Pop quiz: Which long running TV show family practices regular church attendance, have next-door neighbours who are born again Christians, and feature the local pastor as on-going characters in the show? Give up? It’s the Simpsons, Yes, the nefarious Bart and Homer. Tony Campolo once wrote, “We have met the enemy and they are partly right.” He proceeds to argue that if we examined carefully what our “knockers” were saying about us, we might actually learn something about areas that we as the church might improve upon. Many viewers have been angered at the Simpson’s portrayal of the Flanders (the born again neighbours) and Reverend and Mrs. Lovejoy. Frankly, their writers are keen observers of contemporary society and it’s not as if they just satirise believers. They take the mickey out of everyone (including themselves ie. Harvard Grads). So, what can we glean from our cartoon counterparts? How does the twenty-first century perceive us as Christians?

According to the Simpsons, Christians can be seen intolerant and judgmental. Ned and Maude are sweet neighbours with high moral standards. However, they tend to come off as “holier than thou.” Their faith is not one of humble forgiveness. They are the “good” people who tend see others as those who don’t quite measure up. Unfortunately, there is a distinct lack of grace on the part of Christians as depicted in the show. Christianity is viewed as pharisaical, being about following rules, as opposed to being recipients of God’s grace.

Also, believers are depicted as “lightweight” and wishy-washy, particularly the Rev. Lovejoy. He lacks the force of his convictions. As a pastor, he is not taken seriously. He is given to appeasing people, glad handing parishioners, and sermonising with pithy cliches. Haddon Robinson once said, “We tend to think that people are driven out of our churches by its harsh demands but sometimes people leave because we fail to say anything that truly matters.” Is Christ merely a warm blanket or is the challenge made that He is the rock upon which we build our lives?

Lastly, Christians on the Simpsons are routinely portrayed as naïve and out-of-touch. Easily duped, the perception is that Christians are clueless about what actually takes place in our world. We live with our head in the clouds oblivious to the real hurts, issues, and dealings of the average person. As worshippers, are we people who gather together to escape the reality of our world or to engage a lost society?

Are these perceptions accurate? Partly, maybe less so in some cases. Yet, our critics have spoken, are we prepared to listen?