Who was Charles Dickens, the man who brought us memorable characters like Scrooge and Tiny Tim? His work is still studied today, but few know about his faith.
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TODAY?
IT IS CHRISTMAS DAY, OF COURSE.
REPORTER: FROM THE SCREEN TO
THE STAGE.
*
THE TRANSFORMATION OF SCROOGE
FROM MISER TO CHEERFUL GIVER
STRIKES A CORD IN THE HEARTS OF
ADULTS AND CHILDREN.
*
ALL THESE VERSIONS A RESULT OF
CHARLES DICKENS "A CHRISTMAS
CAROL" THE ENGLISH WRITER LOVED
THE HOLIDAY.
HE SAID I WILL HONOR CHRISTMAS
IN MY HEART AND TRY TO KEEP IT
ALL THE YEAR.
MANKIND WAS MY BUSINESS,
COMMON WELFARE WAS MY BUSINESS,
CHARITY, MERCY, AND BENEVOLENCE
ALL MY BUSINESS.
AKRON, OHIO NATIVE EARNED A
PHD AT UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS
FOR HIS WORK ON DICKENS.
DICKENS USES REAL
CHRISTIANITY A NUMBER OF TIMES.
REAL CHRISTIANITY IS BEING LIKE
JESUS.
DURING HIS RESEARCH, COLLEGE
DISCOVERED DICKENS WAS A
CHRISTIAN AND HIS FAITH IN JESUS
CHRIST SURFACES IN THE THEMES
AND CHARACTERS.
HE READ A LETTER FROM DICKENSES
.
ALL MY SOCIAL ABUSES ARE
DEPARTURES FROM ITS SPIRIT.
ALL MY GOOD PEOPLE ARE HUMBLE,
CHARITABLE, FAITHFUL, FORGIVING.
OVER AND OVER I CLAIM THEM AS
DISCIPLES OF THE FOUNDER OF OUR
RELIGION.
COLLEGE SAYS MARLY'S WARNING
TO SCROOGE REFLECTS THE
IMPORTANCE OF IMITATING CHRIST.
THE TAKING CARE OF HUMANITY,
THINKING OF MY FELLOW MAN, DOING
UNTO OTHERS AS I WOULD HAVE THEM
DO UNTO ME.
FOR DICKENS, THE GOLDEN RULE WAS
ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.
COLLEGE BELIEVES THE MOST
DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE IS THIS
LITTLE KNOWN WORK WRITTEN IN THE
HEIGHT OF HIS CAREER OVER A
PERIOD OF THREE YEARS.
TITLED, "THE LIFE OUR LORD."
CRITICS ARE RIGHT, IT IS NOT
A FANTASTIC PIECE OF LITERATURE.
IT SHINES A BRIGHT LIGHT ON
DICKENS FAITH.
HE IS THE SOUL EDITOR OF THIS
THING.
COLLEGE CALLS "THE LIFE OUR
LORD" A GOSPEL HARMONY WHERE THE
WRITER INTERWEAVES -- THE LIFE
OF CHRIST FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION, HIS CHILDREN.
MY DEAR CHILDREN, I AM
ANXIOUS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
SOMETHING ABOUT JESUS CHRIST,
FOR EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
HIM.
A CHRISTIAN FAMILY AT THE
TIME WOULD HAVE HAD TWO BOOKS IN
THEIR HOME, THE BIBLE AND GOSPEL
HARMONY.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION OF ITS
CHILDREN IS NOTHING DICKENS
WOULD LEAVE TO SOMEONE ELSE.
THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY
IMPORTANT TOOL IN DICKENS FAMILY
FOR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTION IN CHRISTIAN
THINKING.
COLLEGE SAYS VERY FEW PEOPLE
KNOW ABOUT THIS PART OF
DICKENS'S WORK.
LITERARY CRITICS DISMISSED
RELIGION AS UNIMPORTANT AND
SUPERFICIAL.
EDUCATORS FOLLOWED SUIT.
HE PRESENTED HIS DISROTATION AT
ST. ANDREWS.
I WOULD BE SO AUDACIOUS THAT
THIS PERSON WAS A MAN OF FAITH.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THAT
HOSTILITY, PEOPLE LIKE DARKNESS
BETTER THAN LIGHT.
A HANDFUL OF LITERARY
SCHOLARS HAVE DISCUSSED THE
FAITH OF DICKENS TO SHINE THE
LIGHT MUCH BRIGHTER, COLLEGE
SAYS HE BELIEVES GOD WANTED HIM
TO WRITE THIS BOOK.
IT IS ENTITLED "GOD AND CHARLES
DICKENS, RECOVERING THE
CHRISTIAN VOICE OF A CLASSIC
AUTHOR" A BOOK RELEASED THIS
YEAR THE 200 ANSWER ANNIVERSARY
OF DICKENS'S BOOK.
IT WAS EASY TO GET A
PUBLISHER.
IT IS A GOOD FEELING WHEN YOU
KNOW THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS
INVOLVED.
AND THIS IS NOT YOUR PROJECT.
HE DEDICATES THE BOOK TO HIS
GRANDCHILDREN, MAY YOU EACH FIND
JOY AS DID DICKENS IN OUR
SAVIOR.
MARK MARTIN,
CBN NEWS, AKRON, OHIO.
