Why Every Christian Should Read Harry Potter and The Golden Compass

With the upcoming release of the Golden Compass movie based on the book by Philip Pullman my email has been flooded with warnings not to see this movie. I have also endured many warnings about Harry Potter and witchcraft. I am ambivalent about these warnings. On the one hand I agree with the people who warn that Pullman's work is anti-God and anti-church (it is) and that Rowling's series has witches and witches are evil (they are). On the other hand I was an English major and a former English teacher and a good book is a good book. It's hard for me to say don't read this book or that book when it is a really great read.
But these books being well crafted is not why I think every Christian should read them. I think every Christian should read them for these reasons:
1. Evangelism. Paul used the Greeks belief in many gods as an opening to share about Christ and the resurrection. Both series give excellent opportunities to talk with others about Christ. I don't mean saying, "God says, 'Harry should be killed!'" but using what the Potter series has to say about the power of love to talk about God's love. Or using what Pullman has to say about the evil of the church to talk about human evil and frailty verses God's goodness.
2. Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. We say this, but it seems at times we don't believe it. The message seems to be that if we or our children read these books (or see these movies) then they will be enticed into denying Christ and becoming Wiccans or atheists. But as Christians we are not called to ignore the arguments and reasonings of people who do not believe as we do, but to give an answer for the hope we have. We do not grow as Christians by avoiding things that challenge our beliefs.
3. If we are condemning magic in one book, we should condemn it in all. If Harry Potter is evil, then so are Gandalf and Aslan. We have not condemned The Lord of the Rings or Narnia because despite their use of wizards and mythical creatures and Greek gods, we recognize Christian themes and overtones in them. The same can be said of the Harry Potter series. Despite the use of witches there are Christian overtones to the book and moral lessons to be learned.
4. Our opinions and beliefs should be formed based on fact not on someone else's opinion or on rumor. I too often see Christians condemning something based on misinformation. If you are going to speak out against something find out for yourself if it is true. Don't just read an email or listen to a speaker and take it for granted what you read or hear is true.