Ralph C. Wood
Westminster John Knox,
184 pp., $14.95
Hobbit fever has spiked to new heights, and a spate of recent books seeks to tie Tolkien's writing more firmly to Christian thought. Among them is Ralph C. Wood's "theological meditation" on The Lord of the Rings, in which he traces the way the trilogy discloses Christian faith.
Wood, a professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, argues that Tolkien's work is "all the more deeply Christian for not being overtly Christian." In scholarly yet accessible prose, Wood examines its subtle faith themes—creation, the Fall, evil and moral courage, love, hope, and the promise of life after death.
He also looks at criticisms of Tolkien's series, such as male chauvinism, a rural world irrelevant to modern urban life, and the lack of formal religion in the story. Wood argues that Tolkien captures the transcendent, even divine, quality of real love through his portrayals of forgiveness—key to our own transformation.
Cindy Crosby is a frequent contributor to Publishers Weekly.
The Gospel According to Tolkien is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.Ralph Wood wrote for Books & Culture Corner on the Two Towers movie.
Books & Culture also asked if Tolkien should be considered the foremost author of the twentieth century.
He also wrote for Christian History about good and evil in Middle Earth. Other articles in that issue, wholly devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien, include:
Film Forum: Gandalf and the Gamblers | As everyone talks about The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, critics also get around to reviewing Ocean's Eleven, In the Bedroom, and The Business of Strangers. (Dec. 13, 2001)
Lord of the Megaplex | The onscreen Fellowship of the Ring launches a new wave of Tolkienmania (Nov. 11, 2001)
Christianity Today presented last year a three-part online conversation between two authors whose books discuss the faith of J.R.R. Tolkien and the religious values underpinning The Lord of the Rings. The installments included:
Why The Lord of the Rings Is Dangerous | The authors of Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues and J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth talk about the Christian life in Faerie. (December 18, 2002)
Does The Lord of the Rings Teach Salvation By Works? | The authors of Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues and J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth talk about whether Tolkien was too ignorant of evil and other subjects. (December 19, 2002)
Hobbits Aren't Fence-Sitters | The authors of Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues and J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth discuss why Tolkien hated modernity and thinking about evil—and whether he was right to do so. (December 20, 2002)
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