Tolkien Heads

Alright Tolkien Heads, this one's important. Dr. Craig Boyd joins us to dig into Tolkien's political philosophy and—look, we gotta talk about how the alt-right has been trying to claim Tolkien as one of their own, which is just... no. Craig offers a much-needed corrective by actually reading what the man wrote and believed. The heart of the conversation is this contrast between Gandalf and Saruman as two models of leadership: one rooted in service and humility, the other in domination and control. And yeah, this feels pretty relevant right now. We get into why the easy path of controlling people is so seductive, and why the harder road—actually loving and respecting the folks you're leading—is what builds real community. Saruman thought he could use the enemy's tools for good ends; spoiler alert, it doesn't work that way. Power-hoarding corrupts everything it touches. Gandalf shows us another way: sacrifice, humility, genuine care for human flourishing over accumulating influence. Whether you're a Tolkien nerd, into political philosophy, or just trying to figure out what faithful leadership looks like in this moment, this one's for you. ⁠You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube⁠ UPCOMING ONLINE ADVENT CLASS w/ Diana Butler Bass⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join us for a transformative four-week Advent journey exploring how the four gospels speak their own revolutionary word against empire—both in their ancient context under Roman occupation and for our contemporary world shaped by capitalism, militarism, and nationalism. This course invites you into an alternative calendar and rhythm. We'll discover how these ancient texts of resistance offer wisdom for our own moment of political turmoil, economic inequality, and ecological crisis. This class is donation-based, including 0. You can sign-up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.HomebrewedClasses.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 70,000other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a special episode recorded live at Theology Beer Camp, as we head to Middle Earth with our resident Tolkien Head, Nick Polk and renowned Tolkien scholar Craig Boyd. Boyd opens the session with a deep look at the life of Gandalf and the nature of virtue in Tolkien's world, followed by a compelling conversation on how these themes apply to our lives. The conversation is rich with insights on Gandalf's wisdom, his compassionate leadership, and the deep connections between Tolkien’s characters and biblical figures like Moses. They discuss the amplification of one’s inherent abilities through symbols like Gandalf's ring and explore the deeply intertwined themes of home, adventure, and the ultimate good. The session concludes with emotional reflections and a heartfelt toast celebrating the power of friendship and hope. Get ready to be inspired and perhaps consider joining Theology Beer Camp in St. Paul, Minnesota from October 16-18. Enjoy the journey! Theology Beer Camp | St. Paul, MN | October 16-18, 2025 3 Days of Craft Nerdiness with 50+ Theologians & God-Pods and 600 new friends. A Five-Week Online Lenten Class w/ John Dominic Crossan Join us for a transformative 5-week Lenten journey on "Paul the Pharisee: Faith and Politics in a Divided World."This course examines the Apostle Paul as a Pharisee deeply engaged with the turbulent political and religious landscape of his time. Through the lens of his letters and historical context, we will explore Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ Life-Vision, his interpretation of the Execution-and-Resurrection, and their implications for nonviolence and faithful resistance against empire. Each week, we will delve into a specific aspect of Paul’s theology and legacy, reflecting on its relevance for our own age of autocracy and political turmoil. . For details and to sign-up for any donation, including 0, head over here. _____________________ Hang with 40+ Scholars & Podcasts and 600 people at Theology Beer Camp 2025 (Oct. 16-18) in St. Paul, MN. This podcast is a Homebrewed Christianity production. Follow the Homebrewed Christianity, Theology Nerd Throwdown, & The Rise of Bonhoeffer podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 80,000 other people by joining our Substack - Process This! Get instant access to over 45 classes at www.TheologyClass.com Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick & Tripp gather to nerd out about episode 5 of The Rings of Power! WATCH the conversation on YouTube Follow the Tolkien fun at https://tolkienpop.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick & Tripp gathered to nerd out after the in 4th episode drop of Rings of Power season 2! Since Tom Bombadil has arrived they got their friend Tom to join. You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube. Keep up with all the Tolkien fun on Nick's Tolkien Pop substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick & Tripp gathered to nerd out after the initial 3 episode drop of Rings of Power season 2! You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube. Keep up with all the Tolkien fun on Nick's Tolkien Pop substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the request of Durin the 4th, Nick & Tripp give you the meat and give it to you raw... well, at least it was fun. The Tolkien Heads team is going to be live-streaming our way through the new season of ROP, and this is us getting hyped for the fresh season. You can WATCH this conversation on YouTube. Keep up with all the Tolkien fun on Nick's Tolkien Pop substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I hope that no