The Twilight of Harry Potter?

In 1997 author J.K. Rowling took the world by storm with the introduction of her wildly popular series of books about an underdog wizard and his band of friends. Today – after eleven years, seven books, five movies and $15 million dollars worth of merchandise and paraphernalia – Harry has successfully enchanted the hearts of children all over the world, and solicited the concern and animus of Christians.

And rightfully so….

For many years I have been an outspoken adversary of the book and movie franchise which depicts a wizard as a hero. The Bible speaks very plainly about witchcraft.

“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son
or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination,
or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.”
- Deuteronomy 18:10 -

“And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand;
and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:”
- Micah 5:12 -

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”
- Exodus 22:18 -

And of king Manasseh God said,

“But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD,
like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD
had cast out before the children of Israel. "
- II Chronicles 33:2 -

Why?

“he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”
- II Chronicles 33:6 -

And in the New Testament God said,

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
- Galatians 5:19-21 -

God does not hide his feelings regarding the sin of witchcraft. It is tantamount to murder, hatred, adultery, alcoholism, and every other vile sin.

Unfortunately Hell has been successful in convincing many people that witchcraft and divination are superstitions of the past, and the only reality of its existence today is what we see in movies, books, and television.

I was dumb founded the day I surveyed our preteens and found that not one of them believed in the reality of witchcraft. Even those raised in our Sunday school believed it was only fantasy and nothing to be concerned about.

Survey your kids and see if you get similar results.

Hollywood and other entertainment mediums, have painted witches, and other hellish spirits, as make believe. When we think of a witch, we get the distorted image of a greenish figure dressed in black apparel with a long pointy, warty, nose. Since that is the antithesis of what actual witches look like, we tend to not recognize them in society and eventually disbelieve they exist at all.

Hollywood has been on the forefront in promoting this deception, and they’re at it again.

Today another vile movie targeting preteens is being released. This time it isn’t a witch or wizard that has come to enchant our children. This time it’s a vampire.

Twilight…

Move over J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer is the new author to put pen to paper and recreate and evil to make it good. Twilight is a vampire/romance story that includes a teenage girl and a 17 – going on 100 – year old male vampire named Edward.

Released in 2005 Twilight has made its way into preteen hearts and is sucking the blood out of Potter’s reign as the supernatural evil turned good guy for kids. It has been followed by three sequels already and makes its way to the silver screen today.

There is a danger in this kind of fantasy. The Bible prophecies of a day when evil will be called good, and it is movies like these that serve as a clarion call that we are living in that day.

I’ve heard it many times before, “but Harry is a good wizard.” Now it’s “but Edward is a good vampire trying to beat his natural tendency to do evil.” I’ve even heard some liken it to the Christian struggle against the flesh. We must never forget that these movies DO NOT depict good vs evil. What ever the fictional intentions of a wizard or a vampire, both are inherently evil in the sight of God.

These movies are not about good vs evil, they are about a lesser evil vs a greater evil. However, in the eyes of God they are ALL evil.

A person once told me, “its just entertainment.” Unfortunately that is not true. It’s more than that. First, as Christians we should not allow the evil abominations of this world, and of hell, to be our source of entertainment. Second, in my opinion, movies like these only reinforce the inability of many to distinguish between reality and fantasy. They continue to paint these evils as fiction and help to disconnect humanity from the reality of satanic spirits.

Because of a dropped guard, hell has dazzled, enchanted, and romanced its way into the hearts and lives of kids, teenagers, and adults alike.

The underlying theme of Twilight proclaims “Forbidden Fruit Tastes the Best.” The author’s intentions were to mimic Adam & Eve’s temptation for the forbidden tree through the unacceptable romance between a normal teenage girl and an underworld killer.

Curious as to why preteens would love this movie I asked parents why their girls longed to be bitten by Twilight. Unequivocally the answer was – The Romance.

They are enthralled by the romance of the story.

With the release of this movie, it would be a good time for children’s ministers, parents, and pastors to remind their kids that in this world there is no such thing as “good evil.” Abominations, no matter how innocent Hollywood makes them appear, are still damnable in the eyes of God.

It would also be a good time to remind them about the greatest love story ever told. About the man who loved them so much that he didn’t take their blood, but GAVE his, so that they may have eternal life.

If they are looking for romance, what better place to show them true love than to remind them about the lover of their souls.

If they are looking for a love story, what about the bride groom who defeated death, hell, and the grave so that they could be freed from the prison of sin?

Isabella & Edward, Harry & Hermione, Their love can not compare to the ultimate display of love found in Christ and the cross. Their love is carnal, but his is supernatural. Their love is rooted in evil – despite its appearance – but his love is the greatest act of mercy and grace mankind could ever know.

Their love ends at the end of the story. The love of Christ will be revealed throughout all eternity and lavished upon those who delight themselves in him.

Our world increasingly places pressure on our girls to conform to lasciviousness and promiscuity in order to satisfy their inherent need for love and romance. These movies only reinforce that ideal and compound it with the notion that they can find such fulfillment in the arms of the forbidden.

What our girls need today is a realization that true romance is found not in the arms of the ungodly, but in the purity of a Biblical relationship. They need to know that the source of that romance is the one whose very nature is love.

Harry Potter….

Twilight…

We live in a world where evil is called good, and good seems less than desirable. Our children are not immune to the fads and fantasies of this world. Unfortunately, like Lot, we live in a society that daily vexes the souls of those who love righteousness.

While we may not be able to do anything about the emergence of these movies, we can definitely combat them by reminding those they target that their essence is evil and their messages wrong.

Love is not found in the arms of the sadistic….

It is found in the bosom of God.

Five year olds pledge to accept homosexuality

What would be your first reaction if you arrived at the school to pick up your five year old, only to learn that he pledged to promote Homosexuality in his Kindergarten class?

