"It's been a big year for Charlie Brown and the rest of the cast of the beloved cartoon strip Peanuts.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the comic strip with a new Peanuts movie coming out Nov. 6. That very same week, a book called A Charlie Brown Religion: Exploring the Spiritual Life and Work of Charles M. Schulz is also set to release.
Author Stephen J. Lind focuses on one of the most intriguing topics Charles Schulz approached in his work: religion.
'The book is an opportunity to explore just what was Charles Schulz's faith like and just how often did he put it in Peanuts, and how did he get away with it?' Lind said.
Schulz has been labeled as both an atheist and a fundamentalist, but Lind said Schulz really was neither.
'He had a really deep personal faith, but one of the things that I've really enjoyed doing in the book is working through what are the complexities of this very personal studied believer?' Lind said."
—CBNNews.com
"Throughout my entire life, I have seen my dad's faith in action. I love that the world will now have a book testifying of Dad's interest in the life of Jesus Christ. Stephen Lind's book, A Charlie Brown Religion, will lead you through Dad's life of faith and love for the Scriptures. Who is Jesus to Charles M. Schulz? After reading this book, you will know."
—Amy Schulz Johnson, daughter of Charles M. Schulz
"I don't think anyone has written about my dad and truly captured the essence of his character as completely and thoroughly as Stephen Lind has in this book. His research is commendable and his ability to stay away from 'judgment' and just present the facts in an engaging and sensitive way allowed who my dad was to shine through with brilliance."
—Meredith Schulz Hodges, daughter of Charles M. Schulz
"Schulz's views on religion, the manner in which religion functions within the strip itself, and Schulz's widely publicized crisis of faith are important and widely discussed topics that deserve exactly the sort of serious and well-informed treatment found in this book. Schulz is one of the most important American comics creators, but surprisingly little has been written on him. This is an impressive and welcome contribution to comics studies and in particular to the study of Charles M. Schulz and his beloved Peanuts. The book is very well researched, and it clears up numerous confusions with respect to Schulz's religious views and how they interacted with his important artistic work."
—Roy T. Cook, professor of philosophy at University of Minnesota
11/01/2015
Charlie Brown and Peanuts are deeply ingrained in the American psyche and culture. The comic strip, beginning in 1950 and still in reruns, along with related television specials have influenced generations. Charles Schulz offered entertainment, provocative ideas, and spiritual insights in deceptively simple drawings and scripts. Lind (business communication, Washington and Lee Univ.) examines the complex role religion and spirituality played in Schulz's life and work. The artist is not easy to categorize: he grew up in a nominally Lutheran household and was deeply involved in the Church of God as a young man until he moved to California in 1958, where he taught Sunday school at the United Methodist Church for many years. In Schulz's later life, he stopped going to church and described himself as a secular humanist. Lind explores how the cartoonist's interaction with various faith traditions, personal reading of the Bible, and engagement with religious scholars, family, and friends influenced the development of his spirituality. Drawing on archival materials, interviews, and content analysis of the comic strips and animated specials, Lind shows how his subject's faith developed and was expressed. VERDICT This engaging biography will be of interest to scholars as well as fans of Schulz and Peanuts.—Judy Solberg, Sacramento, CA
