Church of England Wants Help from Holy Homer

The Church of England has turned to Homer Simpson for help with recruiting teenagers.

Clergy are to be advised to set up screens in churches to play extracts from the beer-swilling cartoon character’s life.

An unlikely source of holiness

Doh! Understatement!

Youth groups could be asked to think about God’s love for humanity after watching Lisa Simpson give a Valentines Day card to the most unpopular boy in her class.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said in the past that he is a fan of the cartoon series.

The number of people under the age of 16 attending worship in the Church of England on a Sunday fell from 180,000 in 2000 to 157,000 in 2005.

Owen Smith, a 24-year-old youth worker at St Margaret’s Church in Rainham, Kent, came up with the idea of using the smash hit cartoon show.

He has written a book advising church organisers to screen extracts that will be distributed to churches nationwide later this month.

He said The Simpsons was an “unexpectedly rich” resource for exploring Christian themes and theological concepts.

“This incredibly popular animation engages with everyday issues, from gossip, fighting and sibling rivalry, through to identity issues and citizenship,” he said.

A church spokesman added: “Some of the source material might seem a little bit unusual, but the book suggests Biblical passages and group activities which we believe will help see the cartoon from the Christian perspective.”

Source

Yes, I’ll take Christian Themes and Theological Concepts for a thousand, please …”

Doh! Wrong show!

Thanks to FWD from Fr Miguel.