John Meunier has an interesting and provocative post in which he compares church leaders with the steward of Gondor, in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. He suggests that, just as the stewards of Gondor started to see themselves as kings,
the leaders of the church start to imagine they are Christ. …
It was this impulse and arrogance that caused the Reformation. But the Reformers were just as eager to become the voice of Christ themselves.
The stewards’ pretensions didn’t last long when the true king arrived. I hope that not many church leaders have this kind of attitude. But any who do will find themselves embarrassed, to say the least, when Jesus returns in his glory and settles accounts with them. Tolkien was surely aware of what Jesus had to say about stewards (the KJV rendering at least) such as Luke 12:42-46.
Wow, what a vivid example and warning. Using that example from the LOTR reminds me of when Nathan the prophet told King David a story about a rich guy, a poor guy, and a sheep.