A toast to J.R.R. Tolkien for his January 3 birthday - author of faith-based Lord of the Rings

Photo of J.R.R. Tolkien from Wikipedia

J.R.R. Tolkien Born January 3, 1892

The birthday of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is on January 3. Although Tolkien passed away in 1973, his birthday is traditionally celebrated by raising a toast to the beloved professor and author. If you are wondering what that has to do with Christian entertainment, read on!

 J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings

First published fifty-five years ago, Tolkien's timeless classic The Lord of the Rings has had a profound impact on both the literary world and more recently, the cinematic world. But what was Tolkien's own inspiration? Certainly Tolkien drew from his own studies of mythology, but many Tolkien scholars believe he drew from an even deeper source to create characters that were so noble, self sacrificing, pure, and courageous.

 J.R.R. Tolkien Influenced by His Faith

Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa on January 3, 1892, Tolkien was deeply influenced by the faith of his mother, a devout Roman Catholic, and Tolkien followed in her footsteps. Choosing the word "fellowship" for the title of his first book, and pointing to the long-hoped-for "return of the King" in the last book were surely not mere coincidence, nor was his  parallel to the deep Biblical friendship of (future king) David and his dear friend Jonathan in the story-line of Frodo and Sam (and to a lesser degree, Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli). Sam was willing to lay down his life for his friend, and Frodo was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the world. (1) Other Biblical themes include (but are not limited to) the stewardship the Elves had for nature, the purity of Aragorn's love for Arwen, the mercy Gandalf, the Elves and later Frodo extended toward Gollum, temptation (Boromir, Smeagol), redemption (Boromir, Theoden) and resurrection (Gandalf).

Tolkien's faith affected his life, his books, and those around him. In 1931, when Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford and C. S. Lewis was at Magdalen College, the two friends formed an informal literary society known as the "Inklings." In his book Surprised by Joy, Lewis writes that in that same year, he had a long talk about Christianity with Tolkien and another friend, and Lewis, an atheist, became a Christian. (2)

Tolkien's Religious Element Absorbed into the Story

In a letter to Father Robert Murray, a Jesuit Priest, Tolkien states: "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like 'religion,' to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism." (3)

A Toast to Professor Tolkien's Deeper Magic

January 3 would be a good time to pop Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy in your DVD or BluRay player as a "toast" to Professor Tolkien. When you watch the movies, don't forget to look for the deeper meaning, or as Lewis called it, the Deeper Magic behind the stories of Middle Earth and Narnia. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis challenged each other to write good literature for good literature's sake, but with a deeper message. (4)  I think they succeeded brilliantly, and that Tolkien's movie legacy bears witness to his great faith.

Happy Birthday, Professor Tolkien!

Sources:

(1) "The Fellowship of J.R.R. Tolkien"

(2) One ‘Mere Christian’ in Church History Clive Staples Lewis

(3) Finding God in The Lord of the Rings, Kurt Bruner & Jim Ware

(4) Douglas Gresham,  Stepson of C.S. Lewis, Talks about Narnia