Anyone who wanted to know why the Rev. Fred Rogers did what he did needed to pause and think about two of the central facts in his career.
First, there was the name of the show that made him a television legend: “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
Then there was the rite that opened every episode — the transition into the trademark sweater and comfy shoes — and the song that went with it. The crucial line was the thesis statement at the end: “Please, won’t you be my neighbor?”
That was a strange question to ask children. Why not ask them to be friends? Isn’t “friend” a more common word among kids than “neighbor”? In this day and age, many adults are struggling to be “neighbors,” a term with all kinds of implications linked to helping people simply because they are nearby and need help.
But Rogers had very specific reasons for doing what he did. His goal was was to deal with the kinds of big questions that sent him to seminary in the first place, before he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, serving in a public ministry expressed in television broadcasting. He wanted to handle the kinds of subjects that trouble, and even frighten, children (and honest adults). We are talking about death, divorce, war, racism and, over and over, questions about why bad things happen to good people. The theological term is, of course, “theodicy.”
During this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, host Todd Wilken and I talked about the convictions that powered the work of Mister Rogers. Click here to tune that in.
We also talked about actor Tom Hanks and his ability to dig into the character and motivations of a character before portraying him on screen. Like Rogers, Hanks is one of those rare entertainment legends who is known for his compassion, kindness and sharp mind, as well as his drive to succeed. (This is the second podcast we have done about faith issues in the life and career of Hanks. Click here for “So what was the point of that 'Tom Hanks goes to church' post the other day?”)
The new podcast opens with a discussion of a very interesting, gripping New York Times feature that dug deep into the personality and career of Hanks and his take on Rogers — while avoiding key facts about faith and beliefs.
I found that strange, since the article did include a reference to a key event in the true story behind the new Hanks film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” — the moment when Rogers paused to pray with a troubled journalist who was writing a profile about him. Wouldn’t it have helped to let Times readers know that Rogers was a seminary educated, ordained minister? That prayer was a normal part of his life?
But let’s return to the key word in the Rogers universe — “neighbor.”
Rogers was, of course, alluding to one of the most famous parables in the New Testament (Luke 10: 25-37), the story of the Good Samaritan. Here is how that starts:
… Behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Just over a year ago, I had a chance to talk with Rogers’ own pastor and close friend — who was doing interviews in support of the brilliant Focus Features documentary “Won't You Be My Neighbor?” Here is some key material from that “On Religion” column:
"The bottom line for Fred Rogers was that the faith he had in God — Christian tradition and his own beliefs — infused everything that he did," said the Rev. George Wirth, a friend and pastor to Rogers for two decades. "He was not a grab you by the lapels man, obviously. He was more careful, and I would say prayerful, in terms of how he discussed faith."
In the documentary, Rogers summed up his approach: "Love is at the root of everything — all learning, all parenting, all relationships. Love, or the lack of it. And what we see and hear on the screen is part of what we become." The space created by a TV lens, between himself and a child, was "very holy ground," he said. …
(He) also kept addressing questions about why bad things happen to good people, the hard questions that sent Rogers to seminary, even while he kept working in television. While his cheery attitude framed everything, Rogers was actually handling — in kindergarten-level scripts — ancient questions about "theodicy," attempting to reconcile the existence of a loving God with the reality of evil in the world. …
When a fish died in the Neighborhood's tank, Rogers talked about the reality of death, but stressed the goodness of life and the need for hope.
"That show was about as close to Easter as he could get on TV," said Wirth.
Oh, and Wirth stressed that Rogers totally knew what he was doing when he chose the word “neighbor” as the signature term in his life’s work.
Why leave that out of a story on this topic — the character of Hanks and its links to the character and motivations of Rogers?