Beware of Those Who Seek to Pin the Blame on White People

 As Christians, we need to be clear-eyed about what is going on around us, as far as ideological trends are concerned. Where an evil ideology is gaining ground in popular opinion, we must be careful to avoid being caught up in its mindset. And where appropriate, we need to take a stand against it.

There is an evil ideology that has been gaining ground in the last few decades around the world that I think many Christians are unaware of. It is a racist ideology, and I would suggest that it is now one of the more significant race-hate movements that exist today. Basically, it is the attempt to pin the blame for most of the world’s problems – often for a large majority of the world’s problems – on white people.

This ideology is sometimes called ‘Critical Race Theory’. I won’t use this label myself, because people use it in different ways, and I don’t want to use potentially confusing language. So I will just stick to talking about the attempt to unfairly blame white people for things.

A close parallel with Nazi propaganda

When I have heard supporters of this ideology speak in recent times, the thing that has struck me is the close parallels with Nazi propaganda of the early-mid 20th century.

I don’t know if you have ever seen a video of Adolf Hitler giving a speech in the German parliament in the 1930s. If you have and you have managed to get through it to the end, you won’t have failed to see him spend some time furiously denouncing Jews.

In the Nazi narrative, Jews were the race that was to blame for Germany’s problems and for most of the world’s problems.

This is, of course, a ridiculous thing for the Nazis to have claimed, but claim it they did. And then their well-oiled propaganda machine got to work trying, with a lot of success, to persuade people that it was true.

For Hitler and others to try to convince people that Jews were the ones to blame, they did several things:

First, they ignored all the good things Jews did.

Second, they pointed to the bad things Jews did. (Obviously, Jews, like other racial groups, had their fair share of blame for Germany’s and the world’s problems.)

Third, they added to the list of bad things with lies.

And fourth, they massively downplayed the bad things that non-Jews did.

The result of all this was a picture of a race of evil people that was to blame for Germany’s and most of the world’s problems.

The modern attempt to pin the blame on white people also does all four of these things. It ignores the good things white people do and have done. It focuses on the bad things white people do and have done. It adds to that list with lies. And it massively downplays the bad things non-white people do and have done.

Where this propaganda is successful, the result is hatred for white people, which at times leads even to violence and murder.

It may well be true that at the present time only a small minority of people who buy into this ideology go as far as actually wishing that white people didn’t exist. But this could easily change.

Let’s not forget that at the beginning of the Nazi movement of the last century, relatively few Nazis wanted to go as far as killing Jews. At that time most of them would have been content for Jews simply to be forced out of Germany.

But later, as the propaganda did its work, more and more Nazis were no longer content with just expelling Jews. They wanted them dead. And the same growth of hatred could well happen in the future in connection with the anti-white ideology that exists today.

I am not saying that white people will ever be in as much danger overall as Jews were last century. In most places we have much more safety in numbers. But hatred for white people does have the potential to increase a lot, and so does the number of racially motivated murders.

White people who buy into this ideology

It isn’t just non-white people who help to push this ideology. More than a few white people do so too.

I am not saying that these people are deliberately trying to whip up hatred against their own race. But unwittingly they are helping to do this.

There are many white people, myself included, who look at some of the evil things that members of our race have done in history and are appalled. In and of itself, there is obviously nothing wrong with this. To call evil by its name and hate it is a good thing to do.

However, for some it doesn’t stop at just hating evil. There are many who go further in problematic ways.

Firstly, there are those white people who actually seem to accept some personal guilt for sins their ancestors committed.

However, Ezekiel 18:19-20 is clear that people are not guilty of sins committed by their ancestors. In this passage God says:

‘Yet you say, “Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?” When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.’ (ESV)

So it is a mistake to see ourselves as guilty of sins that our ancestors committed.

Secondly, many of the white people who are fixated on past sins by members of their own race seem to have the idea that white people have historically been worse than other racial groups.

This is complete nonsense. When history as a whole is taken into account, the truth is where we would expect to find it, that white people have on balance been no better or worse than other racial groups. I would suggest that anyone who reaches any other conclusion cannot remotely be trying to be fair with the data.

The United Nations declaration

The influence of the ideology I am opposing in this article has been considerable.

On 25 March 2026 the United Nations voted to recognise the transatlantic slave trade (t.s.t.) as the gravest crime against humanity in human history.

