Tolkien helps us understand what it meant for Jesus to pick up the mantle of human history and lead us to victory as the best and truest human king.
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As a Bible teacher in western North Carolina, I often encourage my students to spend time outdoors, talking to God. Nature is evidence of God’s handiwork and an aid to prayer and praise. But how do you think about God and creation when nature destroys? When a forest turns from a sanctuary to a disaster area? When earth, fire, or water engulf homes and rip families apart?
The routines of faith—prayer, Scripture, and offering praise amid lament—became more poignant for our family in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, but one practice that helped my children think biblically about the chaos surprised me: reading the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
