Monday, March 25, 2019
Book Review
A Hobbit Devotional; Bilbo Baggins and the Bible; Ed Strauss
The title is the explanation of the content. The author walks through each chapter of The Hobbit blending scenes from the book with relevant Bible verses and stories to aid in self reflection and inspiration for the Christian. Devotionals are always very short so each "chapter" is only about one (full sized) page of reading and if you read only one chapter a day it would almost last the entire year, minus weekends and major holidays. Light reading; a good bedside table book.
I liked it wholeheartedly and I don't want to give the impression that I didn't. I'm just skittish about all commentaries, teachers, or even study guides that employ secular content such as a popular book or movies series that have basic good vs. bad themes as an aid for teaching the Bible. So the only caveat I would impose on recommending this is that you be secure in your beliefs and faith first, having a firm grasp of the lessons of the Bible on more than just casual level. No one knows better than me that sometimes it takes something outside of the Bible to reach the heart or mind first. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet" was crucial to my spiritual awakening. But I worry that many people tend to worship the outside influences as having more significance or authority than Biblical teachings because they're easier to ingest. So along with devotionals like these, make sure you're reading the entirety of your Bibles as well and studying it with someone who is learned in the complexities of it.
That being said it's a cool little book and I do recommend it for reflection, pondering, and light meditation.
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