I think this is an astonishing thing to claim. Of course, the t.s.t. was clearly a major act of great evil that affected millions of people. But there have been hundreds of other similar evil acts in human history.

Why, for example, was the t.s.t. worse than the Nazi holocaust that killed and displaced more people? Why was it worse than the Arab slave trade in black Africans that lasted for more than half a century after the t.s.t. came to an end? Why was it worse than the horrors of the Japanese empire of the last century or the Mongol invasions of Europe or the Aztec practice of breeding captive tribes of people to sacrifice to their gods? And so on, and so on.

It is true that part of the reason for the U.N. vote had to do with the attempt by some countries to get money from European and North American countries as ‘reparations’. But I am sure that in part it was also influenced by the ideology that seeks to pin the blame for things on white people. After all, this is an increasingly fashionable thing to do.

Christians must oppose all racism

As Christians, we need to take our stand against all racism, whether it is against white people or black people or brown people or whoever.

The idea that there is one racial group that is especially to blame for the world’s problems is an evil notion that serves to divide people and encourage hatred, quite apart from the fact that it is utter nonsense.

Let us all, then, have nothing to do with this destructive ideology.

 

See also:

A Christian Perspective on Racism

Most People in Western Countries Completely Misunderstand What Human Beings Are

‘Human Rights’: A Big Idol among Christians Today

The Arrogance and Hypocrisy of Western Society

Is It OK for Christians to Celebrate Christmas?

As we come towards the end of each year, most Christians start making preparations to celebrate Christmas. The vast majority of believers just celebrate this festival without thinking twice about it.

There are, however, some Christians who refuse to celebrate Christmas. They claim that doing this is against the will of God, and they give a number of arguments to try to make their case.

I am someone who sides with the majority in believing that there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas. In what follows, I will give some objections that are sometimes made to doing this, along with my responses.

When I have done that, I will then say a few words about some problems that are often connected with how Christmas is celebrated.

Objection:

The word ‘Christmas’ derives from the words ‘Christ’ and ‘mass’. ‘Mass’ here refers to the Roman Catholic rite that wrongly claims that the bread and wine eaten at the Lord’s Supper literally become the body and blood of Christ. So in times gone by ‘Christmas’ referred to an occasion when the problematic Catholic rite of mass was performed.

The bad origins of what this word referred to show that it is wrong for Christians to celebrate Christmas today.

Response:

It is true that the word ‘Christmas’ used to mean this. And it is also true that there are serious problems with the Roman Catholic rite of mass.

Importantly, however, the meanings of words often evolve away from their root meanings. What is important is what words mean today, not what they used to mean.

There are actually some striking biblical examples of where words that once referred to something evil are used to refer to something else.

For example, in Revelation 20:13 John uses the Greek word ‘hades’ to refer to the realm of the dead. However, at an earlier time (and actually also sometimes still in the first century AD) this Greek word was used to refer to Hades, the pagan god of the underworld, i.e., a false god of a false religion.

Clearly, John had no problem with using this word, despite its history. At the time when John wrote Revelation, this word could be used to refer to the realm of the dead, and that was good enough for him. And it was obviously also good enough for the Holy Spirit who inspired his words.

In the same way, the fact that the word ‘Christmas’ used to refer to mass is irrelevant. Today, when people refer to ‘Christmas’, they are not using this word to refer to mass, and that is what counts.

Objection:

In ancient times the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which involved worship of the false god Saturn, was celebrated on 25 December. Then Christians, influenced by Saturnalia, started celebrating Christmas on that date.

There is therefore a connection between Christmas and the demonically inspired Saturnalia. So Christians should steer clear of Christmas.

Response:

First, although Saturnalia was celebrated in mid-late December, it seems mostly not to have been celebrated specifically on 25 December.

Second, it is actually debated whether Christians started celebrating Christmas on 25 December because they were influenced by the timing of Saturnalia.

Third, even if Christians were influenced by the timing of Saturnalia, the choice of date for celebrating Christmas could have been intended to rival Saturnalia rather than because Christians were compromising on their values.

Fourth, even if some Christians did compromise on their values at that time, it is what people understand Christmas to mean today that counts. And today Christmas has nothing whatsoever to do with Saturnalia.

Objection:

The Bible knows nothing of celebrating Christmas. In the absence of any biblical instruction to do this, it is a mistake.

Response:

First, Christians who celebrate Christmas are, above all else, celebrating the coming of Jesus to earth, and the Bible obviously does celebrate this.

