About a month ago I picked up a book from the Library titled Security Blankets: How Peanuts Touched Our Lives. It is a collection of stories from all over the world about people whose lives have been touched by the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The stories are amazing and many are deeply touching. There were stories of how Snoopy has been a comfort to people through difficult times, how Charlie Brown helped lonely people realise they were not alone in this world, how a personal encounter with Schulz himself touched hearts and showed the gracious soul behind those comic strips, and other stories of great joy and loss and how the Peanuts gang shared those special moments, and made them all the more special. One story even told about how Peanuts impacted the life of one young man so much that he eventually became a Christian author!
There are probably not many modern-day comic strip artists who are not indebted to Charles Schulz in one way or other. He was a pioneer in the field, and his endearing characters and astute observations inspired and influenced many who came after him in their craft. His comic strips transcended cultural boundaries and assured us that it was alright to be human.
The profound impact Schulz had on people's lives all around the world probably cannot be measured, and there are many more stories that are untold. However, as far as I know, Schulz - though clearly having some knowledge of the Bible, and enough to understand that Christmas was not about presents, but about the birth of Christ - was probably not a believer in the true Gospel and the exclusivity of Christ. I may be wrong, but this is from what I have been able to gather about his views on religion (please do correct me if I'm wrong). To me this speaks volumes: If a unbeliever can create something with so much truth and have such a deep and lasting influence on countless lives in a wholesome way, how much more can God use one of His own to impact multitudes for Christ through this same medium? Imagine what a good comic strip can do that is dedicated to God and committed to spreading His Word!
Wen's World may not exist as a daily comic strip like Peanuts, but nevertheless, Security Blankets has been deeply inspiring, and it makes me wonder what can be done to develop Wen's World to be a greater influence in people's lives for the sake of the Gospel.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
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