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Christian Messages
James W. Kemp devoted several chapters of his book The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss to three of the stories in this collection.

In "The Sneetches", Kemp discusses the issue of divisions within the church and society. Kemp relates the way the Sneetches place importance on the difference of having a star on their belly or not to how people focus on differences to divide and stereotype people. He writes that the Christian church should be the model of unity for the world because the church is a family in Jesus Christ. Quoting St. Paul in Galatians 3: 28, Kemp states that there should be no divisions between people for "There are no Star-Belly or Plain-Belly Christians." Just like the Sneetches came to realize that the stars on their bellies didn't matter, Christians need to learn from their differences and celebrate unity.

Kemp uses "The Zax" to talk about the sin of pride. He explains that the issue for why the two Zaxes can't move out of each other's way is that they are too prideful. Both Zaxes are set in their ways and refuse to budge. Oftentimes, people are like Zaxes when they refuse to admit their mistakes. Kemp connects this story to the parable of the Prodigal Son. The son's pride convinced him that he could make it on his own, and so he took his half of the inheritance. Unlike the Zaxes, though, when the son hits rock bottom where there is no other choice, the son lets go of his pride and goes home. Kemp writes that pride should never keep people from returning to God because God does not keep score. God is just happy when the lost return home.

The final story Kemp uses from this collection is "What Was I Scared Of?". Kemp acknowledges that everyone has fears. In fact, fear is the most uncomfortable human emotion. Even Jesus Christ was afraid as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew that his death was coming, and he was afraid. Fears have the ability to keep people from fulfilling God's will, according to Kemp. Fears can be paralyzing, and people run away just like Seuss' character who encounters a pair of green pants with nobody inside them. However, Kemp states that Seuss' story shows people how to overcome fear: stop running and face our fears. When Seuss' character faces the empty green pants, he learns that he actually has nothing to fear. Kemp explains that Jesus overcame his fear by having faith in God and facing his fears. Faith, according to Kemp, is what gives Christians the courage to move forward and overcome our fears.