Questions From The Pew - WOS

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Doni and Robert, hosts of Mixed Take. Join us as we continue talking about the importance of narrative and retelling old stories in a new way. We also ask: What is more important, being faithful to the story or reinterpreting it for a contemporary audience? Or is that even a dichotomy that should exist? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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Stories are not meant to stay in the past. In many ways, they take on a life of their own, captivating the hearts and minds of generations, even after the original audience or even the author have long passed. They are told and retold, adapted and reimagined by each successive generation. This doesn’t always happen without bumps along the way, but that is what a good story can do.

The Lord of the Rings was originally written as a book for one generation and adapted as a series of films for another. Both were acclaimed masterpieces in their own right. And now, with the new Amazon series, “The Rings of Power,” the world of Middle Earth continues to capture the imaginations of a new audience. All of this came from the mind of one man, but countless others have, in some ways, carried on his work.

In this episode, we’re joined by Doni and Robert, hosts of Mixed Take, another podcast in the World Outspoken network. Together, we ask: Why is narrative and retelling old stories in a new way so important? What is more important, being faithful to the story or reinterpreting it for a contemporary audience? Or is that even a dichotomy that should exist? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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Great literature stands the test of time. But it’s not just because of its literary qualities. Of course, things like a well thought out plot and mastery of the language have a role in the longevity of a work of literature, but it also speaks to the audience it was written for. Not only that, but it continues to speak beyond its own time.

The Lord of the Rings does that. For some reason, the epic story of good versus evil continues to speak to modern audiences. No doubt, it has a great plot and Tolkien certainly had a mastery of the language. But readers, both original and modern, have been shaped by this work of fiction.
In this episode we ask: Does The Lord of the Rings have any wisdom for us today? How do we rightly allow narratives to affect us? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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It’s been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. That is to say, even the seemingly purest motives can result in disaster and even evil. But if humans are inherently good, then why is that the case? Throughout history there have been multiple examples of movements that started out as a way to address ills of society, but ended up harming it instead. The common link? Humans.

J.R.R. Tolkien saw this up close and personal. Serving in the first World War, he saw first hand how corruptible mankind truly was. And not long after, they repeated their mistake in World War II. But, certainly, we’ve progressed since then, right?

In this episode, we ask: Is the idea behind the relationship between the corrupting Ring and the corruptible ringbearer still relevant today? What are our modern notions of the goodness/depravity of human beings? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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Film and literature are rarely, if ever, neutral. They are saturated with ideas of their creators and they invite the viewer or reader to think with them. What’s great about that interaction is that it is not bound by time. Stories that are decades removed from their original authors can be read by modern audiences and have a meaningful impact on their world.

The author of The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien, had some strong thoughts about the modernizing world, and they can be seen in his books. From his opinions about the disappearing countryside to his opposition to the mechanization of society, he was a bridge between an old world and an ever increasingly modern society. Modernization hasn’t stopped since The Fellowship of the Ring was first published in 1954 and we are still reading Tolkien’s books today.
In this episode we ask: How is The Lord of the Rings a commentary on our modern age? How does narrative act as both a mirror and a lens? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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As timeless as some works of art may be, they are still created within a particular time period, so they show signs of that period. That’s why adaptations of books into film are rarely, if ever, 100% faithful to the original work. The new presentation is modified for its contemporary audience. Some critics of The Lord of the Rings claim that the literary work implies outdated ideas about ethnic or racial groups through the way certain races of creatures in the book are described and characterized. Some have even gone as far as to call Tolkien himself a racist. And The Lord of the Rings is not the only work that has been accused of these things. 

In this episode we ask: Is The Lord of the Rings racist? How do we find value in literature that expresses the outdated views of the age of the author? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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The media we consume - whether it’s books, film, or music - have a way of shaping who we are. Not only that, but we shape those media based on how we view the world. It’s an interesting interconnectedness that defines how cultures function.

Christians, of course, aren’t separated from their culture. Rather, they are ingrained in it and have a part in being shaped by it as well as shaping it. The Lord of the Rings is a part of that phenomenon we call culture. It has shaped its readers and viewers, and those people have gone on to shape other aspects of culture because of it.

As we continue our conversation from last week we ask, why are Christians so obsessed with The Lord of the Rings? What other media are Christians obsessed with for good or bad? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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There are probably some books or films that have fundamentally shaped who you are as a person. Maybe it was a novel you read in elementary school. Maybe it was a film you watched as a young adult. Whatever it was, it shaped the way you viewed yourself and the world. Many consider J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to be one such work. Both the books and the films have captured the hearts and imaginations of generations. And they still hold up.

In the first episode of this series, we ask, why is The Lord of the Rings such a big deal? Why is narrative a big deal? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

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In this episode, Lucas and Reichert talk about a few questions listeners submitted after listening to the Bible series.

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Anything worthwhile takes work. That’s a common sentiment. High school teachers use it to encourage their students when they struggle to see the point in what they’re studying. Coaches use it to  inspire athletes to push past their limits. Those words can reframe an otherwise dreaded or seemingly impossible task. But we never think about it in connection with reading the Bible. It’s almost uncomfortable to think of reading the Bible as work. After all, if it’s God’s message to us, shouldn’t it be as easy as a conversation between two people?

If you’ve been listening to our Bible series, you know that really understanding the Bible takes more than reading a few chapters for thirty minutes. Actually, it takes a lifetime of reading and rereading, learning and relearning, interpreting and reinterpreting; meditating on Scripture. And the great thing is that it’s a never ending journey; the more you dig the more you find. The more you listen, the more clearly you’ll hear God’s voice through ancient writers.

In this final episode of our Bible series, we ask, is reading Scripture really this hard? If you don’t have an advanced degree, should you bother even trying to understand the Bible? Isn’t that what pastors are for? What are some avoidable mistakes when it comes to Bible reading and interpretation? All that and more on this edition of the podcast.

Leave us a short voice message or text message at (312) 725-2995.

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