#96: Joseph Loconte on the Faith of J.R.R. Tolkien

A hundred years ago, no one had ever heard of a hobbit. But you would be hard-pressed today to find anyone who didn’t immediately recognize this short fictional creature with large fuzzy feet. Most amazing of all is the faith behind J.R.R. Tolkien, the man who created the myth behind The Lord of the Rings. 

As Amazon Studios launches the most expensive show in history based on the appendices of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we thought now would be a good time to call professor and historian Dr. Joseph Loconte, author of the NYT bestselling A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and A Great War, to talk about Tolkien’s faith, wartime experiences, and influence on the conversion of C.S. Lewis. On today’s episode, you’ll get to hear Loconte offer a unique perspective on how the first mechanized war in history affected Tolkien’s faith and led him to write one of the most revered stories of all time.