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Preparatio Evangelica [Chuck Colson on The Two Towers]
Breakpoint Online ^ | 12/18/02 | Chuck Colson

Posted on 12/18/2002 7:20:33 AM PST by ksen

Preparatio Evangelica

BreakPoint with Charles Colson

December 18, 2002

The Two Towers

Today, millions of people will go to see The Two Towers, the second installment in the trilogy based on J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. If they pay close attention, they'll see more than an epic adventure. They'll also get a glimpse of Christian truth. It's well known that Tolkien rejected allegorical interpretations of Lord of the Rings—the notion, for example, that the ring represented the atom bomb. But Tolkien's Christian faith was a different matter. And it's no surprise that his faith found its way into the story.

Tolkien wrote to a friend that Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." When, in both the book and the film, Gandalf calls himself a "servant of the Secret Fire," that fire, Tolkien told a friend, is the Holy Spirit.

The good news is that the connection between Tolkien's faith and Lord of the Rings wasn't lost on director Peter Jackson and his co-writer Philippa Boyens. They told columnist Terry Mattingly that while they didn't set out to make a religious film, they understood the role that Tolkien's beliefs played in his life and work.

And knowing what he believed, they decided to honor the things "that were important to Tolkien." Thus, they said, "some of the messages and some of the themes" in the films "are based on his beliefs." Principal among these beliefs is the Christian idea that, as Solzhenitsyn once put it, "the line between good and evil runs through every human heart," and it oscillates back and forth.

The cinematic version of Lord of the Rings is more than a story about good versus evil. It's a story that, as Mattingly puts it, offers modern audiences "another chance to understand the timeless roots of sin." Characters wrestle with the evil within them. Even when they seek to do good they must guard against the possibility of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way.

Director Peter Jackson told Mattingly that "Tolkien's themes really resonate today." That's right, and they're going to keep on resonating. As he put it, "I don't think humans are capable of actually pulling themselves out of these basic ruts."

Exactly—that's why two thousand years ago the Son of God, whom Tolkien worshipped, became one of us. He knew that only by living and dying as one of us could the problem of human evil, the "rut" Jackson spoke of, be overcome.

In some ways, Lord of the Rings, both the film and the book, is what the Church fathers called preparatio evangelica, preparation for the Gospel. It's a story where the characters, while not possessing the fullness of Christian revelation, can nonetheless glimpse this truth. Understanding their world and their thoughts prepares us to understand the fullness of Christian revelation.

So, three cheers to Boyens and Jackson for honoring what was important to Tolkien.

Go ahead and invite a friend to the movies and then out for coffee and conversation. Let's be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the interest in Tolkien's world, a world that helps us—and our neighbors—better understand why the Word became flesh.


TOPICS: Religion; TV/Movies; The Hobbit Hole
KEYWORDS: peterjackson; phillipaboyens; religion; tolkien; twotowers
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I heard this commentary this morning on the way to work so I thought I'd share it with you all.

Enjoy!

1 posted on 12/18/2002 7:20:34 AM PST by ksen
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To: HairOfTheDog; ecurbh; JenB; Sam Cree; RnMomof7; angelo; IMRight; Iowegian; SoothingDave
Heads up!
2 posted on 12/18/2002 7:21:32 AM PST by ksen
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To: maquiladora; carton253; Corin Stormhands
Ping!
3 posted on 12/18/2002 7:31:13 AM PST by ksen
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To: ksen; 4ConservativeJustices; Ff--150
Good read bump!!
4 posted on 12/18/2002 7:44:12 AM PST by billbears
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To: Overtaxed; 2Jedismom; g'nad; Bear_in_RoseBear; Lil'freeper; RMDupree; SuziQ
Ping!
5 posted on 12/18/2002 7:44:44 AM PST by ksen
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To: PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain; JHavard; DouglasKC; al_c
Ping!
6 posted on 12/18/2002 7:47:59 AM PST by ksen
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To: billbears
Thanks for the ping; that was a good read :o)
7 posted on 12/18/2002 7:48:48 AM PST by Ff--150
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To: billbears
I like the idea that even though the story/films may not explicitly state the Gospel, they help prepare the heart to hear it.
8 posted on 12/18/2002 7:49:13 AM PST by ksen
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To: billbears
I loved the books when I was a child, and the 1st movie - hope to see this one Saturday.
9 posted on 12/18/2002 7:51:15 AM PST by 4CJ
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To: ksen
An interesting read, thanks for the ping!
10 posted on 12/18/2002 7:56:55 AM PST by Bear_in_RoseBear
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To: ksen
Thanks for the ping. I knew this about Tolkien, but have never been into his books. Perhaps it's time. Maybe I'll go rent the 1st movie on DVD then go with my brother (a big Tolkien fan) to the latest one.
11 posted on 12/18/2002 7:58:11 AM PST by al_c
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To: Admin Moderator
Would you move this to the Religion forum please? I meant to post it there and not to the General Interest forum.

Thank you.

Oh, and while you're here you might as well read the article.....it's short. ;^)
12 posted on 12/18/2002 8:03:06 AM PST by ksen
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To: Bear_in_RoseBear
You're welcome Bear! and no spoilers. ;^)
13 posted on 12/18/2002 8:03:52 AM PST by ksen
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To: al_c
I knew this about Tolkien, but have never been into his books. Perhaps it's time. Maybe I'll go rent the 1st movie on DVD then go with my brother (a big Tolkien fan) to the latest one.

That's a good idea al. I hope you have a good time doing it! Oh, if you're going to rent the DVD, get the Extended Edition, it adds a lot more development to the characters.

If you end up going you can share your reactions over here.

14 posted on 12/18/2002 8:06:28 AM PST by ksen
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To: ksen
and no spoilers. ;^)

Thank you! I'm avoiding the HH today for just that reason... I figure I can hold out until noon. After that I'll be on the road for a while, then at The Movie, and I'll be "safe". Once I get home from The Movie though, watch out! ;)

15 posted on 12/18/2002 8:29:45 AM PST by Bear_in_RoseBear
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To: Wordsmith; Wneighbor; ican'tbelieveit; Reborn; Alkhin; The Iguana
Ping!
16 posted on 12/18/2002 9:00:02 AM PST by ksen
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To: 2Jedismom; Alkhin; Anitius Severinus Boethius; AUsome Joy; austinTparty; Bear_in_RoseBear; ...

Ring Ping!!

17 posted on 12/18/2002 9:08:34 AM PST by ecurbh
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To: Vic3O3
Chuck Colson ping!

Can't wait to see the movie.

Semper Fi
18 posted on 12/18/2002 9:11:22 AM PST by dd5339
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To: ecurbh
Thank you!

One of the things that I think was done in absolute perfection was Gollum's torment and the war between Gollum and Smeagol. I think Jackson/Wood/Boyens/Serkis pulled out the dynamics of what the Ring did and was doing to Gollum and Frodo. I saw not parallels, but a megareflection of what sin does to the soul and the kind of tortures that sin exacts upon us.

The fact that audience members were actually laughing at some of Gollum's conflict scenes was almost as hurtful as watching Gollum get tricked by Frodo and Faramir.

Obviously people who have never confronted their own souls.

19 posted on 12/18/2002 9:15:29 AM PST by Alkhin
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To: ksen
Thanks, ksen!

Sing it loud, sing it strong Chuck!

And go see the movie, everybody!

20 posted on 12/18/2002 9:20:38 AM PST by rightwingreligiousfanatic
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