giant, half-man; Dobby, a house-elf; and his godfather Sirius Black who is demonized by the wizarding world at large as a criminal.

Jesus’s choice to eat with sinners is controversial due to the world’s respect for him as a rabbi and prophet, someone holy. Harry is usually widely admired and respected throughout the wizarding world (though this favor varies), and therefore “people expect [him] to have cooler friends than us,” says Luna Lovegood, a character avoided for being especially eccentric. Jesus transcends the world’s understanding of worth; Harry ignores the wizarding world’s social hierarchy.

Harry’s most striking parallel to Jesus is apparent in the last book, The Deathly Hallows. Harry willingly gives up his life to save the entire world from Voldemort. Without Harry’s death, Voldemort’s defeat would not be possible.  Just as the lion Aslan allows himself to be sacrificed on the Stone Table in The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry meets Voldemort and death in the Forbidden Forest, sacrificing himself for those he loves.

Jesus died for our sins in an undeserved act of unfathomable love, conquered sin and death and rose again. Harry dies so Voldemort can ultimately be defeated, protecting the wizarding world. He then rises from the dead and participates in the battle, where Voldemort is killed when his own killing curse backfires.

Clearly, the Harry Potter books are not intended as perfect allegories to the resurrection story. However, it cannot be denied that the stories contain Christian truth. Douglas Jones, editor of evangelical magazine Credenda/Agenda writes, “the Potter stories give us largely Christianized witches, witches who have fully absorbed Christian ethical categories: love, kindness, hope, loyalty, hierarchy, community.” J.K. Rowling even admits that Christianity was one of her “major inspirations” while writing. In this way, Harry Potter can be read through a Christian context: to be attentive to God’s truth embedded in the art around us (even Harry Potter) is an effort towards wholeness, comprehending faith from a variety of angles.

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Faith and Justice Symposium: Hope in the Midst of Deep Conflict

Houghton College’s fourth annual Faith and Justice Symposium will be tackling the weighty topics of War, Conflict, and Violence, with an emphasis on the enduring presence of hope. Beginning Wednesday September 24th and continuing throughout the week, the Symposium hopes to not only to inform about relevant world issues but also to contextualize and equip Houghton campus with a deepened understanding of conflict.

Wynn Horton, a student coordinator for the event comments, “Every single person at or around Houghton is impacted by war whether they believe it or not. War and conflict have shaped the history of the world and provide the foundations for the present. Without understanding the expansive effects of these violent events, we cannot expect to find resonance with those whose lives have been woven through cultures of war, conflict, and violence.”

This year’s Symposium hopes that students will attend and apply the event’s message to their own lives. Professor of Intercultural Studies and Director of the Center for Faith, Justice, and Global Engagement, Ndunge Kiiti comments,  “[The theme of] ‘Stories of Hope’ is to remind us that we can do something about these complex issues.  It may be interfacing or impacting one person or many, but, whatever or whoever it is, it makes a difference.” Student coordinator, Moeun Sun, additionally states, “A goal of the Symposium is to explore how even in the midst of deep conflict there remains to be hope. We want to reframe the perception of conflict, not focusing only on the conflict, but also address it in ways that bring hope to people.”

Speaker Molly Little from the United Nations and Office of Humanitarian Affairs will open up this year’s Symposium lectures, and iCourtesy of Moeun Sunt is assumed she will be relating tales from her experience with the U.N.

Other speakers include Reverend Celestin Musekura, president and CEO of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM), recent Houghton graduate Julian Cook, and Luis Noda, Chief International Relations Officer at Food for the Hungry.

This year’s theme of “War, Conflict, and Violence: Stories of Hope” was chosen based on feedback the college received after last year’s Symposium. When asked about the subject’s immediate relevance for Houghton campus, Kiiti responded: “This is an important topic because the impact of war, conflict, and violence is tremendous on human life and development–affecting communities in a multiplicity of ways…Because war, conflict and violence impact so many areas of life, they require holistic and interdisciplinary responses.  This is at the core of Houghton’s mission of a Christian education in the liberal arts and sciences.”

The talks and workshops facilitated by this years’ Faith and Justice Symposium will provide Houghton campus with different contexts through which to view today’s tumultuous world. Horton expressed his hope “that students here use this [symposium] as a time to expand their ‘bubble,’ build international connections, and strengthen their understanding of hope.”