matter where you are in life, you have been able to enjoy the holiday season by eating good food, spending time with friends and family, or at least getting some rest. If the holidays don’t tend to provide comfort, then you can escape and take shelter in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy with Nick Polk from Tolkien Pop! as well as Tolkien Scholar Dr. Craig Boyd! As we enter the eye of the storm that is the holiday season, we will kick off our run of Christmas movies with The Lord of the Rings (the extended editions, of course). Because, in fact, The Lord of the Rings are Christmas movies. The Fellowship is led by a supernatural man with a white beard, the company departs from Rivendell to begin their quest on December 25th (Christmas Day), and there are plenty of Elves to go around! To solidify the argument even further, Tolkien wrote his children Letters from Father Christmas (Santa Claus) every year during the Christmas season in their adolescence. In these letters, Tolkien told of Santa and his elves fighting off a goblin army. We even see glimpses of Tolkien’s invented Elvish language script in the letters. The legendarium was partly developed in and through a Christmas fantasy world sandbox. We talk about all these things and more as a sort of “pregame” into our Christmas Movie Marathon and will come back with another “postgame” livestream with Dr. Craig Boyd and some other special guests that you won’t wanna miss. So, with all that said, let’s go on a Middle-earth Christmas adventure! Craig A. Boyd is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Saint Louis University. Among the books he has published are The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction, with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University, 2021), Virtues and Their Vices, co-edited with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University Press, 2014), and A Shared Morality: A Narrative Defense of Natural Law Ethics (Brazos Press, 2007). His scholarly articles have appeared in such venues as The Heythrop Journal, Christian Scholar’s Review, Christianity & Literature, New Blackfriars, and American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. Nick Polk (Tolkien Pop!) is the production editor for Mallorn, the academic journal of The Tolkien Society. His most recent research includes his essay entitled “Middle-earth in South Park: The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers as Parody.” Other than Tolkien, his other loves include his wife Kelly, coffee, and punk. Nothing sounds better than starting the day reading a Tolkien book with a cup of coffee and ending it in a moshpit with loved ones. One Stream to Rule them ALL: Prepping for a LOTR Christmas Movie Marathon https://t.co/xCDvZ3ZIHv — Theology Nerd (@HomebrewedXnty) November 30, 2023 Join Our Upcoming Advent Class, The Cosmic Christ Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Today J.R.R. Tolkien turns 131! My buddy and pro-Tolkien nerd Nick Polk joined me to share a toast to Tolkien and reflect on a passage we selected as we enter a new year. After the toast, you will hear our special Tolkien Heads session from Theology Beer Camp, which was a bunch of fun. Nick Polk is the production editor for Mallorn, the academic journal of The Tolkien Society. His most recent research includes his essay entitled “Middle-earth in South Park: The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers as Parody.” Other than Tolkien, his other loves include his wife Kelly, coffee, and punk. Nothing sounds better than starting the day reading a Tolkien book with a cup of coffee and ending it in a moshpit with loved ones. Experiencing God: an Open Online Class Kick off the new year with a nerdy good time. The next Homebrewed class will be a robust exploration of how the tools of science, philosophy, and theology help us discern meaning from divine encounters. We’ll discuss God-experiences as mediated through faith communities, the mind, nature, the Bible, psychedelics, and more. And we’ll do all this with an eye towards the future, exploring the possibilities for how a lived-theology could express itself in the world. Check it out here. Here’s the trailer for Experiencing God (the online class) Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Tolkien Heads pack their pipes and get ready to nerd out as they take a look back at the first season of Rings of Power. Go grab lots of nerdy Tolkien goodness at www.TolkienHeadPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the Tolkien Heads class Mariana Rios Maldonado completed her undergraduate studies in Literature and Spanish Linguistics at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Mexico, and her master’s degree in Comparative Literature at the Peter Szondi Institute in Berlin’s Freie Universität. Her research focuses on the influence of Germanic mythology and culture in contemporary literature, Germanophonic fantastic literature between the 18thand 20th centuries, as well as J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary production. Mariana is currently a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures of the University of Glasgow with the research project ?“Ethics, Femininity and the Encounter with the Other in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Narratives”, funded by the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) as well as Mexico’s National Foundation for Fine Arts and Literature (Fundación INBA). She is the Equality and Diversity Officer for the University of Glasgow?’s Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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