Second, as far as celebrating Jesus’ coming to earth on a certain day of the year is concerned, this objection, to a certain extent, misunderstands the nature of the Bible.

The Bible was never designed to give us a complete list of things to avoid or not avoid. Life is too complex with too many variations. If Scripture had been intended to do this, it would need to be many, many times longer than it is, and it would be unusable.

As far as Christian living is concerned, the Bible gives us principles that we need to build into a healthy, God-honouring way to live our lives. So the fact that Scripture gives no specific instruction to take a day of the year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ is beside the point.

Third, a verse that is relevant for this topic is Romans 14:5, where Paul writes:

‘One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.’ (ESV)

It is true that here Paul is referring first and foremost to days of the seven-day week. But we can certainly expand what he says to include days that occur just once a year. And Paul clearly thinks that whether or not to treat a day as special is down to an individual Christian’s conscience.

Objection:

The practice of bringing trees inside the home stems from pagan customs that celebrated evergreen trees in some superstitious way.

Therefore, Christians should keep away from this aspect of Christmas, because of its pagan roots.

Response:

Again, it is what things symbolise today that counts, and today Christmas trees are typically just ornamental with no deeper meaning.

Problems connected with how Christmas is often celebrated

None of the arguments that I have listed leads us to think that it is wrong for Christians to celebrate Christmas.

That said, there are certainly some highly relevant moral issues to do with the way that Christmas is celebrated in Western countries.

For a start, the way that Christmas is commercialised is nothing short of horrendous. Many people, in effect, use remembering Jesus’ coming to earth in self-sacrifice as a means of making as much money for themselves as they can. There is a real irony in this.

One thing I personally hate is when anything to do with Christmas appears in the shops before December. Sadly, however, this often happens several months before December. And the motive is all about making money. It really is bad.

Christmas is also used by many as an excuse for immoral behaviour. Workplace Christmas parties, for example, often lead to drunkenness and sexual immorality. And at Christmas time many people allow their greed for food to go unchecked. There is no doubt that these are things that deeply grieve the Lord.

Another thing I think is problematic is the whole idea of Santa. It doesn’t seem right for parents to lie to their children to make them think that some supernatural figure has travelled through the air to give them presents.

It is absolutely right that parents should want their kids to have a great time at Christmas. But there are many ways to do this that don’t involve creating a deceptive story in which a character behaves supernaturally without any reference to God.

Doing it right

Celebrating Christmas is all well and good. It’s not compulsory for Christians to do this, but it’s not wrong either.

But for those of us who do celebrate it, we need to remember that it is mainly about how God humbled Himself to become Man for our sake.

It isn’t wrong to meet up with family and friends, give and receive presents, eat plenty of good food, take some time to rest, etc., etc. But at its heart, Christmas is a story of the ultimate gift of Jesus Christ Himself.

 

See also:

Christians Need to Put Everything to the Test

The Bible, God’s Voice and Useful Information

Should Christians Treat One Day of the Week as a Special Day?

Nothing Is Sinful Because It Is Pleasurable

Is America Really the Greatest Country on Earth?

I keep hearing American Christians confidently and proudly declaring that the United States is the greatest country on earth.

I find this troubling, not just because I believe it is incorrect, but because I think that many of those who say this have set up their country as an idol. And idolatry is a grave sin.

I am not American

Before I go any further, I should say that I am not an American myself. I think some Americans will therefore probably be offended by me giving my opinion here.

Nevertheless, I believe I am justified in doing so. If some American Christians are guilty of idolatry in this area, as I suspect they are, then if I can help to counteract this, I will be doing them good. I am only trying to make constructive criticism that builds people up. I am not trying to push anyone down.

Besides, it is my sincere belief that my own country, the United Kingdom, is even worse than the U.S. So I am in no way writing from some imagined position of superiority. And if American Christians want to write criticizing the U.K., then as long as the criticism is fair – which it isn’t difficult to believe it would be – then I would be the first to say “Amen.”

When the late British queen was still alive, I actually wrote an article encouraging British Christians not to idolize her, so I have a track record of criticizing my own country in this sort of way anyway. I haven’t written an article specifically directed towards British Christians who think that the U.K. today is a great country, for the simple reason that I have hardly ever heard any British Christian say that.

What counts as a great country in God’s sight?

When considering this topic, we first need to think through what we mean by the greatness of a country.

