Charles Brammall
Characteristically lofty Netherlands American Richard Van Dyke is 100 years and 2 months old. Dick has a long history of relying on Jesus, having been raised Presbyterian (gotta love ‘em😌), and actively involved in church life for many years. In his later years, his relationship with Jesus has evolved into a more personal, less institutional form of spirituality.
The Background to his Christian trust begins with being raised and growing up (along with brother Jerry) in Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Danville, Illinois. This excerpt from the funeral sermon of one of their ministers illustrates their theology:
“If the Lord Jesus Christ were to present himself before you, with his garments stained with blood, and relate the… story of his dying agony, which he endured to save you from hell, could you resist the melting influence of such a scene?… It is certain there is a heaven, and it is certain there is a hell… as an ambassador of Christ,… I call on you to awake and work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.
“I see a goodly number in this congregation who have not only been awakened by (this man’s) faithful ministry, but who have been brought to the knowledge of the truth. He has not only taught you that you were sinners, but he has also taught you the way of salvation. You are seals to his ministry: when he spoke, you felt: and his voice was the voice of the shepherd. How often have your hearts been enlightened and warmed when he spoke?…
“You… bear witness to the truth of what he spoke. O! can you be silent witnesses? Speak, my brethren, the same things, if possible, with the same plainness-… reasoning-… (and) energy. Do not pay so much attention to ornament in your discourses, as to plainness, soundness,… etc… Let us not darken counsel by words without knowledge- by making plain things mysterious; but let it be our object to make mysterious things plain:
“Let us follow… Christ, not seeking to please men, but God, who searcheth our hearts. Let us never try by our discourses, to induce men to admire us, instead of our master who is in heaven. O! my brethren… let us be more diligent.-… Let us not then fold our hands in view of Zion’s desolations, and say, we can do nothing; no, let us be instant in season, out of season, &c.
“Jesus lives, who is the Great Head of the Church, and has said, ‘Lo I am with you alway, even to the end of the world, and again, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.’ It is the Lord- let him do what seemeth to him good; and… let us be diligent. (This man) has finished his work, and has gone to receive his crown- let us be faithful to death, and we shall wear a crown with him in glory.”
Dick was baptised at this church at 11, in 1937. As a young man, he seriously considered entering vocational ministry before pursuing acting. Throughout his working life he has actively made Jesus his most important life partner, continuing to engage with Bible preaching, and often reading theologians like Martin Buber, Paul Tillich, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. For a time, he taught Sunday school.
Dick’s Personal Views are recounted in his 2011 memoir, My Lucky Life, and later interviews, and he described his faith as focusing on “… love” theology, emphasising God’s love and personal spiritual, rather than strict church dogma.
His Perspective in later life, as he approached his centenarianship, shows that he continues to find comfort in the Bible and believes in a God of love, though he has described his personal spiritual journey as one of searching for truth. He has often stated that he considers the Bible a “book to live by” and has attributed his long, successful life to God’s blessing.
The Impact God’s Words have in His Life is profound. In 1966 he said:
“The Bible takes the scare out of living and puts purpose, joy and faith in its place,”
Famous for his roles in THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, MARY POPPINS and CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, he holds The Words of God as of utmost importance in his life and work.
In fact, Dick will defend the Bible until his dying breath, and did so in an article for Guideposts: he describes an interaction with a teenager when he asked the boy how he felt about the Bible. Dick described how,
“I don’t know whether this pessimistic statement is right or not, but I do know this: a lot of people— old as well as young— never open a Bible because they let their preconceptions scare them off,”
He addressed each of the teenagers’ concerns, explaining:
“Take the objections my young friend had: the writing is old-fashioned, he said. Well, I suppose that’s true, if you’re talking about the King James Version. After all, it was written over 500 years ago. But the Bible has been translated many times before and since.”
“And his idea that the Bible is full of bearded old men: think about that one for a moment. How old was David when he went out against Goliath armed with nothing but a sling? Fourteen? Fifteen? How old was Samson when he astonished his countrymen with feats of strength? Seventeen? Eighteen?
“The NT too: remember the young men who wanted Jesus to heal their sick friend? When they found themselves blocked by a crowd, they climbed up on the roof, broke a hole in the ceiling and lowered their friend’s bed with a rope. Who but teenagers would have thought of that?
