Do American Christians live in the Shire? The answer is a stout "no" according to Miles Smith IV, professor of history at Hillsdale. To think otherwise is to give in to the Shire-ization of conservatism. Nate agrees that Christian families need to stop thinking like hobbit gardeners. Kids are not tomato plants, they're arrows. Should we be seeking to wait out our continent's troubles in our cozy, Wendell-Berry-esque corner of the world? Or do we have some deeper connection to the powerful, technological, urban centers of our nation? Nate and Miles talk about the impetus that Christians have to over-apply hobbit ideology to our world, and how they should be learning from Aragorn, Gondor, and Numenor. Brian pushes back a little -- wasn't Numenor the place with human sacrifice and heaven-hatred? Nate and Miles roll on, undeterred. The episode concludes with a few book recommends for those who want to enjoy something alongside Tolkien.
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