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"Straczynski's story makes room for the historic Christian faith," Rivera writes. "And not only room: he treats it fairly and gets the details right. And that's more than 'good' and 'consistent.' That's a rare flower indeed."

A year ago, Christianity Today published a cover story by Mark I. Pinsky on The Simpsons and, specifically, the show's evangelical next door, Ned Flanders. The article was adapted from Pinsky's book, The Gospel According to the Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of America's Most Animated Family.

It seems that religion just keeps booming in the fictional Springfield.

This month, Crosswalk.com has posted an interesting interview with The Simpsons' background designer, Lance Wilder. A devout Christian, Wilder discusses his religious background, how he began working with the show, and the religious content of The Simpsons.

Not everyone finds the show appropriate for Christians, he says. But to him, the show innocently satirizes a wide array of subjects that people can relate to.

He says that he usually agrees with about 90 to 95 percent of the show's content. "I think it's funny, it's satire," he said. "It's not a Christian show. It's a comedy that comes from about 15 different writers from different perspectives who are very talented, and the reality is that it's just trying to be entertaining, it's trying to be funny."

In addition to spiritual commentary in the show, Wilder says it is exciting to see what happens behind the scenes. "We have about 18 or 20 Christian artists on the show now in different positions, which is really fantastic," he told Crosswalk. "When I started being more open about my faith, we had a lot of really heated debates."

In September, the weekly online site of the soon-to-launch Relevant magazine argued that not only does The Simpsons feature Christians and traditional values, but it also serves an important role for God's children.

Writer David Dark argues that the show provides the same service for viewers now as did the carnival in medieval culture. It laughs at everyone. It is triumphant and fun but at the same time mocking. The Simpsons can satirize in a gentle way because everyone in Springfield is a little odd. They all look funny.

"The purpose of Carnival is to overcome or provide momentary relief from the seriousness of the status quo, the official," Dark writes. "Everyone comes to know everybody, and any appeal to aloofness or superiority from any quarter is subject to the heaviest lampoon and ridicule. The playing field is leveled, and the forum is open."

Without a sense of humor to see the absurdities and frailties around us, Dark writes, we lose our capacity for self-criticism.

"When watching The Simpsons, it's certainly okay to wince or to be a little bit bothered sometimes," he says. "But we probably ought to be careful about deciding we're feeling offended. After a while we become offended in all the ways God isn't. And when we're all caught up in all the things we're against, we forget the beauty of the things we're supposed to be for."

Todd Hertz is the assistant online editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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January (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46