Glenn Beck, Paul Kerry & the Hobbit

Today's adventure led us to the Glenn Beck Studios for a discussion with Glenn and Dr. Paul Kerry, and associate professor of history at Brigham Young University on J.R.R. Tolkien's writing and Christianity. 



Tolkien, speaking of LOTR & theHobbit,
"a fundamentally religious and Catholic work"
in a 1955 letter to the English Jesuit Robert Murray.

Dr. Paul E. Kerry is the editor of the recently published collection, The Ring and the Cross: Christianity and The Lord of the Rings , which includes essays by Joseph Pearce, Bradley J. Birzer, John Holmes, and several other Tolkien experts. Dr. Kerry is also co-editor, with Sandra Miesel, of the book, Light Beyond All Shadow: Religious Experience in the Work of J. R. R. Tolkien .

"I am a Christian and of course what I write will be from that essential viewpoint."

The conversation centered around Tolkien being a devout Catholic even to the point that he was the individual who converted C.S. Lewis, then an atheist to Christianity.  No small task!  Tolkien deliberately did not write in the allegory form that Lewis used, in fact as contemporaries Tolkien saw that Oxford withheld the Professorship from Lewis because of his overtly Christian writings. 

However, as a devout Catholic and in reading Tolkien's reflections to his children you can see the nature of the man writing the book.  You see that there is providence and not dumb luck in the actions of the hero.  You see there is goodness, and you see that evil is given over to it's own desires. All are Biblical themes. 

It was an interesting discussion and Glenn had on hand many originals of Tolkien's private letters to his children, belonging to a private collector in Dallas. 

Abigail was able to attend today's taping.  The movie comes out tomorrow and will be rated PG-13.  It is a dark movie and especially in the new 3-D, I would not take a younger child to see this movie.  That being said, Abigail will be 12 in two weeks and because she has read this book multiple times and familiar with the dark nature will see the movie with our Classical Book Club.

During the Q&A portion of the show Caleb was able to ask Dr. Kerry about Gollum's dual personality.  His question was addressed by Glenn and Dr. Kerry and aired on tonight's show!   So fun!  

 And we know that in all things God works for the good
of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28