The works of J.RR. Tolkien have not only redefined a genre of literature and had a far-reaching impact on culture in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, but his name has joined the ranks of authors such as Shakespeare, Milton, Dostoevsky, Donne, and Dickens—authors who make us think differently about the world, including the creator of the world and the meaning of life. In Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology, an international group of scholars consider what Tolkien’s works (and Jackson’s interpretations) can teach us about living out our theology in the world. From essays on Tolkien’s insights into community, what we can learn about our spiritual senses from encounters with the Nazgûl, the pastoral wisdom of Treebeard, and the theological value of food—including second breakfasts—we invite you to journey with us through Middle-earth as we engage the applicability of Tolkien’s works for theology and our world.

Examines the relevant but often overlooked New Testament texts

Biblical Foundations Book Awards Runner up and Finalist How did the apostles understand the Old Testament? Although relatively few in number, the New Testament's explicit summaries of the Old Testament story of Israel give readers direct access into the way the earliest Christians told this story--that is to say, into the way they did biblical theology. This stimulating New Studies in Biblical Theology volume examines the passages in the Synoptic Gospels, Acts, Paul's letters, and Hebrews which recount the characters, events, and institutions of Israel's story in chronological order and at substantial length. The authors demonstrate just how valuable a lens these summaries provide for a clearer vision of the earliest Christians' practice of biblical theology. In doing so, they also show how contemporary readers can and should follow the apostles' example. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.