“J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth – a place filled with elves, hobbits, evil spirits, and talking trees – might seem like a form of escapism from the world we live in today, but according to Ralph Wood, that fairy-tale world actually allows readers to face reality. Wood, professor of Christian theology and literature at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, explained some of his views on Tolkien’s work at Campbell University’s 2004 Annual Lecture Symposium on March 30. Wood is the author of the book, ‘The Gospel According to Tolkien…'”