Brett Jeter

Did you know that The Karate Kid is the greatest cinematic portrayal of th gospel ever? Sam Emadi explains.

Outside of the Bible, what is the one book that has caused the most change, deep reflection, and/or transformation in your life?

“No one any longer celebrates the twenty-fifth of March, and Tolkien’s point is accordingly missed, as I think he intended. He inserted it only as a kind of signature, a personal mark of piety. However, as he knew perfectly well, in old English tradition, 25th March is the date of the Crucifixion, of the first Good Friday. As Good Friday is celebrated on a different day each year, Easter being a mobile date defined by the phases of the moon, the connection has been lost, except for one thing. In Gondor the New Year will always begin on 25th March. … One might note that in the Calendar of dates which Tolkien so carefully wrote out in Appendix B, December 25th is the day on which the Fellowship sets out from Rivendell. The main action of The Lord of the Rings takes place, then, in the mythic space between Christmas, Christ’s birth, and the crucifixion, Christ’s death.” –Tom Shippey, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, 208–9.