On Oct. 2, 1950, Charles M. Schulz’s first Peanuts comic strip was published. Over the next nearly 50 years, he would go on to produce 17,897 strips, hand drawing and lettering each strip personally. From seven newspapers on that first day, Peanuts grew to be published daily in 2,600 papers, read by 355 million people in 21 languages across 75 countries. Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997 to celebrate his 75th birthday.
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A Christian who came to faith as a young adult following his wartime military experience, Schulz felt a keen responsibility to express his faith through his comic strip. In “A Charlie Brown Religion,” author Stephen J. Lind quotes Schulz as saying, “If we are all members of the priesthood, why cannot a cartoonist preach in the same manner as a minister, or anyone else?”
In a 1981 letter to his daughter Amy, Schulz wrote, “Little things we say and do in Christ’s name are like pebbles thrown into water. The ripples spread out in circles, and influence people we may know only slightly and sometimes not at all.”
Following a 1963 article about his faith in Billy Graham’s Decision magazine, Schulz wrote, “I will never get over the feelings of guilt being lauded publicly when so many others who appear to be ‘least in the Kingdom’ are really the ‘greatest in the Kingdom’… I tremble with fear for being built up too much. People don’t need me, they need to ‘see Jesus only.’”
Thinking back
I’ve been a Peanuts fan as far back as I have memories. My childhood room was decorated with a Peanuts bedspread, drapes and posters. I bought every Peanuts paperback that came out. My brother and I both owned Snoopy astronaut toys (especially appropriate for two boys growing up in Titusville, Florida, during the height of the Apollo space program) and of course, there were the other stuffed animals and games and collectibles that filled my room.
I never missed a Peanuts special when it aired on TV. I wrote two letters to Schulz as a child, receiving responses to both. As I grew older, if I only had time to read one comic strip in the newspaper, it was Peanuts.
I loved Snoopy, of course (who doesn’t!), but as a child, I think I related to Linus the most — not because of his security blanket or belief in the Great Pumpkin, but because he was typically the one who brought up religious topics. As a churchgoing kid myself, I was fascinated to read a comic strip which quoted the Bible and incorporated spiritual perspectives into everyday conversations.
Those who have done way more research than me have determined that of Schulz’s nearly 18,000 strips, around 560 contain a religious, spiritual or theological reference. And while that might not seem like a lot, consider that there were only 415 strips in which Snoopy references himself as a World War I flying ace, and only 61 have Lucy pulling the football away. Over the course of 50 years, those 560 strips average out to around two weeks a year.
Several years ago while on a trip to San Francisco, my wife, Lori, and daughter, Emilee, and I took a side trip to Santa Rosa, where Schulz lived and worked from 1969 until his death in 2000, to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum, a truly amazing place. There you can see thousands of original strips, a recreation of his office, the ice rink he built for the community and much more. If you’re ever in that area, don’t miss it!
Use your platform
Very few of us will have the opportunity to reach an audience of millions through what we do for a living. But I’m reminded by Schulz’s legacy that each of us who claim the name of Jesus Christ have the responsibility to use whatever platform He entrusts us with to proclaim the gospel and point people to Jesus.
True meaning of Christmas
A final thought, with Christmas right around the corner. In 1965, when presented with the opportunity to create a Christmas special (which ultimately became the beloved “A Charlie Brown Christmas”), Schulz’s first response was, “If we’re going to do it, I think we should talk about the true meaning of Christmas — at least what it means to me.” When he received some pushback from his animation partner who believed the religious content would be too risky, Schulz responded, “If we don’t do it, who will?” (from “A Charlie Brown Religion,” by Stephen J. Lind, p. 65). Schulz knew God had put him in that place at that time for that purpose, and he was determined not to squander the opportunity.
Sixty years later, his commitment to that decision continues to have ripples, as each new generation experiences that wonderful moment when Linus says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” Not a bad reminder for each of us when God gives us the opportunity to do or say something for His glory — “If we don’t do it, who will?” With that, happy 75th anniversary to Peanuts.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Doug Rogers, Director of Communications & Technology Services, State Board of Missions. It will appear in the October 16 edition of The Alabama Baptist newspaper. To subscribe, click here.
