The Russell Moore Show Joseph Loconte on the War for Middle Earth
Joseph Loconte, a historian and author specializing in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, delves into how the tumult of World Wars shaped these legendary writers. He discusses the origins of their friendship and how their works offer a counter to cynicism amid despair. Loconte highlights Lewis's warnings about modern media's 'cataract of nonsense' and contrasts Tolkien’s sustained faith against Lewis's early skepticism. They argue that fantasy isn’t merely escapism, but a lens for uncovering truths, promoting grace, and fostering meaningful friendships.
53:29
Deeds Not Wholly In Vain
- Great deeds performed amid sorrow and darkness have lasting, non‑vain significance.
- Joseph Loconte argues Lewis and Tolkien affirm biblical realism that choices for good ripple into eternity.
War Bracketed Their Imaginations
- World War I and II bracketed Tolkien's and Lewis's lives and deeply shaped their imaginations.
- Loconte shows their wartime experiences made fantasy a deliberate counter‑assault on modern cynicism.
Origins In The Trenches
- Tolkien began writing while in the trenches and pushed back against interwar disillusionment.
- Lewis started as an atheist in the foxholes and later converted with Tolkien's influence.
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Intro
00:00 • 1min
Why imagination fights despair
01:19 • 4min
World War I's imprint on their lives
05:32 • 2min
Differing wartime reactions: Tolkien and Lewis
07:39 • 2min
Tolkien, theodicy, and the temptation of power
09:15 • 4min
Lewis on propaganda and the 'cataract of nonsense'
13:24 • 3min
Origins of the Lewis–Tolkien friendship
16:50 • 3min
Finding purposeful friendship
19:31 • 3min
Narnia and Middle-earth compared
22:33 • 3min
War imagery in their battle scenes
25:21 • 2min
Ad break
27:34 • 13sec
Authors responding to totalitarianism
27:47 • 4min
Screwtape and diagnosing modern moral failures
31:23 • 2min
Fantasy as clarity, not escape
33:37 • 2min
Stories as parables and evangelism
35:11 • 2min
Would these books publish today?
37:01 • 3min
That Hideous Strength and prophetic warnings
39:33 • 1min
Mortality's urgency in their work
40:37 • 5min
Cultivating moral imagination today
45:42 • 2min
Where to start with Lewis and Tolkien
47:57 • 2min
Do film adaptations help the books?
50:18 • 1min
Outro
51:42 • 2min
#24163
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War
Joseph Loconte
#26997
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The War for Middle-Earth
J.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1930 to 1945
Joseph Loconte
#6
• Mentioned in 466 episodes
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R. R.
Tolkien, is an epic high fantasy novel set in Middle-earth.
The story follows Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo.
The Ring, forged by Sauron, holds the power to control all other Rings of Power and must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom to prevent Sauron's return.
Frodo is joined by a fellowship of other characters, including Gandalf the Grey, Samwise Gamgee, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir, as they embark on a dangerous quest across Middle-earth.
The novel explores themes of good vs.
evil, the corrupting influence of power, and the struggle between fate and free will.
#664
• Mentioned in 44 episodes
The Four Loves
C.S. Lewis
In 'The Four Loves', C.S.
Lewis examines the nature of love from a Christian and philosophical perspective.
He categorizes love into four types based on ancient Greek words: *storge* (affection), *philia* (friendship), *eros* (romantic love), and *agape* (the love of God).
Lewis discusses the characteristics, strengths, and potential pitfalls of each type of love, emphasizing the importance of understanding and balancing these loves to avoid corruption and to draw closer to God. He also explores the distinction between 'need-love' and 'gift-love' and how these concepts relate to human experiences and divine love.
#238
• Mentioned in 89 episodes
The Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis
#1238
• Mentioned in 28 episodes
The fellowship of the ring
J.R.R Tolkien
In this epic novel, Frodo Baggins inherits the One Ring from his cousin Bilbo and learns from the wizard Gandalf that it must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom to prevent Sauron's return to power.
Joined by a fellowship of eight other members, including Gandalf, Sam Gamgee, Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Merry and Pippin, Frodo sets out on a treacherous journey across Middle-earth.
The Fellowship faces numerous challenges, including treacherous landscapes, ferocious enemies, and internal conflicts, as they strive to complete their mission and save their world from darkness.
#14161
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Learning in War-Time
C.S. Lewis
In 'Learning in War-Time', C.S.
Lewis defends the value of traditional humanistic learning during times of crisis.
Delivered as a sermon on October 22, 1939, at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Oxford, Lewis addresses the question of whether educational pursuits are justified in the face of war.
He argues that learning is an essential part of human nature and that it should not be postponed until all life is secure.
Lewis identifies three enemies to scholarly work during wartime: excitement (distraction), frustration (feeling of not having enough time), and fear (of death and suffering).
He advocates for self-control, faith, and sobriety as responses to these challenges, emphasizing that learning is crucial for personal and societal growth, even in times of crisis.
#1334
• Mentioned in 27 episodes
All Quiet on the Western Front
Erich Maria Remarque
The novel is narrated by Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier who enlists in the army along with his classmates.
