As Harry Potter mania reaches fever pitch this week the Church of England is hoping to harness the frenzy to promote the Christian faith.

To coincide with the publication of J K Rowling’s final book about the boy wizard on Saturday, the Church of England is publishing a guide showing how to evangelise using the stories from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Evangelicals have been critical of the Harry Potter books and films on the ground that they glamourize the occult and attract children to the idea of witchcraft. Sensitivity to this issue led Canterbury Cathedral to reject a request to become a location for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. But in recent years, the Harry Potter phenomenon has received backing from church figures, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr George Carey, who described the film as “great fun” and a serious examination of good and evil.

Designed for use by youth groups, the guide, ‘Mixing it up with Harry Potter, 12 Sessions on Faith for 9-13s’ is written by 24-year old youth worker Owen Smith, who has also written one based on the Simpsons cartoon series. Scenes from the books are used to illustrate how Christian children may be called to stand out, like Harry, from their peers.

The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, today described Harry Potter author JK Rowling as a “great storyteller”. “Although the fictional world of Harry Potter is very different from our own,” he said, “Harry and his friends face struggles and dilemmas that are familiar to us all. Jesus used storytelling to engage and challenge his listeners." The Bishop said the Harry Potter books made young people think about the choices they make and their place in the world.