A recent episode of the ThoughtCrime podcast set conservatives on X abuzz.
The spark that lit the flame: conservative firebrand Jack Posobiec declaring that J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” is not only not Christian, but in fact “overtly pagan.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackPosobiec</a>: Lord of the Rings is overtly pagan. <a href="https://t.co/OiNMWC7HbP">pic.twitter.com/OiNMWC7HbP</a>
— Human Events (@HumanEvents) <a href="https://twitter.com/HumanEvents/status/2037315598401798445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
Tolkien has returned to mainstream conversation <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/03/stephen-colbert-lord-of-the-rings-1236764923/">after reports</a> that the Trump Derangement Syndrome patient and former comedian, Stephen Colbert, is helping develop a new Middle-earth film with Peter Jackson’s team.
Posobiec, no stranger to controversial takes, made the following case:
<blockquote>
‘Narnia’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ were, you know, kind of, kind of written almost not, you know, concurrently in a sense. And Tolkien always said that he didn&#8217;t like Narnia because he thought that it was too overtly Christian. And I&#8217;ve heard people try to make the argument that ‘Lord of the Rings’ is overtly Christian. And I hate to burst the bubble, guys, but you&#8217;re just wrong. There&#8217;s nothing overtly Christian about ‘Lord of the Rings.’ There&#8217;s no church in it, there&#8217;s no faith in it. There&#8217;s no Christ figure. There&#8217;s none of these things. And honestly, ‘Lord of the Rings,’ if it&#8217;s anything, ‘Lord of the Rings’ is overtly pagan.
</blockquote>
Posobiec is right about one thing: “The Lord Of The Rings” doesn’t have a Christ figure. It has three.
Tolkien distributes the threefold office of Christ between Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn: prophet, priest, and king.
Gandalf (not a wizard, actually) is an angel sent, literally from the heavens, to Middle-earth to counsel its people. He meets death and returns transformed and renewed. Frodo bears a burden of suffering he did not choose but accepts for the salvation of others. Aragorn is the self-exiled king whose healing hands and rightful claim to a throne can restore a fading kingdom and fallen world.
Yes, a <a href="https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/N%C3%BAmenor">fallen world</a> — where could that concept come from?
Let’s also consider that Frodo’s journey to Mount Doom begins on December 25th and concludes on March 25th, the Feast of Annunciation, the date of Christ’s crucifixion, and the beginning of death’s defeat.
Tolkien’s monarchist vision of the good is something of a modern fixation amongst conservative Catholics, weary of liberal democracy’s slow decline into Denethor-level despair and unwillingness to “conserve” anything in the face of evil rising in Mordor.
But Posobiec prefers C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” series, as do I. There the Christian imagery is more overt. Aslan <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-narnia-isnt-allegorical/">is not</a> even a “Christ figure,” but Christ himself operating in a multiverse with layer upon layer of reality waiting to be peeled back like an onion. What the heroes of Lewis’s story learn is that London is an echo of Narnia, and Narnia is but an echo of another place even more glorious.
For his part, the irascible Tolkien didn’t care for Narnia. But Lewis very much cared for Middle-earth.
“The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by ‘the veil of familiarity,’” Lewis said of his friend’s world. Tolkien dips Christian truth in a stew of medieval mythology, indeed drawing on imagery from pagan stories and making them submissive to Christian belief.
Posobiec mistakes the absence of overtly Christian imagery for the lack of Christian themes. But just because no one takes the Eucharist in Gondor does not mean Tolkien’s world must be pagan. Quite the contrary. Middle-earth in all its strangeness speaks to the imaginative hunger of people’s hearts, calling them to see with fresh eyes the Truth they so often take for granted.
In Western books and films, Christian morality and themes are the default setting — we often become “nose-blind” to it in the same way you can’t smell the distinct odor of your own home until you return home from vacation. In that way, Tolkien and Lewis both favored dressing stories in ways that lower the defenses of the reader and free our God-given imaginations to know Him in different contexts. It’s a beautiful idea.
***
Stephen Kent is a conservative commentator and host of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GeekyStoics">Geeky Stoics</a> on YouTube. Follow him <a href="https://x.com/StephenKentX">@StephenKentX</a>.

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

One Does Not Simply Walk Into Thinking Lord of the Rings is Pagan

CONTINUE READING

The Trump ‘Affordability’ Policy That’s Hurting More Than It Helps

Why The Left Hates Hit Anime’s Simple Message About Good And Evil

I’m An Eagle Scout — And For The First Time In Years, I’m Hopeful Thanks To Hegseth

Undermining American Pharmaceutical Companies Won’t Make Drugs Cheaper

Disney Ditching DEI Signals A Return Of The Hero

DW Opinion

C.S. Lewis

Christianity

Culture

J.R.R. Tolkien

Lord of the Rings

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

The Pendragon Cycle

Menu

— DW Opinion —

One Does Not Simply Walk Into Thinking Lord of the Rings is Pagan