As Christians we obviously want to have the perspective that God would have on this issue, what Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 2:16 as “the mind of Christ.” So we are really asking what God sees as greatness in a country.

A good place to start is Luke 16:15, where Jesus says in no uncertain terms:

“For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.”

The things that the world admires and is impressed by are usually things that are totally unimpressive to God. And this surely applies when considering whether countries are great or not.

So, for example, the U.S. is the wealthiest country on earth. But we know from Scripture that wealth doesn’t impress God at all.

For instance, in Revelation 3:14-22 we read how the risen Jesus sharply rebukes the church in Laodicea. Materially this church was well off. But Jesus describes it as “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (v. 17) because of its sins. And if God ignores wealth when forming a judgment on how impressive a church is, it makes sense to think that He would do the same when forming a judgment on how impressive a country is.

So the wealth of the U.S. certainly doesn’t mean that it is the greatest country on earth. Nor does its power. Here 1 Corinthians 1:27 is relevant, where Paul says that “God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” It is true that these words are about individual people, but the words tell us about God’s perspective, and it makes sense to think that they would apply to countries too. God is unimpressed by power.

Instead of thinking along the lines of wealth, power, opportunity or anything like that, I would suggest that the issue of how great a country is boils down to one simple thing. Surely in God’s sight the greatest country on earth is the one that pleases Him the most. Surely it is the country where the laws are most pleasing to Him and where the people act most in line with His will. The whole Bible from cover to cover would lead us to think this, wouldn’t it?

Is America the most pleasing country to God?

So our question about whether America is the greatest country on earth is really about whether America pleases God more than all other countries on earth.

I don’t pretend to have special access to God’s mind on this point. But even so, I find it impossible to believe that the U.S. is the country that pleases Him the most. Some of the evils that are tolerated and practiced in America are truly horrifying.

Let’s start with abortion. This is a monstrous evil that has claimed the lives of millions of unborn babies over the last half century or so in the U.S. It is true that Roe v. Wade has finally been overturned, but this is unlikely to reduce overall abortion rates more than a little for the country as a whole. And widespread abortion is not something that has been forced on an unwilling population by the American government. It is what most U.S. citizens want.

Of course, there are countries where abortion laws are even more relaxed than in the U.S. and where even more of this kind of evil occurs. But there are also more than a few countries where abortion is much more tightly controlled. In some parts of the world, the value of unborn children is set much higher than in America.

I would suggest that this issue on its own clearly disqualifies the U.S. from being the greatest country on earth.

But let’s think about another issue too, so-called “gay marriage.” Arrogant Western countries, including the U.S., have dared to try to alter God’s created order for marriage by claiming that it is possible for two men or two women to get married. Like abortion, this is not something that has been foisted on the people against their will by the government. It is what most American citizens want, and it is a massive insult to God.

It is important to understand that there are many countries where people wouldn’t dream of trying to change marriage in this way. In many parts of the world, the vast majority of the population rightly sees “gay marriage” as unnatural and an affront to God.

I really don’t think I need to provide any more evidence to make my case. How can American Christians possibly claim that their country is the greatest on earth? Do they think God overlooks the unborn babies being cut to pieces every day? Do they think He overlooks being insulted when the husband-wife relationship that mirrors the holy relationship between Christ and the church is discarded in order to promote perversion? Do they think the fact that many other countries displease Him far less in these areas is a trivial matter?

Regardless of how great America may or may not have been in the past, at the present time it is surely not the greatest country on earth.

God is not mocked

In Galatians 6:7 Paul tells his readers:

“God is not mocked.”

Of course this isn’t to be taken literally, as if people don’t actually mock God. God is mocked all the time, whether explicitly or whether implicitly in things like abortion and “gay marriage.”

What these words mean is that no one mocks God and gets away with it without repentance. Either they will repent and find forgiveness for their mockery, or they will be punished for it.

I would encourage American Christians who think that their country is the greatest on earth to ponder these words.

For my own part as a British Christian, I would never even contemplate saying that the U.K. is the greatest country on earth or anything remotely close to that. It is an evil place that is piling up its sins against almighty God, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it is down near the bottom of the list in His sight.

Which are the greatest countries?

So if America isn’t the greatest country on earth, which one is? I am not at all confident about the answer to this question. But if I had to guess, I would say that the best countries today are probably some of those in sub-Saharan Africa that have a lot of Christians.

