Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology

The works of J.R.R. Tolkien have not only redefined a genre of literature but also had a far-reaching impact on culture in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Tolkien's name has joined the ranks of authors such as Shakespeare, Milton, Dostoevsky, Donne, and Dickens who make us think differently about the world. In Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology, an international group of scholars consider what Tolkien's works (and Jackson's film interpretations) can teach us about living out our theology in the world. From essays on Tolkien's insights into community, what we can learn about our spiritual senses from encounters with the Nazg?l, the pastoral wisdom of Treebeard, to the theological value of food--including second breakfasts--we invite you to journey with us through Middle-earth as we engage the applicability of Tolkien's works for theology and our world.

Douglas Estes (PhD, University of Nottingham) currently teaches at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas.