J. R. R. Tolkien Notes How Good Foils Evil

Author J. R. R. Tolkien once wrote in a letter:

"No man can estimate what is really happening at the present. All we do know, and that to a large ...

TV's Flawed "Heroes" Challenge Morality

Shows like HBO's hit "The Sopranos" and FX's stark cop drama "The Shield" have introduced TV viewers to a new kind of protagonist. ...

"The Fellowship of the Ring": The Seductive Power of Sin

In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins passes on to Frodo a coveted ring.

Gollum, one of the original ...

Human Capacity for Evil

Perhaps belief in the biblical doctrine of depravity is making a comeback. Even before the September 11 attack on America, a Newsweek cover story focused ...

"Dorian Gray": Picture of Sin

Dorian Gray, based on an Oscar Wilde novel, is about a young, hedonistic British aristocrat of the late 1800s, Dorian Gray, who commissions his friend, ...

Father's Hand Rescues Us

One of the most powerful images of my wife's childhood came when she and a neighbor girl were playing in some woods behind their homes. The neighbor ...

"It's a Wonderful Life": Resisting Temptation

The classic film It's a Wonderful Life celebrates George Bailey's contribution to his community. George, played by Jimmy Stewart, is a generous ...

"The Lion King": Substitutionary Sacrifice

Disney's animation The Lion King portrays the primal struggle between good and evil through its main character. Simba, a cub on his way to becoming ...

Satan: Appearances Are Deceiving

In a classic "Twilight Zone" episode from 1960, an American on a walking trip through central Europe gets caught in a raging storm. Staggering ...

Standing for What's Right

Martin Niemoeller, a World War I hero in Germany, was imprisoned for eight years by Hitler. He spent time in prisons and concentration camps, including ...