Finding God in the Lord of the Rings

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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!!

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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.

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Summary: Decent Commentary
Review: If you're looking for an explaination of how Tolkien's Christian beliefs are shown in his work this isn't really what you want. I enjoyed the book, but it didn't need the Lord of the Rings slant in order to be written. The author captures basic beliefs of Christianity and connects them to scenes found within the books. It was a nice book that didn't take long to read and just made me reflect upon my Christian beliefs.

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Summary: Tolkien was a "Knight of Faith"
Review: It's a childhood dream come true to see The Lord of the Rings come to life on the silver screen. Even more thrilling is the possibility of the masses seeing the beauty and truth in the worlds that Tolkien has lovingly and laboriously created. Though we travel with those fighting the "good fight" in the many ages of Middle Earth, clearly and without question Tolkien was showing man to himself and the necessity for man to take the path that does not stray. The consequences conjured in Tolkien's epic create a striking, and chilling metaphor for our times. To read Tolkien and neglect his faith is to only see half of his work, and half his genius. As Finding God in Lord of the Rings advances, Tolkien's greatness lies within his presentation of religious truth. Afterall, it was Tolkien who was in part responsible for C.S. Lewis' conversion from a "blaspheming athiest" to a devout Christian, "suprised by joy."

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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.

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Summary: Looking for something that isn't there...
Review: Lord of the Rings is the greatest work of fantasy fiction ever written (my opinion). One of the reasons for this is that it is a very secular story. Religion is never mentioned, none of the characters pray or attend church, no religious ceremonies are performed, no supernatural deities are called upon. The authors basic premise is that the good guys (and gals) in the story display such traits as honesty, integrity, faithfulness, devotion to duty, etc. Since good Christians also display these traits, then this a story about Christian values. This is not true. These traits are not exclusive to Christians; an atheist could also display similar traits. Morality is not legislated by religion.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a very secular story. The characters rely upon themselves and cooperation with others to solve their problems. They use logic and reason, not reliance upon some deity, to get the job done. A willingness to take personal responsibility for one's actions is a common theme. I think our own society would be a much better place if more people were willing to do the same.

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Summary: Great introduction to Tolkien's beliefs
Review: Most don't realize how much Tolkien's Christian beliefs influenced his works. Sometimes sutble and unintentional, sometimes on purpose. This book details those connections. I wish it would have examined some of Tolkien's comments more as well as is friendship with C.S. Lewis, who is also known for his detailed fantasy literature. A good companion for your Tolkien library.

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Summary: A rather shallow look at the positive attributes of LotR
Review: Most of us know Tolkien was a Christian, and some of us Tolkien-ites know that he didn't want allegories in his book...he wanted them to be more subtle. But he just couldn't help it, and some good stuff got put in there anyway!

Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware's book attempts to highlight some of the positive attributes of Tolkien's Rings trilogy, but sadly fall short, in my opinion. There's discussion of happiness, contentedness, loyalty, all that stuff. But the book ends there, having discussed only these "nice" qualities.

In my opinion, God can be found in much deeper ways in LotR than just the positive human goodness. One of the analogies that I've heard brought out of the books is the fact that Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn constitute the Priest, Prophet and King, the three offices of Christ. (Frodo bears the Sin [Ring] away from the others, Gandalf can obviously be thought of as a prophet, and Aragorn as the King)

There are many other analogies that one can find, if one examines closely, the works of Tolkien, and this book only scratches the surface. I sure hope someone else writes a more in-depth look at the books so everybody doesn't lump The Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia in with Harry Potter and stuff like that...there is a difference!

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Summary: Symphony of the Spirit
Review: The authors have, in my opinion, rightly divined the spirit of Tolkien's literary symphony "Lord of the Rings". One of the authors speaks of having visited the English tavern where Tolkien, Lewis, Williams etc. (otherwise known as the Inklings) met to discuss their latest work and to share each other's literary adventures. Because they know Tolkien and his most intimate contemporaries, the authors are able to interpret the deeper spiritual meanings hidden like gem stones in "Lord of the Rings."

Although it is true, according to Tolkien, that he did not set out to write a Christian allegory, it is also true that Tolkien could not create a world that would be antithetical to his own spirit. Therefore, in a most wonderful way, Tolkien has created a work, not unlike a symphony of the spirit, in which his most cherished beliefs and values ring forth.

In "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" Bruner and Ware have helped us to understand the various notes and movements in Tolkien's spiritual symphony.

Rating:
Summary: Only Scratches the Surface
Review: The authors make a valiant effort here to bring some of their own respect for Tolkien's work into the light of Scriptural themes. What I expected to be an in-depth look at "The Lord of the Rings" turns out to be more like a daily devotional, with short chapters that sum up Biblical ideas as seen in Tolkien's work. The idea is laudable; the execution only scratches the surface.

First, let's make it clear that Tolkien never intended his works to be allegorical--most fans know this already. On the other hand, he said that "In 'The Lord of the Rings' the conflict is not basically about 'freedom', though that is naturally involved. It is about God, and His sole right to divine honour." (The Letters of JRR Tolkien, pg. 243) It is impossible to read Tolkien without taking into account the context of his faith. For that reason, "Finding God in the Lord of the Rings" is a book that many have waited for. While it may satisfy the thirst of some, it will only whet the appetite for others. Overall, I recommend what the authors have done here. They write clearly and with great affection for Tolkien's writing; they speak plainly of Godly characteristics throughout this fantasy epic; they do not, however, plunge headlong into the deeper waters that I hoped to explore.

I'll enjoy this book as a coffee-table piece, one to be thumbed through for daily thoughts and encouragements. For more insight to Tolkien's meanings, I'll turn back to his own letters.