The worldview in these countries tends to be much more grounded than in the West. There is more of a humility before God, an understanding that human beings are creatures under His mighty hand, who have obligations to fit in with His created order.

To be fair, even the best countries are full of sinful people committing sins. So perhaps we should refer to the least bad countries rather than the greatest ones. But I would guess that some of these African ones are top of the list.

 

See also:

The Will of the People: A Big Idol among Christians Today

“Human Rights”: A Big Idol among Christians Today

Most People in Western Countries Completely Misunderstand What Human Beings Are

A Plea to British Christians Not to Idolise the Queen

Using the Bible as a Filter

In 2 Timothy 3:16 the apostle Paul says something about the purpose of the Bible: 

‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correction, for training in uprightness.’ 

Actually, to be precise, when Paul wrote this he was referring to what we know as the Old Testament. But what he says applies just as much to the New Testament too. 

The Bible as a filter 

One good way of thinking about the Bible is as a filter. 

As we live our lives, we are constantly bombarded by ideas of all sorts. There are ideas that are common in the cultures we live in. And, as Christians, there are ideas that are held by the Christian circles we are part of. 

If we imagine all these ideas coming down a big pipe towards us, the Bible can be pictured as a filter that allows some ideas through and keeps others out. 

Importantly, however, we need to be proactive in letting Scripture work in this way. The Bible’s work of filtration doesn’t just happen automatically. Instead, we will often need to weigh things up, to spend some time thinking about whether various ideas fit with biblical teaching. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Paul tells his readers: 

‘Test everything; hold on to what is good.’ 

Using the Bible as a filter really just means doing what Paul instructs in this verse. It means to make it a habit to think about the values of things in the light of Scripture and to reject anything that doesn’t pass the test. 

Using the values of mainstream Western culture as a filter 

Sadly, there are many professing Christians who get things the wrong way round. Instead of using the Bible as a filter, they use something else to filter out parts of biblical teaching. 

To begin with, there are those who use the values of mainstream Western culture as a filter. 

For example, the Bible has a lot to say about sexual issues and the roles of men and women. And what it teaches on these topics often sharply contradicts mainstream views in modern Western culture. 

Instead of using the Bible as a filter to block out harmful ideas in areas like these, there are many who block out biblical teaching when it doesn’t fit with Western values. 

However, one of the main reasons God has given us the Bible is so that the biases and mistakes of cultural ideas can be filtered out. In moral issues, every culture gets some things right and some things wrong in God’s sight. Scripture is essential for determining whether various ideas are in line with His will. 

Many professing Christians today think they know better than the Bible, whereas in reality they have been deceived. 

Using denominational beliefs as a filter 

There are also many who go wrong by using denominational traditions to filter out biblical teaching. 

No two denominations of the church agree on everything as regards Christian doctrine and practice. I would suggest that anyone who thinks there is a denomination that has got it all right is being very naive. Instead, each denomination has strengths and weaknesses when compared to others. 

That is not to say that overall no denomination is better than any other. Some are much more in line with the will of God than others are. But the idea that any denomination avoids all mistakes is very unrealistic. 

There are, sadly, many Christians who never stop to question the beliefs of their denomination. Instead of using the Bible as a filter to hold denominational ideas up to scrutiny, they do the opposite. Parts of Scripture that contradict, or at least fit awkwardly with, the views of a certain denomination are often just brushed aside. 

Again, one of the main reasons God has given us Scripture is so that mistakes in Christian doctrine or practice can be corrected. If we refuse to allow the ideas of the denominations we are part of to be challenged by carefully examining them in the light of biblical teaching, we are not using the Bible as we should. 

Avoiding idolatry 

Whenever we use something else to filter out biblical teaching, we are guilty of idolatry. We have set up a man-made system of deciding what to accept and reject that is vastly inferior to the one God has provided. At best this will cause problems, at worst it will lead to disaster. 

Instead, what we need to do is humbly accept the filter that God has provided, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. And we need to actively use this filter by constantly weighing things up. 

 

See also: 

Christians Need to Put Everything to the Test 

Beware of Slipping Away from Believing in the Bible 

Beware of Becoming Attached to Church Traditions 

Fighting Temptations to Believe What We Want to Believe

How Dangerous Is Harry Potter?

Over the last 30 years or so Harry Potter has been a real phenomenon. Vast numbers of people around the world have read or watched the books and films, which feature the title character and his friends. Millions are gripped, especially children. 

