How did the gospel message make it into A Charlie Brown Christmas, and what does its inclusion say about creator Charles M. Schulz’s faith?

From CBN. Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas is a holiday tradition for generations around the world. A key part of the program has been called “the most magical two minutes in all of TV animation” – the part where Linus shares the true meaning of Christmas. CBN News took a look at the impact of this special and the faith of the man behind it.

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Taking a Stand

“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Charlie Brown cried out. …

“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,” his buddy, Linus, calmly answers. Then, in a simple, yet powerful way, Linus proceeds to share the story of Jesus’ birth from the Gospel of Luke. …

Peanuts creator Charles Schulz insisted the special include the true meaning of Christmas. In response to hesitancy on the part of the producer and animator, he said, “If we don’t do it, who will?”

Dr. Stephen Lind, author of A Charlie Brown Religion: Exploring the Spiritual Life and Work of Charles M. Schulz, says Schulz stood firm.

“There were actually quite a few things in the special that the executives and some of his creative partners were not too sure about, from the jazz music to the children voice actors and including the religious reference, that got quite a bit of pushback,” Lind explained to CBN News.

“Charles Schulz really planted his feet on a lot of those creative decisions, and at the end of the day, when the studio executives viewed the special, even though they were very wary about it, as it turns out, they did not have a lot of time to come up with a new special,” he continued. …

Faith Questions

The faith of Schulz has been scrutinized over the years. He’s been called a fundamentalist Christian, a universalist, an atheist, and reportedly called himself a secular humanist in the latter part of his life.

Lind says Schulz’s faith was very personal to him.

“Schulz had a biblical faith that was maybe more nuanced than some of the denominational dogma that some of his peers would have, but it was a personal, biblical faith that he would talk to close confidants about over the years and include in his strips, even if it was a little bit more nuanced and broad then some of the traditional teachings,” he explained. …

Only God truly knows the heart and faith of Charles Schulz. What we do know, however, is year after year, a little boy he created tells the world about Jesus Christ …

Are you encouraged by the inclusion of the gospel in A Charlie Brown Christmas? Share your prayers and praises below.

(Excerpt from CBN. Photo Credit: Michelle Raponi from Pixabay)