Finding God in the Lord of the Rings

Rating:
Summary: Nearly Disgusting
Review: The Lord of the Rings is, indeed, one of the most amazing peices of literary work ever written. I was astonished and ashamed to find that something-to-prove evangelists managed to churn out this tripe to try to, once again, take credit for ideals and morals that are NOT born from their religion, but simply inborn in the human psyche.
It nearly ruins the trilogy knowing that some people are trying to take an incredible story like this and turn it into affirmation for their own religious beliefs. You don't need a religion to adhere to morality, and THAT is why Tolkien repeatedly denied that he wrote this book as a sort of retelling of the gospel.

Rating:
Summary: Christian behavior and The Lord of The Rings
Review: As a result of Peter Jackson's production of "The Lord Of the Rings" there has been a plethora of new books related to Tolkien. The legendary fantasy author has always been a fertile and even profitable subject to write about, but the film triggered the production of related items to even higher levels. So, when I saw this book co-authored by Bruner and Ware I simply though there could not be anything new here...and there probably wasn't.

But to my surprise I found this book very enjoyable and definitively worth reading. I like the position the authors took from the very introduction where they correctly state that although Tolkien meant no Christian parables in "The Lord Of the Rings", nevertheless they also correctly make the point that his Christian values strongly permeate all the book. In my review of "Tolkien: Man and Myth" by Joseph Pearce, I already quoted a key statement by Tolkien to prove thus: "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work" (letter to Robert Murray).

The authors' idea is simple but very attractive: They take a series of scenes from "The Lord Of the Rings", analyze the behavior of the characters and make a small meditation in relation with the values consistent with Christian thinking. Each 'meditation' starts with Tolkien and then follows with applications for our daily lives, this part being supported by several biblical quotes. The process might seem odd, but the authors are convincing and successfully manage to link the relations in a smooth and natural way. This is no easy task: how many books on Tolkien have we read where forced analogies are continuously made as a result of poor research or simply for marketing purposes. In the present case the relations seem to fit without effort, but knowing about Tolkien's beliefs it should no be so surprising.

The Christian points made throughout the book are simple but all ring true; you won't find they kind of cheap 'new age' babble that abounds in today's book market . This is not a profound treatise but nonetheless it can be effective. I thought the book might even help some people getting closer to Christian behavior thanks to being introduced to it by their beloved fantasy book.

Rating:
Summary: Maybe for nervous parents?
Review: I rate this book with two stars only because, as an apologetic directed to Christian parents who may be nervous about content in LOTR that mentions "magic" and occult-like situations, I think "Finding God" succeeds in providing insight into the actual ethical and even godly applications of Tolkien's themes.

David Zampino's review stated: "There were also the odd factual error (which only a Tolkien trivia buff like myself would notice) which should have been caught by the authors or the editors."

I think Mr. Zampino underestimated other Tolkien fans. I was so disappointed in the number of factual errors that for me the authors' credibility was compromised. I often found myself doubting whether the authors had really read LOTR in-depth or just skimmed it to pick up enough background to set the scenes for their own material.

Rating:
Summary: Pathetic!
Review: I read this book. Everything in life can be construed as having to do with God or religion if you look hard enough. This one is simply another persons way of trying to saturate God into everything.

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: go for it!
Review: If you are considering buying "Finding God in LOTR", go for it! I treated itt as a devotional type book while I was finishing Return of the King and it brings the story into a new light. It made middle earth and the adventures of the ring easy to relate to our everyday lives and struggles while incorperating Biblical Values. Even though some might argue that this was never Tolkien's intention, it is impossible to not see the close links after reading this book.
Many churches and people focus too much on finding evil in the world so much that they miss the good things. That is why a book like this is so much more significant and should be praised as opposed to a book dedicted to finding evil. Spread the gospel unto all the world, and use new and unique ways and see it in a new way. That is what this book so clearly shows, points like the most unlikley of people are chosen for the greatest of tasks. Frodo, a simple hobbit; or followers of Jesus: fishermen, tax collectors, sinners all called to something. Jesus himself was an unlikley person to turn out to be God- think about it people were expecting a great King and He came as a man.
Back to the book, I only wish it was longer as I think more points could have easily been made such as analogies such as how some of the characters seem to have qualities of Biblical characters. One last word, if you fear or hesitate due to Tolkien's Catholic (if that bothers you for some odd reason as I know it does for some) background you might be missing out on a great message that God has for you. God Bless!!

