Back to the Shire, Back to the Scriptures ---

Reflect on the profound influence of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth as we revisit the themes that shaped a generation. Dive into the formative power of "The Lord of the Rings," a world where the smallest acts of courage can change the future, and where characters like Frodo and Sam inspire bravery, faithfulness, and resistance to temptation.

This episode explores how Tolkien’s fantasy is a theological protest against the glorification of war and the worship of power. Discover the parallels between Tolkien's cautionary tales and today's political realities, urging us to resist the forces of domination and embrace a gospel of healing, humility, and sacrificial love.

Join us in questioning how we might have misread Tolkien’s anti-authoritarian message and the scriptures, and consider a return to the values of stewardship, friendship, and peace. It's time to lay down the Ring and come back to the Shire, to the Sermon on the Mount, and to a Kingdom built on mercy, not might.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
🕯 Back to the Shire,Back to the Scriptures --- > “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

(00:06):
” — Galadriel --- Remember When You First Read It?
Let’s go back for a moment.
You’re thirteen, maybe fifteen.
Youth group is winding down, and someone pulls out The Fellowship of the Ring.
Maybe it’s movie night.
Maybe your pastor is quoting Gandalf in a sermon.
Maybe you’re up late reading under the covers, swept into a world of wonder and moral clarity.

(00:29):
You weren’t just entertained.
You were formed.
You wanted to be brave like Frodo, faithful like Sam.
You wanted to resist the Ring—not reach for it.
And somewhere deep inside—you still do.
This isn’t an article meant to attack you.
It’s an invitation.
Because what you loved back then still matters.

(00:51):
And what it pointed you toward still calls to you today.
But somewhere along the way, some wires may have crossed.

--- A Gentle Question (00:58):
What Happened?
You loved Middle-earth.
You loved the humility of Hobbits,the beauty of stewardship,
the sacredness of creation,the courage to stand up to evil even when outnumbered.

So let’s ask the question (01:11):
> How did we,a generation raised on The Lord of the Rings,
end up supporting the very forces Tolkien warned us against?
If that question feels uncomfortable—good.
Discomfort isn’t condemnation.
It might be the Holy Spirit gently but firmly shaking us awake.
--- What Tolkien Was Actually DoingTolkien wasn’t just telling a fantasy story.

(01:34):
He was resisting real powers.
As a soldier in World War I and a devout Catholic,
Tolkien had seen the rise of the military-industrial complex firsthand.
His Middle-earth is a theological protest against the destruction of nature,
the glorification of war,and the worship of power.
He saw Mordor as the horror of total surveillance and mechanized fear.

(01:57):
He saw Isengard as a cautionary tale about good becoming evil through “progress.

” He saw the Ring as the ultimate temptation (02:03):
domination in the name of good.
And make no mistake—he saw these as theological concerns.
In his letters, Tolkien called The Lord of the Rings “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.
” His gospel was not one of conquest,but of stewardship,
mercy,and resistance to evil in all its seductive forms.

(02:25):
So why have we missed that?
--- Let’s Name the Mordors of Our TimeHere’s where we must be direct.

We now live in a world where (02:31):
America builds weapons and surveillance empires like Mordor.
Israel,under Netanyahu,mirrors Isengard—justifying destruction and domination as “defense” while desecrating the land and crushing the vulnerable.

Donald Trump plays the part of Sauron (02:45):
obsessed with domination,
feeding on grievance,demanding loyalty.

Benjamin Netanyahu has become a kind of Saruman (02:52):
once cloaked in wisdom,
now addicted to control and exploitation.
These aren’t just political opinions.
They’re moral and theological realities.
The Church should never be found defending the Towers of Power.
We were meant to dwell in the Shire—not march beside orcs.

(03:13):
--- A Gospel That Looks Very DifferentTolkien’s world drips with Christian imagination.
But not the kind that crowns emperors.
Frodo bears a burden not his own—Christlike suffering.
Sam is the servant who saves the world—true greatness.
Aragorn heals before he rules—“the hands of the king are the hands of a healer.

(03:34):
” Even Gollum is shown mercy—grace over vengeance.

Now look at Jesus (03:37):
He doesn't build an army.
He resists the temptation of power in the wilderness.
He weeps over Jerusalem’s nationalism and militarism.
He’s crucified by an empire He refuses to serve.

Tolkien and Christ both tell us (03:52):
domination is a lie.
Healing, humility, and sacrificial love are the way forward.

--- A Serious Point (04:00):
How We Read MattersIf we could read Tolkien and miss his anti-authoritarian message.
.
.
.
.
.
then maybe we’ve been misreading Scripture, too.
Because Jesus doesn’t call us to crush enemies but to love them.
He doesn’t teach us to “win back America,” but to carry a cross.
He doesn’t make peace through missiles, but through mercy.

(04:21):
He’s not a better Saruman.
He’s not even Aragorn.

He’s something far more radical (04:26):
a crucified King.
--- Returning to the Shire—and to the Sermon on the MountThe greatest good in Tolkien’s world isn’t in power—it’s in home.
In stewardship.
In gardens, friendship, and selfless acts.
Frodo never fully recovers because bearing power wounds the soul.
It always does.

(04:46):
Maybe it’s time to lay down the Ring.
Maybe it’s time to stop cheering for the towers.
Maybe it’s time to come home.
The Sermon on the Mount is our spiritual Shire.
Blessed are the meek.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice—not revenge.

--- A Pastoral Invitation (05:05):
You Can Still Choose Another WayIf you once wept at Sam’s loyalty… If you once wanted to be like Frodo… If you once felt the Spirit stir during “I am no man!
”.
.
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Then know this (05:17):
You don’t have to live in fear.
You don’t have to support systems of cruelty.
You don’t have to carry the Ring.
You can come back.
To the Shire.
To the Scriptures.
To a Gospel of healing, not war.
To Jesus—not Trump.
To mercy—not empire.

(05:37):
To a Kingdom that cannot be built with missiles and flags.

--- Final Words (05:41):
The Road Goes Ever OnFaith is a journey.
And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is turn around.
Tolkien warned us.
Christ calls us.
And the Spirit is still whispering through stories—ours, Frodo’s, and His.

So to the generation raised on The Lord of the Rings in youth group (05:56):
You were right to love Middle-earth.
Let it lead you—not to the Capitol, but to the Cross