Gabbing With God: Reverend Lovejoy and the First Church of Springfield

Every Christian should aspire to have Flanders like qualities. Sure, he’s a caricature, but when you strip him down to his core, he’s someone who earnestly loves Jesus and wants to love and serve his fellow man. That’s an example worth following. Reverend Lovejoy on the other hand, the Protestant minister of Springfield, is a different deal all together.

You often hear people saying we should be more like Flanders, but you never hear them say we should be more like Lovejoy. Why’s that? Reverend Lovejoy is an example of what not to be in ministry. He’s sanctimonious and doesn’t care about people at all. He’s in the job for the title and that’s about it. He’s a character that would probably fit in better on Moral Orel than on the Simpsons.

I recently bought the First Church of Sprinfield playset, which comes with a Lovejoy figure. It’s part of a toyline that was released a few years ago. When you put certain characters in the set and press a button, you get some random sound bites. Lovejoy says things like: “It’s all over people! We don’t have a prayer!” and “There’s more to being a minister than not caring about people.” I’m thinking I want a Flanders action figure to sit in the Church pew and listen to Lovejoy’s sermons. I’ll have to keep an eye out on ebay to see if I can find one cheap.

Here’s a picture of the set. Anyone want to have a shot at a caption? What kind of sub par sermon titles would Rev. Lovejoy be giving this week? Let me know in the comments.