The Faith of J.R.R Tolkien with Professor Holly Ordway

“Tolkien believed that the fairytale genre was for everyone,” says Eric Metaxas’s guest, Dr. Holly Ordway, Cardinal Francis George Professor of Faith and Culture at the Word on Fire Institute, editor for the Journal of Inklings Studies, and J.R.R. Tolkien expert. This delightful conversation unearths many amazing details and covers topics like how Tolkien came to faith, the important friendship with C.S. Lewis, his ambitions to be a poet, the “Christianness” of the Lord of the Rings saga, Leaf by Niggle, and much more.

[@list1726]

Thanks for posting

[@TerryPMartin]

Eric must be the world’s worst interviewer. Endless interruptions and dominating the conversation.

[@randallpeaslee1779]

I've thought the same. I really, really like him; he's an intelligent man and his heart's in the right place, but he tends to speak more in the interviews than his guests.

[@sandraelder1101]

Wasn’t Frodo Bilbo’s second cousin? Also isn’t it the Lay of Luthien? Sorry to be picky. (nope. It’s Leithien.)

[@joannemoore3976]

I believe it is called the Lay of Leithian tbf

[@sandraelder1101]

@@joannemoore3976 Ah, you’re right. Her NAME was Luthien but the song is Leithien. Cheers.

[@alisonrittener5606]

Question: why do you call Tolien a 'Catholic Christian'. There is no such thing. You cannot be both!!

[@AdroitAntics]

Answer: Catholic and Christian are not mutually exclusive terms. The Bare minimum to be a Christian requires proper belief in the points of the Apostles' Creed. Though the Apostles' Creed still leave's ambiguity for Mormons and Unitarians to question Christ's Divinity. A better way to test if someone is a mainline Christian is if they hold to the Nicene Creed. In both cases Catholics adhere to the creeds and are therefore Christians.

[@mrsnlwillie533]

Where is the rest of interview?

[@julietsetian4885]

What? What an ignorant statement!

[@sandraelder1101]

You don’t think we Catholics are Christians? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@sandraelder1101]

Because Tolkien was a Christian but not an Anglican or other Protestant. It is an important distinction in light of both his friendship with Lewis and his writing. Of course, for Tolkien, it mattered very much that he was a Catholic as opposed to Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.