Holly Ordway at the Wade

 So, for those interested in JRRT's faith, Holly Ordway (author of TOLKIEN'S MODERN READING, 2021) has a new book out. This time she focuses on Tolkien's spiritual life (with a number of side-steps into CSL). For a quick way to get an overview of the whole book, check out the hour-long talk she gave today at the Wade Center: 

Lecture & Book Signing

"A Hard-Won Faith: Tolkien's Spiritual Journey"   Lecturer & Author: Holly Ordway, Ph.D. Monday, September 25, 2023 | 7:00 PM Bakke Auditorium, Marion E. Wade Center

Tolkien is well known as a Christian, but what is less well known is that the story of his spiritual development reveals a dramatic tale of a hard-won faith, involving sorrow and suffering as well as joys and consolations. A devout Catholic, Tolkien also had a deep spiritual friendship with the Anglican C.S. Lewis. Both of these aspects of Tolkien’s faith provide insight into how Christians today can grow in their own spiritual lives. Join us in-person after the lecture for the book signing. Tolkien's Faith will be available for purchase at the Wade Bookshop. Sponsored by the Stephen and Marjorie Mead Endowment for Spiritual Formation.

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And if you want more, Ordway gives a second lecture, again at the Wade, tomorrow:

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Afternoon Lecture

"Tolkien's Faith and the Formation of Middle-earth" Lecturer & Author: Holly Ordway, Ph.D. Tuesday, September 26, 2023 | 4:00 PM Bakke Auditorium, Marion E. Wade Center

Tolkien declared, “I am a Christian (which can be deduced from my stories).” His writings were not allegories, so how, then, were his faith and his fiction related? We will explore this question biographically, looking at some of the ways that Tolkien’s dramatic life story, including his being raised by a Catholic priest at the Birmingham Oratory, and his experiences in the Great War, shaped his faith and found their way – in a subtle and complex manner – into his writings.  Co-sponsored by the Stephen and Marjorie Mead Endowment for Spiritual Formation and Wheaton College Tolkien Society.

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--John R.

--current reading: still THE NIGHT LAND.