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The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth 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.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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:

Tolkien: Man Behind the Myth | At odds with his age, he created another.

A Feeling for Language | Without philology, Middle-earth would never have existed. But what is philology?

Meeting Professor Tolkien | An American professor spent a summer with Tolkien. He remembers the man, his faith, and his writings.

The Christian Humanists | Tolkien joined these authors in countering the decadence of a dark century.

One Truth, Many Tales | How did Tolkien's approach to writing for a secularizing world compare with those of his contemporaries?

Sacramental Imagination | Catholicism anchored Tolkien's life and suffused his writings.

Gallery: The Inklings | Tolkien relished his weekly meetings with this club of remarkable friends.

Tollers & Jack | Tolkien and Lewis made an odd couple, but they contributed profoundly to each other's work.

Hobbits & Englishmen | His were small people surmounting impossible odds.

Father of Epic Fantasy | Scores of authors have paid Tolkien the highest homage—imitation.

An Unexpected Party | Tolkien found himself, in the 1960s, hosting a growing American fan club.

In a recent CT opinion piece, Wood discussed the Enlightenment and its effect on his own employer, Baylor University.

Wood's faculty page is available at Baylor University's web site.

Christianity Today's past coverage of Tolkien includes:

Christian History Corner: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, a Legendary Friendship | A new book reveals how these two famous friends conspired to bring myth and legend—and Truth—to modern readers. (Aug. 29, 2003)

Christian History Corner: Saint J.R.R. the Evangelist | Tolkien wanted his Lord of the Rings to echo the "Lord of Lords"—but do we have ears to hear? (March 4, 2003)

Christian History Corner: 9/11, History, and the True Story | Wartime authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis help put 9/11 in perspective (Sept. 13, 2002)

Christian History Corner: Intro to the Inklings | C.S. Lewis's intellect was stimulated at one of the most fascinating extracurricular clubs ever (May 18, 2001)

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November 2003, Vol. 47, No. 11