He didn’t learn math that day. There were no discussions about language, phonics, or writing. He did not participate in activities that promoted the proper development of motor skills, nor did he learn about time or money.

No, today he was taught to accept Homosexuality as a normal lifestyle.

He barely knows the difference between male and female. He has just recently started grasping the dynamics of relationships. Yet today someone is teaching him that it is perfectly normal for Susie to have two mommies.

What would your reaction be?

Probably something akin to the reaction from parents of kindergartener’s at Faith Ringgold School of Arts and Science in Hayward, California. Two weeks ago Tara Miller, a Kindergarten teacher, passed out pledge cards to children in promotion of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) “Ally Week.”

Pledge cards.

It takes an act of congress to get a five year old to clean their room, yet she is pledging them to the acceptance of homosexual behaviors? It is clear that the ideology and behavior of Ms. Miller disqualifies her from having any type of educational role in the lives of children.

But I digress.

The cards that Ms. Miller distributed asked kids to pledge to "not use anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) language or slurs; intervene, when I feel I can, in situations where others are using anti-LGBT language or harassing other students and actively support safer schools efforts."

While on the surface such a pledge might sound like it promotes equality – which is a noble initiative – underneath it is just one of many GLSEN efforts to normalize homosexuality through indoctrination of the next generation.

On their website GLSEN states that part of their mission is

“to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes in creating a more vibrant and diverse community. We welcome as members any and all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or occupation, who are committed to seeing this philosophy realized in K-12 schools.”

In their public policy section GLSEN claims,

“GLSEN believes that all school employees need pre-service and in-service training that includes accurate information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues and people. GLSEN calls upon boards and administrators to provide these trainings for current school employees and those studying to enter the profession as part of comprehensive training.”

These quotes illustrate GLSEN’s commitment to see the homosexual lifestyle accepted by future generations through the systematic teaching of children in their formative years.

And GLSEN isn’t the only organization out there with this goal.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force joins the charge by directly opposing evangelical organizations, such as Focus on the Family, as well as ex-gay ministries that teach conversion from homosexuality through faith in Jesus Christ. They recognize that the best way to counter attack is to target youth and empower parents to educate their children on the normality of homosexuality.

You can read more on their game plan at http://www.thetaskforce.org/

The Gay and Lesbian movement have a well thought, organized, and passionately driven agenda to change the direction of our country and to normalize the homosexual lifestyle. They are determined and relentless in the pursuit of their goal. They are focused, active, and strategic with their initiatives.

They have a plan, and they are working their plan.

It is time for the church to step up. Unless we become just as relentless, unless we become just as focused, just as determined, just as organized, just as passionate about stopping this movement and establishing our children upon the purity of scripture, we will lose this struggle.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the Faith Riggold School story was a statement made by the district officials after being confronted about the incident. While they admitted that the pledge cards were inappropriate for kindergarten students, they tried to justify the existence of the cards by stating that the pledge cards “were intended for middle school and high school students.”

As if that’s any better.

There is a collaborated effort to indoctrinate our children with pro-gay and lesbian ideology in every level of education – from pre-school, through middle school, through high school, and even into college.

As of yet the school district has refused to answer whether or not they will take action against the behavior of this kindergarten teacher, Tara Miller. This is most troubling as it illustrates that school districts as a whole are accepting the teaching of pro-gay curriculum in their school buildings.

Do you know what your kids are learning?

I don’t believe this indoctrination is reserved for just Hayward California. I’ve heard of pro-gay and lesbian initiatives being enacted in schools here in the Houston area. It is a goal of organizations like GLSEN & the Task Force to push this doctrine in schools all over the country.

Pastors, children’s ministry workers, children’s pastors, do you know what the kids in your church are being taught when they walk into the classrooms of your local public school?

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, said that the parents of the kindergarteners in Ms. Miller’s class weren’t even aware of what was going to take place in the classroom. He said that it is common to find classrooms in California discussing gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender issues and parents not even be aware of the objectionable material being passed to their children.

When they should be learning reading, writing, and arithmetic; our schools are teaching our children to tolerate, accept, and embrace homosexuality as a normal lifestyle despite its unbiblical behavior and perverted mindset.

We will only turn this cultural tide when pastors fully grasp what the kids in their churches are facing, and respond with a passion.

The only way we can counter this pro-gay agenda is with passionate, anointed children’s pastors and children’s ministry workers, who will declare the word of God and define sin.

And, most importantly…

The first line in the defense against this aggressive pro-gay agenda is MOM & DAD.

Parents have got to rise to the occasion and become the primary teachers and instructors of their children in Biblical matters. It is time to shift away from the idea that the Sunday School department of your local church is responsible for the biblical teaching of children.

“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7-

God designed it so that the parents are the primary influencers in a child’s life. If mom and dad are silent on things that concern God, then the voice of the children’s pastor will be overshadowed by the silence of the parent.

I’ve experienced this tragic truth time and time again in my own children’s ministry.

The voice of my warning never registered in the ears of many kids because their parents refused to join their voice with mine in warning their children about the dangers of sin.

Parents it is time for us to take the reigns. We are the ones God will hold responsible for the direction of our children’s lives. We are the primary means of defense against this homosexual agenda.

If we do not rise to the challenge and teach our children, we will lose them to this worldly mindset.

GLSEN, the Task Force, the Democratic Party, and others are leading the charge to promote acceptance and normality of homosexuality and other anti-biblical values. The only way to win this struggle and secure our children is for pastors, children’s ministry workers, and – first and foremost – parents, to approach discipleship of kids with the same passion, intensity, and drive.

If we bring our “C” game, or even our “B” game to the court, then we will lose. They are bringing their “A” game….

Let’s show them what we’ve got!