The Gospel According to Peanuts - Softcover

Short, Robert L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0664222226 ISBN 13: 9780664222222

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000

Synopsis

While Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have enjoyed the kind of success most cartoon characters can only dream about--becoming pop culture icons of the highest order and entering the global consciousness practically as family members--Robert Short's The Gospel According to Peanuts also has found a place in the hearts of many readers, with sales now totaling more than ten million copies. This anniversary edition features a new cover, a new interior design, and a new foreword by Martin E. Marty. Whether coming to the book for the first time or taking a second look, a delightful experience awaits in this modern-day guide to the Christian faith, fully illustrated with Peanuts.

About this title

About the Author

Robert L. Short is perhaps best known for his first book, The Gospel according to Peanuts, which was lauded by The New York Times Book Review as "a 'perilous experiment' that comes off and earned the "admiration and respect of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he regularly traveled and preached throughout the country, presenting programs in Christian faith and the arts at churches and colleges. His other books include Something to Believe In, The Gospel According to Dogs, and The Parables of Dr. Seuss.

Review

In 1965, a 28 year-old pastor named Robert Short turned a popular slide show he'd been presenting while working his way through seminary into a book called The Gospel According to Peanuts using Schulz's characters to explain the Christian faith. He explained that Lucy, in her headstrong impulsiveness, often represents original sin. In the Hound of Heaven chapter, Short shows how Schulz used Snoopy to stand for Christ or ideal Christians. A small Presbyterian publishing house (John Knox) published it in hopes of inspiring some Sunday-school teachers to think outside the box, and, behold, their wish was fulfilled. Over 10 million copies were sold. Thirty-five years later the publisher has issued an anniversary edition....Short demonstrates a broad and deep grasp of Scripture, theology, and popular culture, all without any of the personal narrative that dominate today's religious bestsellers. After reading Short's Gospel, I know less about him than I do about my insurance agent. His only narrative is the gospel: original sin, the wages of sin are death, sin makes us aware of our need for redemption, salvation is entirely a work of grace motivated by divine love. --From Beliefnet

About this edition

• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0664222226
• ISBN 13: 9780664222222
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 130