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

The plethora of books with a variant of the title "The Gospel According To ..." continues to fill bookshelves and entice the unwary buyer into reading some attempt to shoehorn popular culture into the biblical message. The earliest of this genre that I can recall was The Gospel According to Peanuts (still in print since 1965), after the popular cartoon strip by the late Charles Schultz. Being a confessing Christian, Mr. Schultz did on occasion openly present a Christian message through his syndicated strip-the most famous and endearing being the rendition by the blanket-hugging Linus of Luke's birth narrative in Schultz' animated Christmas television feature. Today we have our choice of The Gospel According to Dr. Seuz, The Gospel According to The Simpsons, The Gospel According to Harry Potter, The Gospel According to Disney, and The Gospel According to The Sopranos (I'm not making that last one up, really). Ralph C. Wood, professor of theology and literature at Baylor University, has now added to that collection The Gospel According to Tolkien. It is arguably the only volume that can legitimately make a claim to that title, for as Wood ably demonstrates, Tolkien's corpus is implicitly, but authentically, Christian. Tolkien's Middle Earth trilogy has experienced a rediscovery, if not a revival, among a wider audience due to Peter Jackson's brilliant movie interpretation of The Lord of the Rings, so the timing of this publication could not have been more strategic. Wood presents an accessible theological interpretation to The Lord of the Rings material, though he draws from Tolkien's entire corpus of writings, from works like The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, as well as letters and essays, in which Tolkien provides the background and history of the mythic Middle Earth as well as commentary on the nature and purpose of the literary genre in which he worked. This background material is in evidence especially in the first two chapters of the book in Wood's treatment of the themes of creation, the Fall (both of the mythic world of Tolkien and of the real world), the nature of sin ("iniquity") and evil. Subsequent chapters stay closer to the more familiar Middle Earth material of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These later chapters deal with the themes of good and evil, and Tolkien's vision of the Kingdom. The most valuable contribution of this book, I believe, is Wood's treatment of the redeeming virtues in the panoramic drama of Tolkien's world and ours. Specifically, his treatment of the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, courage, and temperance-as well as his treatment on Tolkien's concepts of eucatostrophes, community, and the nature of stories-serve in an authentic way to connect the dots between Tolkien's dense cosmology and the Christian faith. For those wishing to delve into the informing Christian theology that plays out behind the curtain of Tolkien's dramatic trilogy, or for those who want an overtly Christian introduction

I've found The Gospel According to Tolkien to be the most comprehensive exploration and study on the spiritual themes of Middle-Earth that is available today. Ralph C. Wood shows his true understanding of Tolkien's works, extending beyond just the trilogy of books itself. No one can deny that, while eschewing blatant allegory (ala C.S. Lewis), Tolkien inserted numerous Christian themes and principles into his wonderful 1,000 + literary work. Wood works his way through the beginning of Middle-Earth (not going back to the Shire; I'm talking the very beginning, when Eru first began the Symphony of Creation) to discuss the Music of the Ainur that sang into being Arda, the world within. No one can deny that a supernatural Father of All ("Eru" literally translated "The One" in Elvish) creating a world with the music of his divine minions is too far off from the mainstream Judeo-Christian story of Biblical Creation. But this is just the beginning. Wood next explores the disfigurement of celestial accord found in the original Dark Lord Morgoth, whose workings wrought great woe in Middle-Earth's founding years. Wood then looks at how evil is countered throughout the ages of Middle-Earth, followed by Tolkien's redeeming principles of life, and finally the lost tale of the coming Consummation of Middle-Earth. I found the book on a whole to be rather academic, long-winded, and at times dull. But some can find this to be the case with Tolkien's books as well, so you should know what you're in for. Anyone who HAS seen the trilogy through in book form should be able to stick with this. While academic in nature, the contemplations, and revelations are none the less enjoyable. Again, very comprehensive and complete study of the theological themes gleaned from these works, and if you are interested in learning more about them, buy this book.Comical side note: Be aware when you buy this book that roughly 50% of the cost is devoted to ten-dollar words like "milquetoast", "supernal", "repudiate", "concupiscence", and "ubiquitous".

I have read a number of books that explore the themes of The Lord of the Rings. Some of these books have attempted to deal with alleged Christian themes in the story. Some of those books are ridiculously shallow and superficial. Others are quite insightful. Ralph Wood's book falls into the latter category - a very helpful and thoughtful exploration of the issues. [NOTE: The 1 star review by the person from NYC who could only manage to make it through the first chapters tells us more about the reviewer than the book].Wood chooses to approach the material in a different way. His book is divided into five chapters, each of which centers on a major element in the Christian worldview: Creation, Evil, the Moral Life, the Redeemed Life, and final Consummation. Using material drawn from the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, and other less well-known stories, Wood examines the way that Tolkien handles these themes in the mythology of Middle-earth. Contrary to what another reviewer below claims, Wood does not overstate his case, nor does he ignore passages in Tolkien's stories that might seem to contradict his thesis (this is particularly true in his handling of the virtue of hope).The last chapter is especially interesting because it examines a little-known story buried in the multi-volume "History of Middle Earth" series (the specific volume is titled Morgoth's Ring) edited by Christopher Tolkien. This work entitled "The Debate of Finrod and Andreth" is set in the form of a debate between an elf and a human, and it contains a fascinating prophecy of the future incaration of Iluvatar (the one God of the Tolkien mythology) and the final eradication of evil and the renewal of all creation.

The Lord of the Rings is not a Christian allegory, however Tolkien's devout Christian faith and his intention to impart Christian meanings to the Lord of the Rings is a fact of history. In The Gospel According To Tolkien, Ralph Wood does a wonderful job bringing to light Tolkien's Christian meanings in the Lord of the RingsWood did not write a book of the Christian parallels he sees in the Lord of the Rings nor how he interprets the LotR (Lord of the Rings) into his Christian views. Rather Wood's book is about the Christian thoughts that Tolkien intended to get across to the reader in many subtle ways throughout the LotR. Wood is faithful to Tolkien's beliefs and intentions. He does not take something that was said in the LotR and stretch it to his own beliefs or what he wanted it to mean. Though I do not agree with all of Tolkien's views, I appreciate Wood's faithfulness to Tolkien's vision.Wood's book is very engaging and stimulating. Yet, if you are looking for Harry Potter entertainment you will be very disappointed and will not, (like some critics) make it through the first chapter. I strongly recommend that everyone (Christian or not) read this book and have it in his or her library, if for no other reason than understanding Tolkien's Christian faith and worldview.