The Gospel According to Peanuts (Gospel According To...)

The Gospel According to Peanuts is a truly fascinating little book filled with insight, wisdom, and the type of joy that Christians should naturally espouse. Robert L. Short certainly does not argue that every single Peanuts cartoon carries a theological message, but he offers up an amazing selection of comic strips that do in fact encapsulate a number of important Christian beliefs. He begins the book with a justification for Christians embracing the arts as a means of spreading the Gospel to those around them. The fact that Charles Schulz himself was a Christian is, in a sense, immaterial; as Short argues, Christians should embrace all manner of things which will allow them to connect with others in a subtle and less holier-than-thou manner. You can't go around beating people over the head with God and get results, no matter how good your intentions. Engage them in the arts or some other object of mutual interest, and you open up innumerable outlets for Christian witnessing. For those who would scoff at the notion of linking Christianity with comedy, Short reminds us that, to the world, Christianity is itself rather comical. It is a wonderful argument that offers up much food for thought.

In the same vein as the parables of Jesus, Short makes use of dozens of Peanuts comic strips to shed light on a clear and understandable theology, finding many illustrative parallels in the lives of the Peanuts gang. Charlie Brown, in a very real sense, represents Everyman, a jolly good fellow who is always looking for something to improve a life that is, by and large, rather miserable - he never wins, just as mankind, on its own, never wins. Charlie Brown is also prone to moments of great anxiety, a fear of nothingness and emptiness. Short's most memorable comparisons, though, are to be found in the other central characters of Peanuts. Lucy's psychiatric business represents the rather modern fad of humans looking toward psychiatry to solve their problems and to reveal to them why they are so unhappy. Then there is Linus, who tends to try to run away from his problems and finds comfort only in his blanket. In Short's hands, the Great Pumpkin becomes a symbol of popular religious sentiment - Linus says, at one point, that it doesn't really matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. Of course, the Great Pumpkin never appears. Even more interesting is Linus' attitude toward Santa Claus, for, in Short's analysis, it represents the attitude of many professed Christians toward God. As Linus expects to be rewarded by Santa for his good behavior, some Christians seem to believe that by obeying God's commandments and doing good works, God owes them a reward. You can't pretend to be good and get to heaven, Short reminds us. Eternal life is a gift from God that no man can possibly earn on his own merits.

Short also expounds upon the dual nature of God's love, illustrating his argument with comic strips featuring, for example, the positive and negative qualities of rain. He concludes by offering a brilliant analysis of the words uttered so often by Charlie Brown: "Goof grief." Because you must become lost before you can be found and seek before you can find, grief can ultimately be a good thing, thanks solely to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I was amazed at the insights into Christianity this book delivered. Non-Christians, even the Peanuts fans amongst them, may not enjoy this book because of its tenaciously theological design and purpose, but the truths that can be found in the comic strips of Charles Schulz can very effectively serve as the individual's exposure to and understanding of Christian faith. This is a remarkable book, and its importance goes far beyond its pages. Short shows how modern art and entertainment can help redefine and improve the effectiveness of the church in spreading the message of the Gospel to all men, women, and children.

Wonderful (3/4 people found this helpful)

My friend has this and she leant it too me and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! It is fabulous and just so funny, like all the other peanuts books/comics/cartoons. Charles M Schulz is amazing and is a very talented artist, and now there are to be no more peanuts comics, as Mr Schulz has passed on, Mr Schulz will be exploring some of the things mentioned in this book.

The Gospel According to Peanuts (Gospel According To...)

Robert L. Short

Reader Reviews:

A convincing argument for the use of modern-day parables (5/5 people found this helpful)

Wonderful (3/4 people found this helpful)

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