Lord of the Kings

The blockbuster movie of the Christmas season is out, and it stars the Christ-figure, Frodo, who saves the world from itself. Sounds like a variation on a familiar tune.

There's an angel in the story.

And a young woman.

Plus a little guy. One destined to save the world.

This hero resists temptation and is true to the end. He offers himself as a sacrifice to a good cause, defies death and remains faithful until he is permitted to leave for a heavenly realm.
So, who is he? You might think "Jesus," the one who will "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

Of course you're right, but this is also a description of Frodo -the heroic hobbit in the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. The angel of this story is Gandalf, and the Virgin Mary is Galadrial, although - granted - Galadrial is not the mother of Frodo. Still, the redemptive matrix that parallels the incarnational gospel of Christianity is striking.

If you haven't seen the movie, which opened just a few days ago, you've surely seen ads and previews. After sinking $270 million into the trilogy, director Peter Jackson wants to make sure everyone knows about...