Tolkien, Lewis, and the Gathering Storm, with Joseph Loconte in Nashville, TN

In the shadow of the Second World War, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis faced the growing darkness of their age with moral clarity. They understood the evil menacing the world. Yet rather than surrendering to despair, they turned to story and imagination, shaped by Christian faith, to offer timeless visions of goodness, beauty, and hope. How did these friends transform the crisis of their time into art, and why do their stories continue to speak so powerfully to us?

Our guide for this exploration will be historian Joseph Loconte. In his new book, The War for Middle-Earth: J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933–1945, he brings to life the extraordinary men and desperate times that forged The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. 

The Trinity Forum invites you to join us in Nashville on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m. CT for an Evening Conversation with Joseph Loconte, presented in partnership with Montgomery Bell Academy and St. Paul Christian Academy.

When: March 31, 2026

6:00 PM CT: Reception

6:30 PM CT: Program

Where: Montgomery Bell Academy

4001 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205

Registration: $15

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Friends

David and Janet Chestnut

Kevin and Jessica Douglas

David and Ashley Edwards

Jon and Laura Foster

Michael and Sarah Ruth Hendrix

Ed and Molly Powell

Gif and Anna Thornton

Chris and Eleanor Wells

Anonymous Donor

Corporate

EP Wealth Advisors

Sims|Funk PLC

Foundations

Charis Foundation, Inc

With additional thanks to Nelson Books.