I listened to a podcast recently on the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two 20th century English authors (Lindsay Mast interviewing Joseph Loconte, The World and Everything In It, link below). Specifically, the discussion centered on the context of their friendship and a shared mission that developed. They were Oxford professors building a friendship in the 1930’s, as British foundational beliefs in humanity, Judeo-Christian values and human purpose declined, followed by isolationism and apathy toward Hitler’s rise in power, before eventually facing the threat of German invasion, the terror of the bombing of London.
Into this time period, the two men, Lewis and Tolkien, forged a deep relationship, grappling with the problems of their day, concerned about the demise of a classic Christian worldview, and asking how in their university setting with their limited assets they could fight back. They agreed they could write! They could write stories reflecting the great story; stories that demonstrated goodness over evil, fighting for what is right, heroism in a pure form. The result was Lewis’s space trilogy Out of the Silent Planet and Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Armed with their thoughts and a pen (or a typewriter) they produced a mighty advance, “a beachhead of resistance against the ideological madness that is (was) all around them.” (Loconte)
The modern acclaim for these two esteemed intellectual authors clouds the reality that they really didn’t start with much. They could only endeavor to take a stab at a large and looming moral collapse with the sword of their pen, their writing skills (Ephesians 2 v 10 ). But oh my, how God used and continues to use their stories to point readers to God’s redemptive story, the real savior, Jesus Christ!
Using what you have, the competence and forte of your background, your mind, and your heart, to participate in God’s kingdom is the call of Christ followers. Years ago, I heard Rick Warren preach a sermon on Moses’ calling. When Moses, joined by his brother Aaron, did not think he had much to offer as God called him, he was asked what they had on hand. Aaron held a staff or a walking stick, and the Lord told him to throw it down, where it immediately became a live, writhing snake! God used Moses’ one asset when Moses was willing to respond.
This is what I pray for myself in the New Year: in interviewer Lindsay Mast’s words to “meet the forces of evil in starting where we are and doing what we can with what we have.” Loconte agreed, quoting Ecclesiastes, “Cast your bread upon the waters.” (Ecclesiastes 11 v 1) Blessings and Godspeed for your 2026 endeavors, Brenda
https://wng.org/podcasts/oxfords-inklings-and-the-christian-imagination-1764950179, Lindsay Mast interviewing Joseph Loconte for The World and Everything In It, wng.org, 12/06/2025.
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