As author of \u201cThe Gospel According to The Simpsons,\u201d Mark Pinsky is well aware that there are no sacred cows in Springfield.<\/p>\n\n
So sooner or later he expects to see Lisa Simpson walk into the family room reading a book that claims to have found theological gems in some ridiculous animated series. The book will be called \u201cThe Gospel According to Itchy and Scratchy\u201d or maybe \u201cSmirk On: The Spiritual Journey of Krusty the Clown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Homer will, of course, mock her mercilessly.<\/p>\n\n
Pinsky\u2019s 15 seconds of cartoon immortality could even come this weekend, when the series hits its 300th episode. \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d has been renewed through 2005, making it the longest-running U.S. sitcom ever.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI expect to get laughed at someday and deservedly so,\u201d said Pinsky, the veteran religion writer for the Orlando Sentinel. \u201cAnything that\u2019s worth mocking is going to get mocked on \u2018The Simpsons.\u2019 They don\u2019t miss much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
If that\u2019s the case, the scribes behind Homer, Marge, Bart and the gang are sure to have noticed that Pinsky is not alone. All kinds of scholars, theologians and preachers are suddenly sojourning in the once forbidden world of popular culture \u2014 probing everything from Bob Dylan to the Brady Bunch, from Middle Earth to Mayberry, from Tony Soprano to Harry Potter.<\/p>\n\n
Pinsky\u2019s next book will be \u201cThe Gospel According to Disney: Cartoon Faith & Values.\u201d After all, Orlando is Orlando.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cOn one level, all of this is simply more evidence \u2014 as if more was required \u2014 of the evaporating attention span of modern Americans,\u201d he said. \u201cShould we be embarrassed that we have to turn to popular culture in order to find ways to talk about serious religious issues? Without a doubt, yes. But this is reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Anyone attempting to get a handle on the faith that is soaked into TV, movies, popular music and the rest of the mass-media universe should be prepared for surprises.<\/p>\n\n
Consider the case of Homer\u2019s next-door neighbor, the uber-evangelical Ned Flanders. He is the subject of endless jokes and sight gags, as well as the occasional salute since he is clearly the town\u2019s most trustworthy and compassionate citizen.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cEveryone knows that Ned lives a Christian life. But even he doesn\u2019t talk about the heart of his Christian faith,\u201d noted Pinsky. \u201cIf you asked him how he knows that he\u2019s saved and going to heaven, he would say he saved by grace and faith in Jesus. That\u2019s how a Christian would answer. But nobody ever asks Ned that question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Thus, \u201cThe Gospel According to The Simpsons\u201d ultimately sounds a lot like the faith proclaimed in most mainstream media. It\u2019s the lowest-common-denominator civic faith that Pinsky summed up in five words: \u201cLove God and do good.\u201d Another nice summary can be found in the familiar words of the Ten Commandments.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s ironic. You have what is clearly meant to be seen as a Christian family, going to a Christian church, constantly talking about Christian things, but the theological constant in \u2018The Simpsons\u2019 is Judaism,\u201d said Pinsky, who is Jewish. Anyone who pays close attention to the faith references that weave through about 70 percent of the show\u2019s episodes knows that \u201cit teaches that people are saved by works, not by grace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cMaybe salvation by grace isn\u2019t as funny as the Ten Commandments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n
This wave of \u201cGospel According to\u201d books is rooted in two trends. Some evangelicals are digging into popular culture because they are willing to take risks to reach new people. Meanwhile, the fading world of mainline religion is desperately trying to appeal to the young.<\/p>\n\n
Everyone wants a new \u201cstarting point,\u201d said Pinsky. The key is to find \u201cstarting points\u201d that have widespread appeal, trigger strong feelings and stand the test of time. Whether religious bureaucrats like it or not, television shows, movies and songs are where Americans invest much of their time, money and emotions.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cPopular culture, if used properly, can be a kind of wedge into the consciousness of ordinary people,\u201d said Pinsky. \u201cAll a good pastor or a youth leader or a Sunday school teacher needs is a common set of images, a language that everybody understands and stories that they already care about.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s up to clergy to take it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As author of \u201cThe Gospel According to The Simpsons,\u201d Mark Pinsky is well aware that there are no sacred cows in Springfield. So sooner or later he expects to see Lisa Simpson walk into the family room reading a book that claims to have found theological gems in some ridiculous animated series. The book will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n