It vividly depicts the horrors of trench warfare, the disillusionment with patriotic ideals, and the psychological toll of war on the soldiers.
The book follows Paul's experiences from the brutal training to the front lines, where he witnesses the death of his friends and grapples with the meaninglessness of war.
The novel is a powerful anti-war statement, highlighting the futility and devastating consequences of war on individuals and society.
#1330
• Mentioned in 27 episodes
Out of the Silent Planet
C.S. Lewis
In 'Out of the Silent Planet', Dr. Elwin Ransom, a philologist, is kidnapped by his old school acquaintance Dick Devine and the scientist Edward Weston.
They take him aboard a spaceship bound for Malacandra (Mars).
Upon landing, Ransom escapes and encounters the planet's inhabitants, including the humanoid hrossa and the angelic eldil.
He learns that Earth is isolated from the rest of the solar system and eventually meets Oyarsa, the ruler of Malacandra.
After a series of adventures and interactions with the planet's diverse species, Ransom is directed to return to Earth along with his captors, who are ordered to leave Malacandra immediately.
#7020
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
The Fall of Gondolin
J.R.R Tolkien
The Fall of Gondolin is one of Tolkien's three 'Great Tales' from the First Age of Middle-earth.
The story revolves around the city of Gondolin, founded by King Turgon, which remains hidden for centuries before being betrayed and destroyed by Morgoth.
The narrative follows Tuor, guided by the sea-god Ulmo, as he journeys to Gondolin, marries Turgon's daughter Idril, and fathers Eärendel.
The book includes various versions of the story, showing its evolution over the years, and is illustrated by Alan Lee.
#6
• Mentioned in 466 episodes
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R. R.
Tolkien, is an epic high fantasy novel set in Middle-earth.
The story follows Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherits the One Ring from his uncle Bilbo.
The Ring, forged by Sauron, holds the power to control all other Rings of Power and must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom to prevent Sauron's return.
Frodo is joined by a fellowship of other characters, including Gandalf the Grey, Samwise Gamgee, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir, as they embark on a dangerous quest across Middle-earth.
The novel explores themes of good vs.
evil, the corrupting influence of power, and the struggle between fate and free will.
#122
• Mentioned in 138 episodes
The Screwtape Letters
C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters is a Christian apologetic novel written in a satirical, epistolary style.
It consists of 31 letters from Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to 'Our Father Below' (the Devil), to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon tasked with securing the damnation of an ordinary young man.
The letters provide advice on various methods of undermining God's influence and promoting abandonment of God, while offering insights into human nature and the Bible.
The book is a profound and striking narrative on spiritual warfare and the power of the devil, highlighting the subtle forms of sin such as vanity, pride, and distraction that can lead humans away from God.
#75465
Spirits in Bondage
C.S. Lewis
C. S.
Lewis's "Spirits in Bondage" is a collection of poems written during his early years as an atheist.
The poems reflect his struggles with faith, his experiences during World War I, and his exploration of philosophical and spiritual questions.
The collection is a significant part of Lewis's literary development, showcasing his poetic talent and his intellectual journey.
The poems offer a glimpse into the mind of a young man grappling with profound questions of meaning and purpose.
The collection's exploration of doubt and the search for truth provides a valuable context for understanding Lewis's later works.
We begin 2026 with a question: What if the most decisive battles in our time aren’t fought with ballots or bombs—but with the imagination?Watch the full conversation on YouTube
Russell Moore talks with historian and author Joseph Loconte about The War for Middle-earth, his book on how World War I and World War II forged the friendship, faith, and fiction of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Together they explore why The Lord of the Rings and Narnia weren’t escapist detours from reality, but a deliberate counter-assault on cynicism, propaganda, and the will to power—written by men who had seen the trenches up close and knew exactly what modern darkness looks like.
Loconte and Moore talk about why World War I has slipped from our cultural memory, what protected Tolkien from the disillusionment that swallowed so many of his peers, and why both writers keep insisting that deeds done in the dark are “not wholly in vain.” They also discuss Lewis’s warning about the “cataract of nonsense” in modern media, and why genuine friendship is almost never built by chasing “community”—but by pursuing a shared mission so compelling you find yourself fighting alongside someone.
Loconte shares the origin story of the Lewis–Tolkien friendship, why grace—not grit—is the hinge point in both Middle-earth and Narnia, and where to start if you’ve never read either author: The Screwtape Letters for Lewis, and Tolkien’s short, haunting “Leaf by Niggle.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
By J.R.R. Tolkien
-
“Beren and Lúthien” (legendarium story)
By C.S. Lewis
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Spirits in Bondage (early poetry collection)
-
“Learning in Wartime” (sermon/essay)
By Joseph Loconte
Other Literary & Historical Works Referenced
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All Quiet on the Western Front — Erich Maria Remarque
-
Paradise Lost — John Milton
-
The Odyssey — Homer
-
The Aeneid — Virgil
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The Divine Comedy — Dante
Plato’s Cave (from The Republic) — Plato
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