You’re [Still] a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Two weeks ago, I had the honor to direct my school’s first spring musical: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. It was quite an experience. We had a very young cast, and having never done a musical, they were unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the singing (that was not choir) and dancing. In the end, they were wonderful! And even though we were pulling rabbits out of our hats at the last moment, we had real magic on stage before our audiences.
The Peanuts characters are some of the real icons of my generation. We all know Charlie Brown and his friends–they’re cartoons. They’re not real people. Still, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Snoopy, and the others have been a part of our lives, and they have a lot to say about “real life,” even real Christian life.
Charles M. Schultz
Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, was raised in a non-religious family. As a baby, he was nicknamed “Sparky,” and throughout his childhood, he and his father shared a Sunday morning ritual reading the funnies together. His love of cartooning blossomed when as a senior in high school, and with the encouragement of his mother, Schultz completed a correspondence cartoon course with the Federal School of Applied Cartooning.
Even with his positive family relationships, Shultz often described his life as “one of rejection.” Those feelings, plus Schulz’s dry, intellectual, and self-effacing humor created a natural fit for the evolving cultural standards of the mid-20th century comics.
“Two monumental events happened within days of each other in 1943 that profoundly affected the rest of Schulz’s life; his mother, to whom he was very close, passed away at age 50 from cervical cancer; and he boarded a troop train to begin his army career in Camp Campbell, Kentucky. Though Schulz remained proud of his achievements and leadership roles in the army for the rest of his life, this period of time haunted him with the dual experiences of the loss of his mother and realities of war” (https://schulzmuseum.org/about-schulz/schulz-biography/).
God had a plan for him though, and as a young adult, at a Church of God in Minnesota, Charles M. Schultz professed his faith in Jesus Christ, developing what he described as a “personal relationship” with God. He became actively involved in his church, leading Bible studies, preaching, and doing street evangelism. After he moved to California, he continued serving God in a United Methodist Church where he taught Sunday School.
Faith in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Schulz’s faith deeply influenced his life and work. His beliefs showed up in his work, possibly most notably in A Charlie Brown Christmas, causing the network executives some concern.
You remember the scene. Charlie Brown is stressed about his lack of understanding of the real meaning of Christmas, and his friend Linus walks out onto an empty stage and recites the verses from Luke Chapter 2 that tell of the Savior’s coming into the world and the angels’ message: “And there were in the same country, shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night, And, lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid, But the angel said, ‘Fear not, for behold I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly, there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.’”
That is the obvious example of Christianity in Peanuts, but Schultz’s faith showed up in many ways in the wit and wisdom of his characters.
To me, the Peanuts characters are like a mirror that helps us to learn about ourselves. We have all occasionally been mean and crabby like Lucy, philosophical like Linus, self-centered like Sally, dramatic like Snoopy, and child-like, well, like all of them. They are children, as we are often children in our reactions to life.
Then there is Charlie Brown, who has so often failed, but who doesn’t give up. He is often made fun of and insulted, but he doesn’t seek revenge or give up on his friendships. He faces each new day with positivity and each evening with wonder. Yes, Charlie Brown is the one we should strive to be.
He teaches us that “happiness is anyone and anything at all that’s loved by you.” At the end of the day, he understands that his joy and his peace are found in the simple things in life provided by his heavenly Father, who is LOVE personified.
Happiness Is (Clark Gesner, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown)
HAPPINESS IS FINDING A PENCIL.
PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE
TELLING THE TIME.
HAPPINESS IS LEARNING TO WHISTLE.
TYING YOUR SHOE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
HAPPINESS IS PLAYING THE DRUM IN YOUR OWN SCHOOL BAND.
AND HAPPINESS IS WALKING HAND IN HAND.
HAPPINESS IS TWO KINDS OF ICE CREAM.
KNOWING A SECRET.
CLIMBING A TREE.
HAPPINESS IS FIVE DIFFERENT CRAYONS.
CATCHING A FIREFLY.
SETTING HIM FREE.
HAPPINESS IS BEING ALONE EVERY NOW AND THEN.
AND HAPPINESS IS COMING HOME AGAIN.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAY TIME AND NIGHT TIME TOO.
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT’S LOVED BY YOU.
HAPPINESS IS HAVING A SISTER.
SHARING A SANDWICH.
GETTING ALONG.
HAPPINESS IS SINGING TOGETHER WHEN DAY IS THROUGH,
AND HAPPINESS IS THOSE WHO SING WITH YOU.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT’S LOVED BY YOU.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Phil. 4:8).
God bless you and give you all the happiness in the world!
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