“And as for the notion that the Bible is full of negatives, that’s mostly nonsense too. The Bible is a handbook for living. And so it does contain rules— rules hammered out over the centuries on the anvil of human experience. There’s tragedy, sure, and violence and all the great clashing human emotions: courage and cowardice, greed and selflessness, hatred, jealousy, pride, anger… all the ingredients that go into any great love story or great action story.
“And out of these ingredients the men who wrote the Bible drew conclusions about what works and what doesn’t work in human affairs. That’s why the Bible, far from being something to run from, is a book to live by.
Anyone who does try to live by the Bible sooner or later comes across a text that seems designed especially for him. For me it’s that tremendous question in Mat 16:26- “What does it profit a man if be gain the whole world but lose his own soul?”
As an actor, our chimney sweep says it’s this last point that really hits home:
“Actors are often faced with this dilemma because they do in a sense ‘gain the whole world’ when success comes to them, but in the process they risk losing their own souls, their own hard core of personal values, as perhaps no other group does,…
“That’s why I repeat those words to myself just about every day of my life. But it’s not enough just to find a relevant quote, latch onto that, and let the rest go. I believe the whole Bible is important to each of us, and that from its daily reading a certain priceless and otherwise unobtainable something enters our lives.”
He continues: “If I had to say what it is in my case, I think I’d say that Bible-reading gives me a sense of God working in history, gradually unfolding a plan for His most complex creation— mankind. And, of course, as I read I try to measure myself against the outlines of that plan and see where I fit.”
The 95-year-old actor still holds to the Bible as Truth and boldly shares about his faith when given the chance.
How much longer will Julie Andrews’ leading man live? Another month? A year? 5? No- eternally. Where the God of art, creativity, and music, of dance, singing, and talent, of humour and joy, will embrace Dick with an intimate, open-armed welcome. No judgment, just reunion. Justice already meted out Jesus bar Joseph- the eternal reign, ascension, resurrection, death and life of Jesus our dear LORD.
Please pray with me for Dick, his family, and colleagues:
Dearest Father of lights,
Thank You for Dick’s irrepressible artistry- the laughter, warmth, and unforced merriment that have travelled through screens and stages into scores of millions of homes. Thank You for his gifts refined over decades, for holy humour that dignifies rather than degrades, and for dance steps and gentle timing that have become a kind of common grace.
Thank You, too, for Dick’s love of the Bible— for pages turned, promises pondered, psalms prayed, and gospels cherished. Where he has delighted in Your Word, let that delight have been life to his soul and light to his path.
If through friendships, conversations, quiet witness, or simple integrity, he has pointed fellow entertainers toward Jesus, we praise You. If he has shared the gospel with young people— like that searching youth— granting them a glimpse of Christ’s mercy and majesty, we bless You for it. You alone know the hidden obediences, the whispered prayers in dressing rooms, the seeds sown in Godless green rooms. Let every unseen act redound to Christ’s glory.
Please guard his heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Let the cross— where our Lord bled, bore wrath, cancelled debt, and triumphed over death— be his peace, assurance, and everlasting song. Amen.
Our Lord of covenant mercies,
Bless You for sustaining Dick through long years— for health granted, dangers averted, and wisdom accumulated slowly like rings in a tree. Thank You for his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; knit them together in love, patience, repentance, and joy. Make his table a place of grace.
Praise You for Dick’s church— for the particular congregation where he has
done “ministry of the pew”, pastors who have opened the Scriptures to him, and saints who have prayed beside him- for hymns sung shoulder to shoulder, bread and cup received in dependence on Jesus’ death. Where he has served, encouraged, testified, or simply sat quietly under Your Word, seal those means of grace deep within him.
Please keep Dick steadfast to the end. We beg You to allow the salvation accomplished by Jesus— His obedient life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and reigning intercession— be Dick’s confidence now and at the last. Amen
Our kind God of all comfort,
Thank You for creative partnerships and friendships that have shaped culture with beauty and mirth. Please look after Julie Andrews— grant her strength, joy, and the bright hope of Christ. Let gratitude for shared work become gratitude for shared grace.
If Dick has ever trembled, doubted, or wearied, let the wounds of Jesus be his refuge. Let the cross stand sentinel over his heart and mind, guarding him from despair, pride, and fear. Let the gospel he has loved and shared be the gospel that carries him home.
And when earthly curtains finally fall, thank You that You will receive him— not for applause earned, but for outrageous mercy given— into the everlasting ovation of heaven.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen
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