When I lead a workshop on advocacy or am a guest lecturer for a college class, I always reference Dr. Seuss and my view that he was one of the great theologians of the 20th Century.
A theologian instructs on the practice and experience of faith, on God's relationship to the world and our relationship to one another. Through his rhyming couplets, his characters, and his creative use of language, he taught us the importance of taking action and actively caring as in the Lorax. In the STAR-BELLIED SNEETCHES Seuss spoke to bias and prejudice based on pigment, poverty or position. Feeling the escalation of military budgets and nuclear arsenals is a problem, read the BUTTER BATTLE BOOK. Feel invisible, not being seen nor heard? I present HORTON HEARS A WHO.
When following dinner and the Snyder clan would head to our specific reading stations in the house, I chose the big chair in the living room (my shout out to Lilly Tomlin) and opened a Seuss book. HOP ON POP helped teach me to read and was so much more exciting then Dick and Jane, Sally and Spot. ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH instructed on accepting differences, as did GREEN EGGS AND HAM.
For decades, Dr. Seuss instructs and, yes, inspires. Central to my understanding of God and living the faith is a call to do what is just. One of my favorite Seuss stories is YERTLE THE TURTLE where one reads:
"I know, up on top, you are seeing great sights,
But down at the bottom we, too, should have rights." 
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