Tolkien Begins

New Warhorn Media post by Nathan Alberson:

Tolkien’s wife danced for him in a forest. It was weird. That is all.

3 Likes

I’d love to go back to school to study to be a wphilologist, myself.

Excited for this series! Also, CR Wiley is publishing a book on Tom Bombadil, and the Theology Pugcast episode dedicated to Tom Bombadil has forced me to reconsider (and even like) the character. I suspect you guys won’t be very convinced, given your past comments criticizing agrarianism, but it changed my mind!

Confession: the first time I tried reading LotR in junior high I stopped at Tom Bombadil because I was so angry at the character’s existence. I eventually picked it back up and finished - and unrelated to the advent of this series I am currently rereading LotR and reading The Hobbit (again) to my children.

2 Likes

Sorry to veer off topic but if you remember could you point me to those agrarianism comments? Seeing a lot of this lately in some reformed circles (the biblical way is homesteading, handmade, raw milk, full fat; very Wendell Berry, kind of a postmil environmentalism)—Interested in reading/listening to some pushback :slight_smile:

1 Like

To be honest, I don’t have anything specific to point you to, but I believe I’ve heard Nathan, Jake, and Pastor Tim all make critical comments of the agrarian/Wendell Berry/Front Porch Republic philosophy on various Warhorn podcasts. I’m very much of the pro-all-of-that vein, however, so I’m not going to be a ton of help, unfortunately.

Totally fine, thanks! Its all pretty fascinating, pro or con.

The Theology Pugcast also had Aaron Renn on recently, and they discusses Wendell Berry as well. Good thoughts there.

Actually, Aaron Renn’s urbanophile stuff might serve as a decent place to look for the “anti-agrarian” perspective.

I don’t know that we’ve ever addressed the agrarian stuff specifically anywhere. Although maybe we did and I just don’t remember. Perhaps we should. I’m sure it will come up more than once in LotR discussions. In fact I can guarantee it will, since I lead those discussions.

To be clear, the comments were made in passing while addressing another subject and I don’t remember which episodes to which shows - SoS, The World We Made, Then Comes What. I am neither trying to overstate anything or misquote anyone, but I don’t have the bandwidth to go back and find the comments.

1 Like

Me neither. Speaking only for myself, I do think the whole agrarian thing can be pretty poser in the wrong hands. Most of us are not in fact hobbits from the shire.

And anyone who equates the agrarian lifestyle with actual godliness is pretty silly at best imho. On the other hand, if somebody wants to smoke a pipe and raise chickens, it’s a free country and I don’t have any problem with it.