The Hobbit; an unexpected theological journey

As the latest Warner Bros fantasy blockbuster, The Hobbit, hits the cinema screens, Dr Alison Milbank of the University's Department of Theology and Religious Studies, offers her insights into J.R.R.Tolkien and his famous novel. The film based on the adventures of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions will, she says, fulfil deeper needs in modern society than pure entertainment.

[@gabriellebaalke6704]

I absolutely adore Alison Milbank and find her approach to Tolkien, Chesterton, Catholicism and theology empowering and refreshing. This is one of my favorite talks on Tolkien and I find that nearly everything A. Milbank does is worth watching or reading.

[@Starover77]

An enjoyable talk, but for someone who is a Doctor of Theology, I really didn't hear much about genuine theological issues. It seems more like a talk about secular humanism. No mention of morality, despite touching on ethics. I would like to have heard more about how the "Journey" changed Bilbo, and how this kind of change can be interpreted as a spiritual growth -- which we as readers can derive some "lessons" from.

[@johnbarrysargent]

A Dogme 'The Lord of the Rings'? Bring it on!

[@strumbore88]

@ 4:14 yeeeah but there's a difference between dividing pile of gold between its liberators and seizing it from the people who earned it.
Free markets (capitalism) is hardly an extreme.

[@SATMathReview1234]

At the heart of socialism, like all evil, is the will to dominate. Socialist are never content to go out and live in a commune of their own making. They must steal from the unwilling