The Gospel according to the Simpsons - (Monthly column on the arts)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE SIMPSONS
By Mark I. Pinsky
Westminster John Knox Press
166 pages
ISBN 0 664 22419 9

This book has been very well received in America and one can see why: it's very readable and well-argued, and it is a thoughtful study, from an evangelical Christian point of view, of one of the most popular TV programmes in the world-The Simpsons - featuring Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie: America's favourite dysfunctional family.

Theological deconstructions of cartoons are not new: Robert L. Short's The Gospel According to Peanuts (1966) explored theological themes in Charles M. Schulz's popular syndicated comic strip and was followed by The Parables of Peanuts (1969) and The Bible According to Peanuts (1990). Pinsky, a reporter on religion for an Orlando newspaper and contributor to several US Christian magazines, has obviously borrowed his title from Short and readily acknowledges the earlier book (which has sold ten million copies). Short contributes a commendation to the book. The book has received the blessing of Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, whom Pinsky 'still hopes to meet one day', and a galaxy of distinguished names have also endorsed it.

Despite the fact that the first of those names is Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales, this is a book written primarily for the US readership and often addresses issues not encountered in the UK. The Simpsons are universal in their message, of course, but if you buy this book as a UK teaching resource, be prepared to do a bit of cultural translation, especially as the author often leaves very specifically American references and terminology untranslated.

For young children?

He begins with a discussion of the present place of The Simpsons in American culture, and comments on the question of whether young children should be allowed to see cartoons like these (Tony Campolo's brief introduction is very good on this too). He then looks at a number of theological issues and explores the Simpsons' understanding of them.

He finds the cartoon full of positive values, with Christianity often treated irrelevantly but not ridiculed, and the Simpson family emerging from the examination as one with a surprising focus on faith, church and spiritual awareness. Typical is the chapter on moral choices, in which the author quotes several episodes in which Homer and Marge face temptations to adultery but end up rejecting them. Most viewers will find these chapters interesting, and for those who have never seriously considered the religious content of the Simpsons, they will be eye-opening. He ends the book with an interesting discussion of those who created the series.

Many of those endorsing the book have described it as being very funny. It is, but mainly because most of the argument is conducted by quoting Simpsons storylines and jokes to illustrate the author's point. It's hard to read for long without smiling, but the humour is largely Groening's and his team's, rather than Pinsky's. That doesn't minimise the achievement of the book, of course. Despite the overwhelming US emphasis of the argument, I was frequently prompted to make applications of the author's points to situations I'm familiar with in Britain.

Violence

I recommend this book, but it does leave some large issues untouched. For example, there isn't much about the role of the ultra-violent cartoon-within-a-cartoon Itchy and Scratchy, to which the Simpson kids are addicted. Watching the Simpsons involves watching whole chunks of violent, gory extravagance. Sometimes the cartoon does its own judging - there was a brilliant episode about screen censorship, for example, which tackled the issues with honesty and in detail - but usually Itchy and Scratchy is just there as part of the cartoon environment. Whatever the merits of the wider theological discourse in The Simpsons, what effect has this violence on young viewers? No easy answers here, but it's a question that should have had a chapter on its own.

A bigger problem still for us in the UK is that The Simpsons may not have been the programme most urgently in need of Christian evaluation. It is basically a well-liked programme. Few people hate it and most who really consider it concede, to varying degrees, that it does have moral value. But who will guide us through the darker side of TV cartoons? Who, for example, will write the book that will discuss the different values of South Park, King of the Hill and Futurama?

I'm not suggesting that The Gospel According to The Simpsons is anything other than a thoughtful, well-researched, spiritually helpful and stimulating book: Christians familiar with the series (and many who aren't) will find it invaluable. I do wonder, however, whether this gifted writer may have settled here for a rather easy project: and I look forward to his next book in this area, which I hope will grapple with much more complex programmes.

In the meantime, I strongly recommend you get hold of this one, which apart from its entertainment value has many applications in church and school teaching situations.