J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth appears at once breathtakingly beautiful yet violently marred. The sublime emerges from Tolkien’s world having been created by a beauty-loving God; the scar from the rebellion of the angelic ranks against God. This rebellion is played out among the peoples of Middle-earth—Elves, Dwarves, and Men—who languish in a twilight world enduring, in Tolkien’s words, “a long defeat.” Despite this, Tolkien did not create a world destined for a tragic end, but rather one filled with hope. Christians likewise confront dragons in many forms and at many turns. What do the elves, dwarves, and men and women of Middle-earth teach us about the life of faith and virtue? How can we as Christians profit from reading fantastic and mythic literature? And should Christians mimic Tolkien by creating their own worlds that are both unreal but also thoroughly Christian? These questions (and many more) will be the focus of "Confronting Dragons: Christian Hope in Tolkien and Fantasy Literature.”

We are very excited to announce the college accredited 2018 Summer Scholars Program, hosted by the St. Basil Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture (being run in conjunction with the Templeton Honors College): Confronting Dragons: Christian Hope in Tolkien and Fantasy Literature! The program is geared to high school students. This year, we will be focusing our time on discussing Christian hope in Tolkien and other fantasy literature. We believe this program would be an excellent fit for many Orthodox Christian students. Check here for more details