Christian and a Philip Pullman Fan? No Contradiction, One Author Says
by Kimberly Winston, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 4/12/2006
"My books are about killing God." After such a provocative statement, it is a wonder Philip Pullman, British author of the bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy for young adults (Knopf), hasn't been the subject of more books examining his work from a Christian perspective, at least here in the U.S., where fellow Brit Harry Potter launched a fleet of them.
That may be about to end with this month's publication by InterVarsity Press of Dark Matter: Shedding Light on Philip Pullman's Trilogy 'His Dark Materials' by Tony Watkins. But rather than a screed against Pullman's books—which portray the Church as a corrupt corporation and God as a sick old man whose place has been taken by an evil usurper—Watkins, a British Christian cultural critic, offers what he hopes will be an aid for Christians and non-Christians in understanding Pullman's criticism of organized religion and faith.
"I primarily wrote it for fans of Pullman's work who are not Christians," Watkins told RBL in an e-mail interview from England. "His Dark Materials is full of theological and philosophical themes, and Pullman is vociferous in his opposition to religion and the idea of God. So I think that fans who want to really understand Pullman's writings should understand a Christian perspective on them. I think that also makes it valuable for Christians who want to know how to respond to it. I don't believe that we should be scared of books which say things we disagree with, but that we should enter into constructive dialogue."
The book is organized in three sections. First, a bio of Pullman outlines factors that contributed to this thinking and writing. The second section describes the books in the trilogy, The Golden Compass (1996), The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000), as well as Lyra's Oxford, a companion piece Pullman wrote later. The third section is Watkins' navigation of the themes Pullman develops—the nature of the soul, original sin and the afterlife.
Al Hsu, an associate editor with IVP, said the publisher acquired the rights to Dark Matter from Authentic Media, a British house that published it in 2004. He thinks that satisfying both audiences, Christians and non-Christians, will be a delicate act. "There are some Christians who will think we didn't criticize [Pullman] enough and others who would say how could you criticize him at all," said Hsu. "We hope we have struck a balance in the middle so people can weigh the pros and cons for themselves."
That's what Watkins wants too. A self-described Pullman fan, he said the trilogy serves Christians the best fiction can offer, "the pleasure of a good read."
"I imagine my book will alarm those who don't think Christians should go near a non-Christian book," he continued. "That's a shame. I hope it will reassure others who are unnecessarily afraid of it. And I hope it will give Christian and non-Christian friends plenty to talk about."
