Welcome to our Halloween interlude, as we take a one-episode hiatus from our Tolkien's Greatest Characters series. I was recently in Nashville and took the opportunity to record with the incomparable Jordan Daniel Wood. 

In this episode, Jordan and I discuss George MacDonald's essay "The Imagination: Its Function and Culture," explore the meaning and magic of wearing masks, and the nature of identity and reality — and, as always, we add a dash of hope and a bit of Maximus. 

Jordan Daniel Wood is Assistant Professor of Theology at Belmont University. He holds an M.A. from St. Louis University and a Ph.D. from Boston College, both in Historical Theology. His interests range from Greek patristic theology to modern philosophy, especially Idealism. He is married to Alexis, a registered nurse, with whom he has four wonderful daughters. 

Jordan is the author of the much-acclaimed The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus Confessor, available here: https://tinyurl.com/3k8xshj5 

Jordan also posts regularly on his Substack, "Words in Flesh"

https://jordandanielwood.substack.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486

Welcome to Episode Seven in our Tolkien's Greatest Characters series. Today's conversation is enlightening and uplifting, a discussion of the whimsical and winsome Tom Bombadil. 

Joining me today is Brian Zahnd. Brian is the founding pastor of Word of Life Church  in St. Joseph, Missouri. He is the author of twelve books; most recently the forthcoming "Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things".

https://substack.com/@brianzahnd

Welcome to Episode Six in our Tolkien's Greatest Characters Series. Today's conversation is an inspired yearning for the true nobility within it us all. Today's conversation features the king-to-be, Aragorn.

Today's guest is Robert Hulett. Robert is a former student of mine and a long-time friend. He and his wife Jessica have three children and re in the throes of the typical myteries and meanderings of young parents. 

Robert is a writer, an astute judge of cultural dynamics, and is a passionate defender of the pursuit of a godly life. He seeks to emulate Aragorn and believes that the example held out for us all in the character of the king-to-be provides humanity with a glimpse of our potential. 

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Welcome to Episode Five in our Tolkien's Greatest Characters Series. Today's conversation is a wide-ranging one, featuring the hobbit prince, Pippin. 

Today's guest is Bradley J. Birzer. Brad is the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and Professor of History, Hillsdale College. He loves his family, his college, western civilization, American history, the American west, biography, photography, and progressive rock music. 

In addition to Pippin, Bradley and I discuss American history, western civilization, heroic deeds, and the marvel of Tolkien's universe. 

Brad publishes at Substack: https://substack.com/@bradleyjbirzer

He is the author of two Tolkien-related books: 

J.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle Earth

https://tinyurl.com/4wu6crmy

Tolkien and the Inklings: Men of the West

https://tinyurl.com/dsatzyy4

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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tambika-Shield-Wisdom-Lightglider-Origins/dp/1645075486

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Welcome to Episode Four of Tolkien's Greatest Characters.

This week's episode is an insightful presentation of The Sea Bell, or Frodo's Dreame, the poem by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

Today's guest is Bret van den Brink. Bret is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, where he also earned his MA. He earned his BA, with Honors, at Trinity Western, Vancouver. Bret is a poet & lover of poetry from Spenser to Stevens. 

To learn more and read some of Bret's writings: https://linktr.ee/bretv

Follow Bret on X: https://x.com/BretVDB

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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

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Welcome to Episode Three of Tolkien's Greatest Characters. 

This week's episode is a lively conversation about Bilbo Baggins, the meaning and nature of place, and the opportunity for everyone to determine where their story ends. We touch on the Shire, the Ring, and Bilbo's journey There and Back Again!

Today's guest is Thalia Toha. Thalia is an architectural historian, geographer, and preservationist. She believes that everyone should be able to choose how their story ends, regardless of where they're placed in life. Her interest in studying hidden ways in which places impact people's story arcs led her from Princeton University to restoring 15,000 square foot town halls, to advising the development of food halls, to serving as a geography exhibit designer in Lafayette Museum. 

Thalia's insights have been featured on Architectural Digest, SELF magazine, and Homes & Gardens. When she's not busy with her interdisciplinary work, you can find her writing about the philosophy of places on:

https://storyarks.substack.com/about

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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to Episode Two of Tolkien's Greatest Characters. This week's episode is an inspiring discussion of Frodo Baggins, the humble hobbit thrust into a quest for the ages. 

Joining me is Dr. Andrew Snyder, a professor of philosophy and theology, author of the forthcoming book Divine Honour in the Lord of the Rings, host of the Mythic Mind Podcast, and leader of the Mythic Mind Fellowship, a Christian humanitites-based community.

Andrew enjoys discussing the wisdom found in stories from ancient myths to contemporary pop culture. He resides in Williamsburg, VA, with his wife and three children. 

Welcome to Episode One of our mega-series entitled Tolkien's Greatest Characters. Each week for the next sixteen weeks, we will host a conversation exploring the virtues, flaws, symbolism, and story development advanced by a unique character from the J.R.R. Tolkien Universe.

This week's episode is a lively conversation about The Narrator. Is the voice of the storyteller of The Lord of the Rings the voice of Tolkien? How does the Narrator advance the story, reveal aspects of Tolkien's worldview, and more. 

Dr. Sørina Higgins is an editor, author, English teacher, and writing consultant. Her scholarly interests inclue British & Irish modernism and magic, religion & literature, the Inklings, and Arthuriana. Dr. Higgins is currently writing a series of lectures on the Inklings for one of The Great Courses from The Teaching Company. 

Sørina has received a Clyde S. Kilby Research Grant from the Marion E. Wade Center for her forthcoming book The Oddest Inkling: An Introduction to Charles Williams, due out in 2026 from Apocryphile Press. She previously wrte and recorded C.S. Lewis: Writer, Scholar, Seeker, an Audible Original from The Teaching Company, and edited an academic essay collection entitled The Inklings and King Arthur. She is also the author of the blog The Oddest Inkling, devoted to the study of Charles Williams' works.

https://theoddestinkling.wordpress.com

https://wyrdhoard.com

"He moves in the dry chaff among the dust and slats of sunlight with a constrained truculence. Saxon and Celtic bloods. A child of God much like yourself perhaps."

Today's episode is a singular one, for a singular writer. This is a conversation about Cormac McCarthy, and his novel Child of God. This novel explores the uttermost depravity of humanity, and wrestles with the idea that "perhaps" Lester Ballard is a child of God like me...

Joining me for this conversation is the incomparable Joel J. Miller, of Miller's Book Review. http://millersbookreview.com/

Joel J. Miller is a former publishing executive with a twenty-year career in writing and editorial. Today he serves as chief content officer of Full Focus https://fullfocus.co/

and he publishes Miller's Book Review, a popular Substack celebrating literary culture. 

He is the author of several books, including The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future (forthcoming, November 2025). His writing has appeared in Reason, the Washington Post, American Spectator, and National Review. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, kids, dogs, and more books than space. 

Pre-Order Joel's latest book here:

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Today's episode flips the script. Turns the tables. I recently sat down with David Bates, host of Pints with Jack, a popular YouTube channel featuring C.S. Lewis and all things Inklings. 

We chatted about why I started the Plunge and how I came to explore Owen Barfield. 

I hope you'll enjoy this guest episode, and subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@PintsWithJack

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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y