Although most people in the Western world are very positive about Harry Potter, not everyone agrees. There has been widespread opposition from many Christians. 

The reason why so many Christians complain is that Harry and his friends use witchcraft. Nor is this just a sideline of what they do. Using witchcraft is right at the heart of what these characters do and who they are. This is enough for many believers to reject these films and books outright. 

There are more than a few Christians, however, who are ready to stand up for Harry Potter. They argue that we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the story of Harry and his friends is set in a fantasy world, not our real world. And they argue too that the witchcraft in this fantasy world isn’t the same as witchcraft in the real world. This means, so the argument goes, that the books and films are not leading children to actually start practising witchcraft. It is also said that Harry Potter encourages virtues such as loyalty and kindness. 

So what are we to make of all this? What should the Christian attitude to Harry Potter be? Is it an abomination? Or is it actually a positive thing? Or does it simply have some big pros and cons? 

I believe that these books and films are near the abomination end of the scale. I am sure they cause a lot more harm than good, and in what follows I will give reasons why I believe this. 

WITCHCRAFT IN OUR ACTUAL WORLD 

Before turning to look specifically at Harry Potter, I need to say something about witchcraft in our actual world. 

Every Christian needs to understand very clearly that witchcraft is a real thing. There really are witches who really do use witchcraft. Genuine witchcraft uses the ability of evil spirits to perform various supernatural acts. This is the real source of power behind it, even if the people involved are often unaware of this. 

Sometimes the terms ‘sorcery’ and ‘magic’ are used to refer to witchcraft. Defining things can be complicated by the fact that some people use ‘witchcraft’, ‘magic’ and ‘sorcery’ interchangeably, while others use the words to mean different things. 

For our purposes in this article, when I refer to ‘witchcraft’ I will be using the word broadly to include any evil, demonically empowered act that might be referred to by ‘sorcery’ or ‘magic’ as well. 

Biblical passages that condemn witchcraft 

Given that witchcraft uses demonic powers, it is no surprise that the Bible roundly condemns it. The following are some important passages: 

In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 instructions are given to the Israelites: 

‘10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD.’ 

(Scripture readings in this article are from the English Standard Version.) 

Nothing in later biblical revelation suggests that the principles in these verses in Deuteronomy no longer apply today. 

In Acts 19:18-19 Luke tells us what some Christian converts in Ephesus did: 

‘18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all.’ 

Luke clearly portrays this burning of books on magic/witchcraft as a good thing. 

In Galatians 5:19-20 Paul tells the Galatian churches: 

‘19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’ 

Paul is explicit here that those who practise sorcery/witchcraft will not inherit the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God in this verse refers to final, eternal salvation. In other words, Paul is saying that those who unrepentantly practise witchcraft are on track for hell. 

In Revelation 21:8 God gives a stark warning: 

‘But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’ 

Again, this is very clear that those who unrepentantly practise sorcery/witchcraft are on track for hell. 

There are other biblical passages too that condemn witchcraft, but even the few that I have quoted should leave us in no doubt that witchcraft is a grave evil and God hates it. 

Attitudes to witchcraft in mainstream Western culture 

Mainstream Western culture distinguishes between so-called black magic or black witchcraft on the one hand, and so-called white magic or white witchcraft on the other. The black forms are designed to harm people in various ways, whereas the white forms are not designed to cause harm. 

Mainstream Westerners are usually not opposed to white witchcraft. Many don’t believe that there is any real power in witchcraft, and those who take this view don’t tend to be against what they see as harmless make-believe. Many others do accept that there is real power in witchcraft, but they are not opposed to white witchcraft, since it doesn’t aim to harm people. 

Comparing mainstream Western and Christian attitudes 

It is difficult to overstate the difference between a mainstream Western worldview and a Christian worldview. In reality, if not always in theory, the mainstream Western worldview sees human beings, and not God, as the centre of things. So if something doesn’t harm a human being, it is usually seen as acceptable. 

Sadly, many Christians have been very influenced by this outlook. However, whether something harms people or not is not the key issue. The key thing is whether it offends God. And there are many things that offend God without causing direct harm to people. 

Witchcraft in all its forms offends God, for two reasons: 

First, when a person practises witchcraft, they are stepping outside the place of human beings in the created order. All witchcraft involves engaging in supernatural activity without reference to God. But humans are simply not designed to do this. This is not part of our mandate. 

