I’ve seen all the movies and only read the first two books. As I mentioned on my Facebook page I would imagine that the book is better than the film. I liked the film and I’ve liked all the films. They are well crafted and as the main three characters have grown up their performances have gotten better. But, as I watched today I wondered if the film is really for kids. I’m sure the book is deep into the dark arts, but some of the imagery in the film would frighten small children. At one point in the film today, he who shall not be named, even shocks Drako who is now sitting at the table of death eaters. Drako is not completely on board with He who shall not be named, yet.
There are other moments when I remembered the parents who brought young children to see the film “Twister”. I wondered how they would deal with severe storms or high winds. Now I wonder how they will deal with shadows, sounds, and dreams that the children may experience. Harry, it seems to me, is a hero in search of an identity. There were times when it seems that Harry is having the same searching experience that Kazantzakis portrayed Jesus having in his book and subsequent film, The Last Temptation of Christ. Harry has this group around him, a core, that believe he is special and holds the key to defeating the Dark Lord, but they don’t know how or when that might happen. Voldemort knows more about his relationship to Harry, but even the powerful Dark Lord does not know how to defeat (kill) Harry.
There is a wonderfully frightening animated story within this film that tells the tale of the Deathly Hallows which is a children’s story. Its lesson(s) will drive the plot of this film and part 2. It seems to me that “The Deathly Hallows” story is the core of the Harry Potter books and the films. The character development, the depiction of another world, and all the magic is quality writing in a world of reality TV and laugh track sitcoms. Thus far, friendship prevails against the Dark Arts and like all good stories some characters reappear briefly to be lost in the conflict between evil and good. Hermione is more powerful that Harry right now. She has the wisdom and power of Dumbledore as well as the humility. You learn new information about Dumbledore in this film.
So, if you are a fan I suggest a matinee and the digital format if you can find it. As I finish up this post I’m thinking that this film reminds me of The Outlaw Josey Wales. Could Rowling be recreating the Western with brooms rather than horse, spells and wands for six shooters?
The Society of Biblical Literature is holding their annual meeting in Atlanta. I count these few days as continuing education as I sit alongside scholars (and PhD hopefuls) and hear papers. Scholars have an interesting way of “polite” fighting as they question thesis, data, and assumptions. A typical session lasts 3 hrs and one might hear 4 or 5 papers with another scholar responding to the papers with critique or praise as well as discussion from the audience.
Some may wonder why a person who serves in youth ministry, children’s ministry, and young adult ministry would attend SBL? (It is better when the American Academy of Religion is meeting too.) There are no new games taught here and no overt spirituality or self-help suggestions in any of the sessions. For me it is simple. I cannot encourage others to be life long learners if I am not doing the same. Did I mention there are no exams? Every session I attend will have some component that can translate into my service in ministry, specifically and generally, and thus it is up to me to do the translation and sifting work to sync what can be applied and just live with the rest. I am grateful to my companion for her presence and invitation to attend this conference with her. Local ministers, ordained and licensed, would benefit from attending either a regional AAR/SBL event or the annual meeting.
Here are the sessions I’ve attended so far. The italics indicates the title of the papers. (BTW: you can come and go from these sessions so I may only list one or two rather than hearing all the papers.)
Bible and American Popular Culture
Rubén Dupertuis, Trinity University, Presiding
Shelly Colette, Mount Allison University
Dancing with the Devil: The Serpent as Eve in Fashion Magazine Advertising
Valarie Ziegler, DePauw University and Linda Schearing, Gonzaga University
The Sexploitation of Adam and Eve
Richard Walsh, Methodist University
(Carrying the Fire on) No Road for Old Horses
Bradley Crowell, Drake University
Constructing Jesus with the Biblezines
Construction of Christian Identities
Theme: The Birth of Christianity: Ideas, Models, Proposals – 1
Michael Allen Daise, College of William and Mary, Presiding
Adriana Destro, University of Bologna and Mauro Pesce, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna: From Jesus Movement to Christianity: A Model for the Interpretation
Ekkehard Stegemann, Theologische Fakultät der Universität Basel
Did Something Go Wrong in the Beginning? Some Reflections on the Emergence of Christianity
Historical Jesus
Theme: Partnership or Polemic: Faith and History
Mark Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Presiding
Darrell L. Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary
Faith and the Historical Jesus: Does A Confessional Position and Respect for the Jesus Tradition Preclude Serious Historical Engagement?
Craig S. Keener, Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University
Methodological Assumptions in Historical Jesus Studies
Robert Webb, McMaster University
The Rules of the Game: History and Historical Method in the Context of Faith
Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt University, Respondent
Robert Miller, Juniata College, Respondent
Academic Teaching and Biblical Studies
Theme: A Workshop on Interactive Technologies for Teaching and Learning
Web 2.0 is the label applied to a raft of new technologies that encourage user-generated content and collaboration. This session will be a workshop exploring how these technologies (wikis, discussion boards, Blackboard/Moodle, Skype, etc.) can be used to facilitate student learning. This workshop will feature hands-on demonstrations of different software, so participants should bring their laptops. Facilitators will lead small group discussions and hands-on training.
Andrew Gilmore, Asbury Theological Seminary, Presiding
Kelley Coblentz Bautch, St. Edward’s University
The Hype about Skype: Using Videoconferencing to Enhance our Teaching
Brooke Lester, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
“To Those Far and Near”: The Case for “Community” at a Distance
David Howell, Ferrum College
Using Technology not to Manage but to Connect Course Teaching and Learning
Adam L. Porter, Illinois College
The Power of Zotero for Student Learning
Nicolai Winther-Nielsen, Copenhagen Lutheran School of Theology
Bereshit Basic Biblical Hebrew (3BH) – Interactive Technology for Language Learning
Blogger and Online Publication
Theme: The Past, Present, and Future of Blogging and Online Publication
Robert R. Cargill, University of California-Los Angeles, Presiding
James Davila, University of St. Andrews-Scotland
What Just Happened: The rise of “biblioblogging” in the first decade of the twenty-first century
Christian Brady, Pennsylvania State University University Park
Online Biblical Studies: Past, Present, Promise, and Peril
Michael Barber, John Paul the Great Catholic University
Weblogs and the Academy: The Benefits and Challenges of Biblioblogging
James McGrath, Butler University
The Blogging Revolution: New Technologies and their Impact on How we do Scholarship
Robert R. Cargill, University of California-Los Angeles
Instruction, Research, and the Future of Online Educational Technologies