Joseph Loconte

State Privilege Won’t Save a Faith

Proponents of religious economy theory point to evidence suggesting that religious adherence decreases when a government actively promotes a church or hinders other beliefs.

From the Trenches to the Shire & Narnia: Review of Joseph Loconte’s A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War
From the Trenches to Narnia: Review of Loconte’s A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War

While Lewis and Tolkien’s faith and contributions are well-known, most do not realize they both fought in the First World War as young men. Even fewer recognize how their time in the western front’s trenches influenced their faith and later works. However, in A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War, Providence senior editor Joseph Loconte explains in his typical, approachable prose how the war affected these two men deeply and how those experiences influenced their writings and faith.

Game of Thrones vs. Lord of the Rings: Tolkien’s Time at War Gave Him True Moral Realism
Game of Thrones vs. Lord of the Rings: Tolkien’s Time at War Gave Him True Moral Realism

Contrary to detractors like George R.R. Martin who say that Tolkien’s works are simplistic with a black and white view of morality, Tolkien wasn’t oblivious to how terrible the world can be, having been on the front line of the First World War.