Second, as I have already noted, all witchcraft involves using demonic power, whether people are aware of this or not. And obviously God doesn’t want people to use evil power. It is worth noting too that most people who practise witchcraft end up with demonic problems as a result. 

It is essential, then, for Christians to understand that all witchcraft in our real world is evil and dangerous. It may be true that black witchcraft is even worse than white witchcraft, but even the white variety is thoroughly evil in God’s sight. 

WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OF HARRY POTTER? 

Let’s turn now to think specifically about Harry Potter. There are several reasons to believe that this series of books and films is harmful, especially to children. 

Desensitisation to the fact that witchcraft is evil 

First, we should be in no doubt that the Harry Potter books and films serve to desensitise many people, especially children, to the fact that witchcraft in the real world is evil. 

Everyone should shudder when they hear the word ‘witchcraft’, and children should be encouraged to be repulsed by this practice. Every child should be taught that witchcraft is a real thing and that it is always evil. However, having a work of fiction in which the heroes are children who use witchcraft can only hinder children understanding this. 

There are some Christians who make a big deal of the fact that the witchcraft in the Harry Potter fantasy world and the witchcraft in the real world are not the same. However, it is still the case that in the storyline of the series Harry and his friends explicitly use witchcraft of a sort. This can only work against children being repulsed by the witchcraft that exists in our real world. 

An increase in the practice of witchcraft 

Second, in reading up on this topic I found anecdotal evidence that Harry Potter is helping to fuel an increase in the number of people who practise witchcraft. 

Apparently, in bookshops it is not uncommon for Harry Potter books to be found on the shelf next to books on real witchcraft. It seems too that the practice of witchcraft is on the rise in Western countries, and witches themselves seem to agree that Harry Potter has contributed to this. 

Nothing about this should surprise us. Huge numbers of children adore the Harry Potter books and films and the witchcraft in that fantasy world. For some of these children, when they discover that there is such a thing as witchcraft in our real world, they want to get involved. 

Similarities between witchcraft in the real and fantasy worlds 

Third, the differences between witchcraft in the real world and witchcraft in Harry Potter are not great enough to say that the former is evil and the latter is acceptable. 

In the real world, witchcraft is wrong because it involves operating in the supernatural realm without reference to God. But the same is true of the witchcraft in the Harry Potter fantasy world. 

Other fantasy stories 

Fourth, appealing to other fantasy stories in support of Harry Potter is very unconvincing. 

One argument that is used by some Christians who are in favour of these books and films goes in this way: 

Fairy tales are harmless stories, but they often have magical elements. Furthermore, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis were Christian authors, whose works are helpful in portraying biblical truth, and their heroes sometimes use magical powers. It is inconsistent to approve of fairy tales, Tolkien’s The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, and Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia stories, and also to disapprove of Harry Potter. 

In response to this, there are a number of points to make: 

(1) It is true that we should always be as consistent as possible. However, this should be done by disapproving of bad things in fairy tales, Tolkien and Lewis and not by approving of bad things in Harry Potter. 

(2) I think many magical elements in fairy tales are problematic and harmful. In any case, Harry Potter seems a lot worse than fairy tales generally. In the Harry Potter books and films the big thing that the main characters are known for is using witchcraft. This goes beyond what is typically found in fairy tales. 

(3) I think Tolkien is very overrated in terms of his positive influence on the Christian faith. I would challenge the idea that his works have helped to promote gospel truth. What is more, some pagan religious groups today appeal to ideas that are found in Tolkien. 

(4) I think Lewis is also overrated to an extent. It is true that a lot of what he taught is good, and he had some extremely helpful insights. Nevertheless, he also had some seriously wrong ideas too. 

Besides, Lewis seems to have had a very different attitude to witchcraft from what we find in Harry Potter. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the witch is an evil character, and I am not aware of any witch in The Chronicles of Narnia stories that is portrayed as a good character. There is nothing wrong with having witches in children’s fiction, as long as they are portrayed as evil. 

Summing up 

There are good reasons, then, for thinking that Harry Potter is harmful, especially to children: 

These books and films desensitise people, especially children, to the evil of witchcraft in the real world. 

They are helping to fuel an increase in the practice of witchcraft. 

The differences between real and Harry Potter-style witchcraft are not great enough to say that one is evil and the other is acceptable. 

