“As we read the stories of Middle Earth, we begin to make connections to our own place in God’s story.” Well said. As for me, Middle-earth and Narnia and Prydain were the Great Three which stirred me and drew me towards the Christian gospel. It is very likely I would looked for a New Age mystical alternative if I had not discovered that Jesus Christ is the One whom my pagan heart was really longing for.
ah....in the words of C.S. Lewis "further up and further in"....Narnia touched me like Lord of the Rings touched you. I do love The Hobbit as well....I have an upcoming post I am going to have to link to here....! thank you for sharing your perspective
I’ve thought long and hard about this very subject.
I think that Tolkien is ripe with religious symbolism and themes. And ultimately, he is what led me to think deeply about faith. Also, he led me to create a fantasy world of my own and write stories that point people on their way for a search for meaning, which is so incredibly important for me.
I once was searching for meaning, and I found it through Tolkien and faith. So, in my own work, I seek to help people know (through fantasy) that the search for meaning is arduous, but worth it. AND that you cannot live a good life without some sense of meaning. Naturally, that meaning for me was faith in Christ.
I don’t consider myself an evangelical Christian. That’s not because I think that evangelism is unimportant. Rather, in my fantasy work, I want people who already think they have it figured out to find meaning for themselves rather than me tell them outright. I just exist as a signpost with an arrow, but the road is for the reader. That’s sort of how I think of my own call to “mission” work. I’m not trying to convert the unbeliever to Christianity. But instead, through my writings, I seek to convert the believer to Christianity.
So, my fantasy writing is a bit complicated in that it’s not packed with religious symbolism. There’s no “Jesus” figure. Instead, I focus so much on Christian virtue and philosophy. There are internal monologues that question the nature of the world and the purpose of life. There is a divine order in the world, but the “God” of the world is not called “God.” Also, no character in my work is perfect. Each of them are flawed, deeply. And at the core of their flaws is that they have found no meaning in life. So, while the story is technically a fantasy story, it is ultimately about these characters searching for meaning.
Beautiful work! Just found your substack, and it sounds like we share close opinions of the sheer glory of Tolkien's work--especially in how God is glorified through it. Subscribed! I have some musings on Tolkien coming down the pipe, I would enjoy hearing your thoughts!
Great article! I love the history of Tolkien’s life, trauma, and faith that you shared.
I just listened to the Lord of the Rings series on audible, which lends to a unique way of digesting the story. There are many comparable elements to that work and Christian faith, but it isn’t explicit. I think your use of the word “gateway” is right on. It isn’t going to bring anyone to Christianity but can open the doorway to the possibility. Especially when you tie his work to his life, the life of the inklings, and his influences like George MacDonald. This can begin to connect the dots for people without overwhelming them.
Russell Moore talked about this somewhat with Jordan Raynor in Raynor’s podcast mere Christianity. Good listen if you’re interested. It spurned me in my own writing, encouraging my choices to insert my faith into the fantasy story I’ve written.
I would say that Tolkien, as he has said, simply infused his faith into his creation. This is very different than Lewis’ Narnia or Lewis’ Space Trilogy - both are explicitly Christian and explore their worlds in an explicitly Christian fashion. There are obviously, aspects of all the Christian virtues (which are, sometimes, also non-Christian virtues) in the peoples of Middle Earth. We see many character wrestle with temptation in the form of the Ring - and their varied results mirror our varied results when we wrestle with temptation.
“As we read the stories of Middle Earth, we begin to make connections to our own place in God’s story.” Well said. As for me, Middle-earth and Narnia and Prydain were the Great Three which stirred me and drew me towards the Christian gospel. It is very likely I would looked for a New Age mystical alternative if I had not discovered that Jesus Christ is the One whom my pagan heart was really longing for.
ah....in the words of C.S. Lewis "further up and further in"....Narnia touched me like Lord of the Rings touched you. I do love The Hobbit as well....I have an upcoming post I am going to have to link to here....! thank you for sharing your perspective
I’ve thought long and hard about this very subject.
I think that Tolkien is ripe with religious symbolism and themes. And ultimately, he is what led me to think deeply about faith. Also, he led me to create a fantasy world of my own and write stories that point people on their way for a search for meaning, which is so incredibly important for me.
I once was searching for meaning, and I found it through Tolkien and faith. So, in my own work, I seek to help people know (through fantasy) that the search for meaning is arduous, but worth it. AND that you cannot live a good life without some sense of meaning. Naturally, that meaning for me was faith in Christ.
I don’t consider myself an evangelical Christian. That’s not because I think that evangelism is unimportant. Rather, in my fantasy work, I want people who already think they have it figured out to find meaning for themselves rather than me tell them outright. I just exist as a signpost with an arrow, but the road is for the reader. That’s sort of how I think of my own call to “mission” work. I’m not trying to convert the unbeliever to Christianity. But instead, through my writings, I seek to convert the believer to Christianity.
So, my fantasy writing is a bit complicated in that it’s not packed with religious symbolism. There’s no “Jesus” figure. Instead, I focus so much on Christian virtue and philosophy. There are internal monologues that question the nature of the world and the purpose of life. There is a divine order in the world, but the “God” of the world is not called “God.” Also, no character in my work is perfect. Each of them are flawed, deeply. And at the core of their flaws is that they have found no meaning in life. So, while the story is technically a fantasy story, it is ultimately about these characters searching for meaning.
Sorry for this ridiculously long comment.
I love this. You’re not that dissimilar from me and my journey, of course including writing fantasy (mainly as a child) as well. I’m rooting you on
Beautiful work! Just found your substack, and it sounds like we share close opinions of the sheer glory of Tolkien's work--especially in how God is glorified through it. Subscribed! I have some musings on Tolkien coming down the pipe, I would enjoy hearing your thoughts!
Thank you, Ray! Really glad to connect. Maybe we can collaborate on some projects soon!
I would greatly enjoy that, I'll keep it in mind!
Couldn’t agree more. Spot on—thank you for weighing in!
Great article! I love the history of Tolkien’s life, trauma, and faith that you shared.
I just listened to the Lord of the Rings series on audible, which lends to a unique way of digesting the story. There are many comparable elements to that work and Christian faith, but it isn’t explicit. I think your use of the word “gateway” is right on. It isn’t going to bring anyone to Christianity but can open the doorway to the possibility. Especially when you tie his work to his life, the life of the inklings, and his influences like George MacDonald. This can begin to connect the dots for people without overwhelming them.
Russell Moore talked about this somewhat with Jordan Raynor in Raynor’s podcast mere Christianity. Good listen if you’re interested. It spurned me in my own writing, encouraging my choices to insert my faith into the fantasy story I’ve written.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mere-christians/id1481085636?i=1000622353708
I would say that Tolkien, as he has said, simply infused his faith into his creation. This is very different than Lewis’ Narnia or Lewis’ Space Trilogy - both are explicitly Christian and explore their worlds in an explicitly Christian fashion. There are obviously, aspects of all the Christian virtues (which are, sometimes, also non-Christian virtues) in the peoples of Middle Earth. We see many character wrestle with temptation in the form of the Ring - and their varied results mirror our varied results when we wrestle with temptation.