Orthodoxy

#104 // What Is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Theology Behind Middle Earth? (ft. Austin Freeman)

Episode Summary

In this episode, I got to talk with Austin Freeman. Freeman is the Chair of the Department of Apologetics and Assistant Professor at Houston Christian University. He recently wrote a book, Tolkien Dogmatics, that reveals the systematic theology found in Middle Earth through The Lord of the Rings books. Austin has also written for many publications including Desiring God. We discussed his book, Tolkien Dogmatics, and how he started on this endeavor to write a systematic theology based on a fantasy series. We also talked about the key theological themes in Tolkien’s books related to God, Sin, Angels, and Creation. Finally, we discussed how Tolkien came to believe that his Lord of the Rings books could have been “inspired”. I hope you enjoy!

Episode Notes

In this episode, I got to talk with Austin Freeman. Freeman is the Chair of the Department of Apologetics and Assistant Professor at Houston Christian University. He recently wrote a book, Tolkien Dogmatics, that reveals the systematic theology found in Middle Earth through The Lord of the Rings books. Austin has also written for many publications including Desiring God.

We discussed his book, Tolkien Dogmatics, and how he started on this endeavor to write a systematic theology based on a fantasy series. We also talked about the key theological themes in Tolkien’s books related to God, Sin, Angels, and Creation. Finally, we discussed how Tolkien came to believe that his Lord of the Rings books could have been “inspired”. I hope you enjoy!