I’ve known for a long time that Fred Rogers, famously known as Mr. Rogers on the children’s show, “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood,” used to be a Presbyterian minister, but I never knew why he chose to leave that calling and go into children’s television. This is the answer Wikipedia gives: Rogers stated, “I went into television because I thought there (must be) some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen.”
Of course everyone in my generation and the one before, and maybe even the one after, would be familiar with the show. Remember how he would come in singing the theme song and manage to change shoes and exchange his jacket for his cardigan without missing a beat? I’m sure that’s not as easy as it looks! And who wasn’t fascinated by that trolley? Where did it come from? How did Mr. Rogers understand what it was saying? How did it travel to the “neighborhood of make believe” where all the puppets lived?
There is a central theme that runs through that show that we might not have caught because it was mentioned so often that it was easy to miss. Mr. Rogers would always ask, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” He was all about knowing the people in his community and inviting in everyone else to join the group. He had a powerful way of making you feel like you were special and you had value and could be his neighbor no matter your background.
Remember the man who asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” We know that was a very important question because Jesus came back with the famous parable of the Good Samaritan. Theologians will tell you that the man probably wanted to find out who wasn’t his neighbor…i.e. the people whom he wasn’t required to love. Jesus of course confronts that type of thinking and essentially teaches that we should see everyone as a potential neighbor.
So that gives us some challenging questions to think about this week:
Was Fred Rogers Missional? (Missional: being a missionary to your circle of influence)
He was eventually ordained as an evangelist by the Presbyterian Church, but would you agree with that designation? He never mentioned Jesus in a broadcast, so is teaching and modeling the ways of Jesus enough to lead people to faith?
Do you think Mr. Rogers made a greater impact on the world with what he did, or should he have remained a minister in a church?
Do you think Christians should infiltrate the mainstream media, television and movie production, and other mediums of communication in similar ways as Fred Rogers did, or should we continue to have our own separate outlets?
In what ways can you use Mr. Rogers’ example in your current situation?
Some might say Mr. Rogers left “the ministry” to work in television. Others might say he simply expanded his role as minister to include a larger circle of influence. It is easy to see both views on these questions, but I think they are good conversations to have as we continue to seek to impact our world for Christ.
Mr. Rogers: You always make it a special day for me. You know how, don’t you? By just your being you. Whether you’re in kindergarten, or third grade, or no grade at all, or ANY grade at all, I like you just the way you are. I’ll be back tomorrow. Bye.
Cory Grimm