Finding God in the Lord of the Rings

Rating:
Summary: a simple and memorable read
Review: I am a young fan of the Lord of the Rings and took a great interest in both the books and the movies in the last two or three years. I found some comparisons between the characters and Christ, yet I couldn't fully grasp the Christianity in the story of Middle Earth. This book was incredibly enlightening and easy to read for a younger person like me. I didn't need scholarly and deep writing to understand the beauty of Tolkien's work. This book was thought provoking without becoming difficult to understand. I have now read it several times over, and each time I take a little piece of Tolkien with me to think about. Keep in mind that it deals with the story in the books, not the movies, and only touches on Christian values. The writers do not pair any certain character as Christ, but rather show how they all have Christ-like quality and that is why they triumph. If you are looking for something that is deep, this isn't for you. But if you just want to scratch the surface, it's a well written, easy to understand book, and a must have for Tolkien fans.

Rating:
Summary: Not all who wander are lost...
Review: If you were able to find this book amidst the nine billion other "Lord of the Rings" resources currently in circulation, consider yourself fortunate. "Finding God..." is not just another mindless marketing vehicle capitalizing on the Tolkien-mania currently sweeping the planet. There is real depth and substance to this work - Jim Ware has done an excellent job of exploring the faith that drove the author of the greatest book of the 20th century. It's easy to see why Tolkien's writings have stood the test of time. In addition to crafting an adventure yarn of mythic proportions, the Professor infused LOTR with virtues that never go out of style - virtues like honor, friendship, and self-sacrifice. "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" would be an excellent place to start if you'd like to get inside the head of the man who once wrote: "...the chief purpose of life, for any one of us, is to increase according to our capacity our knowledge of God by all the means we have, and to be moved by it to praise and thanks. To do as we say in the Gloria in Excelsis: ...We praise you, we call you holy, we worship you, we proclaim your glory, we thank you for the greatness of your splendour." Once you know where Tolkien is coming from, the struggle between good and evil recounted in LOTR - set against the majestic backdrop of Middle Earth - takes on a whole new significance.

Rating:
Summary: Skimming the Surface.
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien wrote THE LORD OF THE RINGS because he wanted to write a good story. That's a huge generalization, but it's true. Now, Tolkien said time and again that THE LORD OF THE RINGS was not an allegory of any kind, but he never denied that his beliefs and values played a part in the saga's creation. Tolkien was a devout Christian (Catholic in denomination) and his faith was very real and was the essence of who he was. Therefore, though THE LORD OF THE RINGS is not an allegory, it is full of Christian images and ideals.

FINDING GOD IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS attempts to illuminate some of those Christian values found in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Unfortunately, the book never dives far enough into Tolkien's writing. There are many images, characters, and events that the author's could have examined concerning the Christian faith, but didn't. It's also really short, I read the whole book in about an hour. Therefore, it works best as a devotional for any Tolkien fan. It also works well as an introduction for any parent or other adult concerned about the goodness of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Rating:
Summary: Christian theme? Factual!
Review: To the reader on January 31, 2004 and to all who think like this person: J.R.R. Tolkien himself was a Christian and thus his rendition of the Lord of the Rings was a Christian work. Tolkien may not have written his work as an allegory, but he did write his work with a Christian conscience. I, as well as many others, see in these books many allusions to various themes in the Bible. I have not read this book, but am looking forward to in the future. Tolkien may not have meant his work to bear a Christian theme, but it does.

Rating:
Summary: Light but potentially enlightening
Review: With the installment of the hit movie adaptations of "The Lord of the Rings," there have been dozens of books reprinted or published in an effort to jump in on the cash wagon. "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" has a more unusual purpose, as it seems to be more of a reassurance that the trilogy (books or movies) is in no way objectionable and has good stuff in it.

Bruner and Ware examine various passages in "Lord of the Rings," and then examine Biblical passages and teachings that can be associated (indirectly) with the scenes from Tolkien's work. Themes such as humility, friendship, knowing that good and evil are not packaged obviously, the nature of evil, and so on are explored.

The Lord of the Rings, the foremost and best fantasy work, is not a religious book the way we think of it. However, as Tolkien was a devout Catholic, it would have been nearly impossible for him to not frame the heroes of Middle-Earth in his beliefs. Themes about temptation, redemption, punishment, good and evil, and theology are included in his created universe. However, as I am glad the authors acknowledged, Tolkien disliked parables and would never have made those beliefs blatant. Rather they were elements of morality, and actions that the heroes took.

Several of their chapters are quite nice and even thought-provoking. Some of them, such as "Shutting Out The Night" and "The Last Homely House," get a little sidetracked and start to sound slightly strained. And many of the lessons are pretty basic and bland, skimming the surface but never going into the deeper implications of morality and the impact of religion upon the book. But the writing style is breezy and the authors never get too tangled in their own words and theories. And they never become enmeshed in psychological speculation (either about Tolkien or the characters) or irrelevant New Age stuff.

There are some annoying flaws. For one thing, it is "Elven," not "Elvin." Second, the authors sidestep several faith-related points in the book, due to the fact that they directly reflected Tolkien's Roman Catholic faith. When talking about Christianity's influence on "Lord of the Rings," not talking about Tolkien being a Catholic is like talking about Legolas but neglecting to mention that he is an Elf. There are various other errors, which while they do not undermine the messages in the book, are more than a little distracting.

It's a nice but ultimately lightweight look at "Lord of the Rings" and the moral and religious overtones present in it. If you're new to "Lord of the Rings," then you might want to read this.

Rating:
Summary: Spiritual insights into Tolkien's classic trilogy
Review: Written by Kurt Bruner (a vice-president of Focus on the Family, perhaps best known for its Peabody Award-winning Focus on the Family Radio Theatre programs), and Jim Ware (a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary), this Oasis Audio edition of Finding God In The Lord Of The Rings is an unabridged CD audiobook rendition of spiritual insights into Tolkien's classic The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Respecting J.R.R. Tolkien's own abiding faith and revealing how it threads through the difficult journeys of his cherished yet fallible heroes, Finding God In The Lord Of The Rings is a deeply moving and inspirational experience which is very highly recommended and inspirationally rewarding listening. 3 CDS, 3 hours.