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“A Charlie Brown Christmas for 50 years and counting”

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Patrick Ryan for USA Today had a fun little piece about my favorite Christmas special. The music, the animation, the voices, it all came together for a wonderful bit of nostalgia. Ryan notes that:

“An overt religious message from the blanket-carrying Linus, who quotes the Bible…”

I was taken aback by that line. Christmas concerns the birth of Jesus. That “birthed” Christianity, so I would imagine there would be an overtly religious message. Christmas is a religious holiday, or more precisely, a Christian holiday. Putting Christ in Christmas so to speak. Secondly, it therefore follows that “quoting from the bible” would be a good fit as the bible is the revealing of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to man. The bible tells us what He is thinking. And, through Christmas, God revealed himself to us in person for 33 years. In fact, I would be so bold as to say the Charlie Brown Christmas, is the only special that does convey that message.

The better question might be, shouldn’t the other specials be called “holiday” specials?

 

” ‘Son of God’ brings Jesus to a whole new generation”

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[Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 2/28] Ryan does a dutiful article devoid of cynicism on the Mark Burnett/Roma Downey release of Son of God. Bill Goodykoontz, also of USA Today, points out that Burnett and Downey are making a bit of a “cash grab”. They are releasing unused footage from the History Channel The Bible series, reediting it, and making a movie on the cheap.

Maybe I’m being a little too suspicious. Though I didn’t see The Bible series, I assume it had to say the name of Jesus and relate the gospel message. Maybe this movie does mark a turnaround. I’m just a little leery of Downey who for 9 seasons rode a money train with a series called Touched by an Angel, that was purportedly about the Christian faith, but not once mentioned the name of Jesus.

Their idea of redemption was a hair light being shown on the Monica character, and she saying God! in a dramatic tone while the miscreant of the day changed his ways, and by his now being a better person, would warrant a trip to heaven.

Shows like that and Highway to Heaven almost seem to do a disservice to Christianity in my book, but that’s Hollywood. Maybe if the proceeds were being donated to hungry children. Until then, I’ll remain just a little bit skeptical. Hollywood doesn’t mind making a buck off of the Creator of the universe, Jesus, just don’t expect a revival to start from the 90210 zip code.