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His family and friends called him by his second given name, Ronald, but his first name was John, in honor of his patron saint, John the Evangelist. And when J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Books that have now spawned The Movies, his work was deeply colored by the convictions of his Roman Catholic faith.

Wheaton College (IL) professor Clyde Kilby once sent Tolkien a paper by a professor in New South Wales that argued, "At every point, the human dynamics of The Lord of the Rings are drawn from the tradition ascribed to Christ's redemptive activity." Tolkien wrote back to Kilby that this was true, though not always conscious on his part. Later Tolkien wrote to a friend of his, a priest, "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision."

But when Christian History recently polled readers of our website on how "Christian" Tolkien's writing seemed to be, some just didn't see it. "Although I have no question that Tolkien was a devout Christian, and I thoroughly enjoy his works," said one, "I have no idea how anyone can suggest they are 'Christian.'" Another agreed: "I still don't really see a Christ-like figure portrayed or anything that clearly outlines the Gospel of salvation."

Some even worried aloud that attempts to read Christian meaning from Tolkien's stories might have harmful results: "Tolkien's masterpiece … should not be pored over by overly-tolerant Christians out to discover its supposed spirituality. Mythology has its place, but it is not theology, and the two should never be confused." Or again, "I just hope that parents and teachers/leaders are wise enough to teach all those who they influence, to recognize that reality and truth are not found in fantasy."

The fairest way to put the relationship between Tolkien's fictional writings and his Christianity may be this: In the characters and situations of his "new myth," Tolkien naturally reflected the Christian grace he had experienced in his own life as a devout Roman Catholic.

This grace emerges in the story not as an explicit apologetic or even an allegory, but rather in two other ways: First, in the long, legendary history of Middle-earth—a realm that had always dwelt under the threat of evil and the assurance of providential care. Second, in the trials, sins, and virtues of the characters themselves.

Tolkien's Silmarillion allows us to look inside the elaborately interwoven system of legends that provide the background for The Lord of the Rings. The former book begins with a creation story paralleling the Christian one. Iluvatar is God. Melkor (a.k.a. Morgoth) is the devil. Melkor wants to corrupt and take for his own the Men Iluvatar has created.

The Lord of the Rings tells how, in Middle-earth's Third Age, one such corrupting attempt by a lieutenant of Morgoth, the evil Sauron, is thwarted by the providence of Iluvatar and with the help of His servants. Among these angel-like characters sent from the West—a clear parallel to heaven—to watch over and finally to ensure the triumph of the land's struggling inhabitants, is Gandalf. 

It is in the details of that great trilogy's plot and characters that most readers sense Tolkien's Christian conviction. Here are self-sacrifice, courage, and pity, set over against greed, vainglory, and the lust for power. The "moral compass" is never in doubt. And it is not generic—it is deeply Christian. For example:

At key moments several characters recognize that although they must do deeds of valor for the greater good, it is only through a mysterious providence, beyond their understanding, that good will triumph over evil. This reflects the gospel's saving priority of grace over free will.

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March (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47