World of the Rings: The Unauthorized Guide to the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien Book

Sometimes, I think that, as Christians, our theology gets in the way of understanding our world, and even God Himself.

We tend to think that the Bible gives us exhaustive knowledge of all there is to know, or at least all that we should know. But the world, and even God Himself, is mysterious and often manifests confusing and unexpected things. God is infinitely complex and incomprehensible, and has built into the world such wonderful inexplicability that we should expect to find it difficult understand or describe it.

Good fiction can help us understand more about the mysteries of our God and the world He for us to live in.

There are good and proper genres of literature too many Christians neglect or spurn altogether, including: fantasy, sci-fi, fairytales and anything having to do with magic. My contention is that if we can appreciate good fiction, we are more likely to understand more about God and our world. Fictional stories often have the ability to show us things that we often miss in everyday living, and help us to think deeper about things. They don't have to be moralistic to help us to see morality in a new light. They don't have to be in our world, or be "realistic," or necessarily operate under the same rules of living that we expect every day to help us to see our world better and how to live in it.

Jim Ware has given us a good look at how many beloved stories are reflections of God's truth, without being explicitly Christian. In fact, because they are not Christian per se we are forced to think about them more and relate them to the Christian worldview.

For those that love fiction (as I do), and for those who need to learn to love it, and for those who are suspicious about fiction (especially the typically questionable kinds in the minds of so many Christians) - I recommend this as a tutorial for how to read as a Christian. Your life will be richer for it!