The Genius of J.R.R. Tolkien | Mythunderstood

THEOS U: https://my.theosu.ca/checkout/new?o=2... (Use code: THEOLOGY) Today I want to talk about something J.R.R. Tolkien understood very clearly. Many people know Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings, but the real depth of his work is not just the story. It is the worldview behind it. Tolkien cared deeply about language, morality, beauty, and the way stories shape the human soul. In this video I explore Tolkien not simply as a storyteller, but as a thinker and even a theologian of imagination. Drawing from works like On Fairy Stories, The Philosophy of Tolkien, The Splintered Light, and The Sanctifying Myth, we look at the deeper ideas behind Middle-earth. Tolkien believed that myth, when rightly ordered toward truth, does not distract us from reality. It trains us to see reality more clearly. One of the most misunderstood elements of Tolkien's work is the One Ring. Many critics have tried to reduce it to a symbol of the atomic bomb, industrialization, or political power. Tolkien rejected that kind of simple allegory. The ring represents something much deeper. It represents the will to dominate reality through power, what Tolkien called "the machine". In Tolkien's vision, evil always seeks domination. Sauron rules through systems, control, and force rather than loyalty or love. The ring amplifies the desires already present in the human heart. That is why every character is vulnerable to it. Even the strange character of Tom Bombadil reveals something important about Tolkien's theology. Bombadil is unaffected by the ring because he desires nothing beyond what he already has. The ring cannot grasp him because he does not seek power over the world. This raises a question for us today. As our world becomes faster, more efficient, and more dominated by technology, are we becoming more human or less? Tolkien loved trees, slowness, and the natural rhythm of creation. His stories remind us that life is not meant to be lived at the speed of machinery. We are not machines. We are living beings made in the image of God. Efficiency, domination, and speed are not the pace of Jesus Christ. In a world that is constantly accelerating, perhaps the most radical thing we can do is slow down, see clearly, and remember the truth that has already been spoken. Words matter. Stories matter. And Tolkien understood why. SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram:   / david.latting