Baby Jesus and Harry Potter Make Catchy Double Bill

By: Richard Roeper

Jack Brock is the pastor of the Christ Community Church in Alamogordo, N.M., and he is a genius and an idiot. A genius because we're even talking about him. An idiot because he has no idea what he's talking about.

Until a couple of weeks ago, few people outside Brock's church and immediate community had ever heard of the guy - but that all changed when Brock delivered a sermon titled: "Baby Jesus or Harry Potter?"

Bingo! With the possible exception of Britney and Justin, can there be a more attention-getting pair of names?

In late December, Brock's hometown paper, the Alamogordo Daily News, ran a story about Brock's crusade against the Harry Potter franchise and its putative glorification of the Wicca way of life, and his plans to stage a "holy bonfire", in which copies of J.K. Rowling's books - along with other "unacceptable" works of literature by Tolkien and Shakespeare, "Star Wars" merchandise and the obligatory collection of satanic-themed heavy metal CDs - would be burned while congregation members sang "Amazing Grace".

The story was picked up by the AP's state news wire in New Mexico, and from there it was only a matter of time before the nation and the world learned about Brock's anti-Potter crusade. Stories about the bonfire appeared on the cable news channels; in U.S. newspapers such as the Seattle Times and the Houston Chronicle and USA Today; in Canadian papers such as the Ottawa Citizen and the Toronto Star, and in overseas publications in England, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, and elsewhere. A somber editorial from Scripps Howard suggested that "Perhaps instead of burning books [Brock] might try reading one, say a history of Germany in the 1930's". (And, yeah, now I'm giving Brock additional publicity - which could be interpreted as playing right into his hands. But I'm writing about this because it's interesting.)

When the actual bonfire was held last Sunday night, there were three camps in attendance: Brock and his followers; hundreds of protesters, including a 63-year-old man who had dressed up as Hitler, and, of course, the media.

For a publicity-seeking pastor, that's the trifecta.

According to the AP, Brock called the attention a "blessing" and told his congregation, "There are those that are doing their best to make us look bad. But because of this, I've been able to preach the gospel around the world".

Well, technically, that's not correct. It's not as if MSNBC and AP WorldStream and the Fox News Channel and talk-radio stations have surrendered their pulpit to Brock so he can spread the word. It's more along the lines of, "Check out this fool in New Mexico who thinks kids are turning to witchcraft because of Harry Potter!".

But Brock is right about his story ricocheting around the world. As long as he's not picky about the KIND of attention he's receiving, his mission has to be deemed an overwhelming success. The man could use conventional preaching techniques for 50 years and never receive a scintilla of the attention he garnered by dropping the boy wizard's name into the mix. Call it John Lennonish blasphemy if you will, but the reality is that, in the 21^st century, if you want to draw media attention to Baby Jesus, you need a boost from the like of Harry Potter.

As for the substance of Brock's crusade, of course, there is none. The Harry Potter books are worth their considerable weight in gold as entertainment literature and as ethical guideposts. Rowling's stories soar with flights of fancy and magic, but at their essence these are classic fairy tales of good vs. evil, featuring a good-hearted lad and his equally admirable sidekicks who rely on the advice of paternal mentors. Heroes and villains are clearly identified, and children the world over who read the books find themselves rooting for the good guys to triumph. (Not to mention the fact that all these kids are reading, voluntarily. Hello!)

Then, again, even though Brock called the Harry Potter books "masterpiece[s] of satanic deception", he has never actually read a word of Rowling's, nor has he seen the movie. Why muck up an ignorant point of view by soaking it in experience and knowledge?

Nor can Brock cite even one example of a child turning to witchcraft because of the Potter books (although if some Harry-crazed kid could figure out how to fly on a magic broom, that'd be pretty cool).

But I can understand why the leader of the Christ Community Church would be so afraid of stories about magic. The next thing you know, his followers will be believing crazy stories about a 600-year-old dude who stocks his 450-foot ark with every animal known to man, or a man who performs parlor tricks like turning water into wine and feeding a multitude with a single basket of bread and fish before he's crucified, only to rise from the dead.

Can you imagine?