Tolkien Pop! at Theology Beer Camp
Hey there Tolkien Poppers!
The road goes ever on and I’ve been on that road for a little while now in terms of traveling. Two weeks ago I spent an amazing week in Italy and this past weekend I got the amazing chance—if chance you call it—to attend my third Theology Beer Camp in a row! There was enough ale to satisfy even a Hobbit’s thirst (maybe), deep conversations around conceptual and practical theologies and philosophies, and the meeting of old and new friends. And, of course, we had a Tolkien session, where we had the privilege of hearing Craig Boyd discuss the wizards of Middle-earth and how their wisdom and wandering intermingle and relate to biblical characters like Moses and Jesus.
But before I share photos and more about Craig’s talk at Theology Beer Camp, I want to tell you about an upcoming livestream at a digital pub, if you will, where I will be hanging out with Matthew Distefano from the Heretic Happy Hour podcast and Quoir this Sunday, October 27th at 12pm CST/1pm EST on the QuoirCast Network: https://youtube.com/@quoircastnetwork2404?si=Avc3wf5nPuiK_R0Q
This post is brought to you Heretic Happy Hour. Are you tired of mainstream religious podcasts that dodge the real questions? Tune in to Heretic Happy Hour, where we tackle the burning questions—not people! With our main show every Tuesday—which features panelists like Rainn Wilson, David Bentley Hart, Lisa Sharon Harper, Bart Ehrman, and many more—a bonus show every Friday, and a livestream every Sunday in the Heresy After Hours Facebook group, we’re here for all the faith seekers ready to challenge the status quo. Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts, and join the conversation that's redefining faith.
Now onto the rest of the post!
Beer Camp kicked off with a host of pregaming events, including a Middle-earth-inspired Dungeons and Dragon session DMed by yours truly. I even dressed up like a Hobbit to perform my Dungeon Master duties as if I was reading from The Red Book of Westmarch itself!
Photo by Emily Arnold Photo
Our journey began in a glade near the Misty Mountains, shortly following the events at Amon Sûl or Weathertop, where Frodo was stabbed by a Morgul blade. Fair warning, this is where I took creative liberties as a DM. In this glade, a collection of those who are making their way to Rivendell such as Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Gloin encounter one another. Aragorn and the Elf Erestor, who is an advisor to Elrond at the Council that happens later, run into the group of travelers as they scout the surrounding area for bands of Orcs that may be running around.
They are immediately ambushed by a small band of Orcs and our players roll for initiative. It was a long and strenuous battle with failed acrobatics by Legolas, hilarious magic from Erestor, and badass Dwarf tag team with our Gimli shouting “Baruk Khazâd!” every time he rolled for an attack. This led to a map that led to a troll cave, which led to a miniboss battle with Gollum. Overall it was a great game. We had first-time players, seasoned vets, and even a player who brought a genuine Dungeons and Dragons First Edition set with their name in the acknowledgement segment from Gary Gygax himself!
The next day, we hosted Craig Boyd for the second year in row for our session on Tolkien for the Geek Stage venue of the event. Think Vans Warped Tour with different stages, but for philosophers, theologians, and pop culture nerds of various dispositions.
With an almost filled room, Craig explored how the Istari, i.e., the Wizards, in Tolkien’s legendarium were made and sent by Eru Ilúvatar to use their power to travel across Middle-earth, inspire others to unite against Sauron, and bolster those with less power. The only wizard to realize this embodiment is Gandalf. He is the only one who wanders with wonder as well as purpose, whereas Saruman becomes stationary—and Radagast and the Blue Wizards wander in a way that seems aimless or distracted from the original purpose. The wisdom is found in the wandering because in the wandering, Gandalf builds relationships with all the peoples of Middle-earth, providing support and powerful camaraderie to Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits. Without sounding too cliché, “Not all who wander are lost,” for there is fellowship and creative and loving action in the wandering. Craig pointed out that Mithrandir means “the Grey Wanderer.”
After taking some top tier questions from our Theology Beer Camp fellowship,
closed out the session with a tear-jerking toast that called us to remember that our stories cannot be defined without those we find ourselves in relation with—specifically, those that we love. Invoking the bond between Sam and Frodo and the euchatastrophe embedded within Tolkien’s writing, we toasted and cried together.
Much happened in between DND and the Tolkien sesh, but Tolkien had the last word at the end of Theology Beer Camp. I created a Tolkien-inspired liturgy, where we sang Golden Leaves by Bear McCreary—in the Quenya! This was performed by the amazing James and Alex McGrath on piano and violin and Janel Ramsey on vocals. We had an invocation, congregational readings from various legendarium works, and a benediction worthy of for the halls of Kings and Hobbits alike.
Overall, it was an amazing weekend filled with pressing dialogue, the building and reinforcing of friendships, and hope for a better tomorrow, where we can safely hold our loved ones and reconvene for a pint—and possibly, second pint. Cheers, everyone.
The Tolkien Pop! library is live! Found in the “about” section of the Tolkien Pop! Substack, you can check out some of the books on Tolkien I have and am reading as well as those that I have reviewed. Checkout the library page here and see if anything strikes your fancy: https://tolkienpop.substack.com/about
I had a fantastic time here. NICK! Just subscribed to substack.
1. Are there plans to produce more Rings of Power episodes for this season?
2. Are there plans to release the audio from the stage at Theology Beer Camp?
🤘