Rating:
Summary: A light book which simply scratches the surface.
Review: "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" is a book which comes highly recommended by "Focus on the Family" and at least one of the authors has connections to that organization. (I first found reference to the book on the "Focus" website.)

Why was the book written? In the opinion of this reviewer, the primary purpose was to reassure evangelical Christians that the new interest in Tolkien was "safe" from an evangelical perspective. While much is made of Tolkien's Christianity, the fact that he was an extremely devout and actively practicing Catholic was somehow left out (as this would possibly alienate some evangelicals). While I understood why the authors did this, I found it a bit disingenuous.

The content of the book itself examined specific positive attributes, demonstrated those attributes using examples from "The Lord of the Rings" and then gave Scriptural underpinnings for those attributes, followed by a one-line devotional. Very nice, in and of itself, but not particularly deep, from either a literary or spiritual perspective. There were also the odd factual error (which only a Tolkien trivia buff like myself would notice) which should have been caught by the authors or the editors.

The best part of the book was relegated to the very end, in which one of the authors gives a brief explication of Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" and discusses the underlying theology behind the concept of the "true myth". This should have been in the introduction -- not relegated to the end.

If this book convinces strict evangelicals that Tolkien is "OK", then the book is worth it. But for me, far more could have been (and should have been) said.

Rating:
Summary: :) GREAT!
Review: This book was not what I expected it to be. I read it again and I just saw every point the authors Bruner and Ware made was logical. If you are a die hard fan of LOTR and have questions of whether or not if your favorite series is worth your time spiritually, then get this book. It was very helpful to me. :)

Rating:
Summary: Homilies inspired by Tolkien
Review: There's a lot of Christian, and specifically Catholic, symbolism, theology, and morality in =LotR=, but that's not quite what this book is about. For that you'd be better advised to turn to Joseph Pearce's =Tolkien: A Celebration=. Instead, it's a collection of brief essays or sermons in the form of Christian theological and ethical homilies on texts (or more accurately themes) taken from =LotR=, pretty much in chronological order. The lesson is how Tolkien's characters can serve as models for a Christian life and ethical behavior. The authors write in a traditional sermon style, and as is typical of sermons they quickly leave the text behind, moving to Biblical parallels and broader considerations which the texts inspire or exemplify.
What theis essentially Protestant books mostly leave out of their discussion of Tolkien's Catholic work is consideration of the roles of worship, iconography and symbolism, and holy awe in =LotR=. But though selective, it does not distort. Unlike someone's aborted attempt to teach the business secrets of Tolkien's characters, at least these lessons fit. For Tolkien studies, the main value is the demonstration that his characters =are= ethical, and that ethics were thus basic to the author. Sermons like these could not easily be written on many other fantasy novels.

Rating:
Summary: JUST WANTED TO POINT THIS OUT
Review: When Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings, i gather from all i have read on him that he had no intention of having relate to god. If you read the history set forth in other books he has written on Middle-Earth you will find that while the god in the books is the one and only god they have many god-like beings, unlike the cristain religon. The elves for instance worship countless numbers of these "beings". Tom Bombadil is only one example of this. However for all i know Tolkien may have for some obsure reason written the Lord of the Rings with refrences to the christian religon but as he devoloped it, it is clear to that he evolved it out of that phase. Now, do not think me as a disloyal christain, because i'm not a christain. So, buy this book if you like, but for my sake please stop and laugh at it every ten seconds.