A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18

by Joseph Loconte

“But I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”31

“We are God’s chosen people, His inheritance, the salt of the earth, His loved ones, His glory, the people He delights in, His sons and His daughters. What more can we wish for?”30

The difference between Christianity and all the pagan myths is that this Dying God actually entered into history, lived a real life, and died a real death.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

It is one thing to join a struggle against evil in the world, but it is another thing to persevere—to continue to resist the dark temptations inherent in the contest.

evil is a sleepless force in human lives, and that the war against it demands constant vigilance.

The bitter realism of The Lord of the Rings is what makes the book so irresistibly relevant to our own situation.

There is no shortcut to the Land of Peace, no primrose path to the Mansions of the Blessed.