It is unwarranted to appeal to other fantasy writers as a way to support Harry Potter. 

An analogy 

Let me give an analogy to help me try to make my point. 

Suppose there is a children’s story set in a fantasy world where the main characters are children, but instead of using witchcraft, they spend their time explicitly taking class A drugs. This is the main thing they do. And suppose too that these drugs are not precisely identical to class A drugs that exist in our real word, but that they are very similar to drugs such as fentanyl, heroin and crack cocaine. 

Let’s imagine also that the story doesn’t teach that it is wrong for these children to behave in this way. And finally, let’s suppose that this story is extremely popular among children and that some adults want it to be read in schools. 

Imagine the outrage from parents! People would be horrified! And rightly so. 

Why would they be appalled? Simply because taking class A drugs is a very bad thing to do. So to have a children’s story where the main characters do this sets an appalling example to children. 

If someone were to try to defend this story by saying that it is set in a fantasy world and not the real world, and that in this fantasy world taking class A drugs is acceptable, they would be told in no uncertain terms that that was a hopelessly weak excuse. Or if someone were to claim that the drugs in the fantasy world are not identical to drugs in our real world, so no harm is done, they also would be told where to go. 

I believe that Harry Potter is very similar to this scenario. Harry and his friends don’t take class A drugs. But they do something just as bad, namely, use supernatural powers without reference to God, i.e., witchcraft. 

I am sure that many Christians who are reading this will think that my analogy is a poor one. They will think that in a fantasy world, as in the real world, taking class A drugs has to be much worse than so-called white witchcraft. 

I would suggest that the reason why so many Christians don’t feel the same about witchcraft as they do about taking class A drugs is because, unknowingly, they have been massively influenced by the values of modern Western culture. I come back to the point I made at the beginning of the article. In mainstream Western culture today there is little or no place for God. So if an activity involves causing unnecessary harm to a human being, it is seen as wrong, but if it doesn’t involve doing this to a human being, it is usually seen as acceptable. 

However, the whole starting point of this worldview is mistaken. Instead of asking whether an activity causes pain to humans, we should start by asking whether it causes pain to God. And there are many things that pain God without causing direct pain to human beings. 

Huge numbers of Christians today have a very faulty worldview, because they have been very influenced by secular Western thinking. Many have simply not grasped that God hates many things that don’t cause direct pain to humans, including witchcraft. So they haven’t understood that it is extremely inappropriate to have a children’s fantasy story in which the main characters do something similar to witchcraft in the real world. 

PRACTICAL STEPS 

What practical steps, then, should Christians take in response to Harry Potter? 

Avoid the books and films 

First, I think that as a general rule it is best even for adults to avoid these books and films. 

Each Christian would need to follow their own conscience in this matter. However, I would be surprised if it was God’s will for believers to spend their leisure time being exposed to such an evil subject matter. Watching pornography, for example, is wrong, so why would we think that watching or reading about witchcraft, even fantasy witchcraft, is any better? 

Parenting 

Second, Christian parents need to take great care to protect their children from harmful influences from these books and films. 

I think normally this will mean keeping children, especially young ones, away from Harry Potter. I appreciate how difficult this must be for parents today, especially when there is so much peer pressure on children to follow the crowd, and also when these books are often read in schools. 

Perhaps it may sometimes be God’s will for Christian parents to allow their children to be exposed to some of the books and films while at the same time warning them of the evils of witchcraft. But I would at least question that. The subject matter is just so awful. 

Book-burning 

Finally, there is the issue of book-burning to consider. 

In the last three decades various Christian groups have got into the news because they have publicly burned Harry Potter books. 

I don’t think burning these books is an overreaction. Public burning of magic books is exactly what we find approved of in Acts 19:19. 

It is true that the books referred to in this verse had to do with magic/witchcraft in our real world, not the witchcraft of a fantasy world. Nevertheless, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between burning books on real witchcraft and burning ones on fantasy witchcraft. 

A decision to publicly burn books shouldn’t be taken lightly, however. There may well be times when, for one reason or another, God might not want Harry Potter books to be burned in public. So Christians who are considering this would need to take the matter to the Lord in prayer. 

 

See also: 

Learning to Discern the Attacks of Evil Spirits 

The Importance of Ministering to People Afflicted by Demons 

Christians Need to Put Everything to the Test

Most People in Western Countries Completely Misunderstand What Human Beings Are