GMU Lutherans Find Relevance in 'The Simpsons'

By Connect Mason Reporter Theresa Kuron
Photo by Flickr's 'Whistling in the Dark'

The Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason hosts Gospel According to the Simpsons in the Johnson Center meeting room G at 3 p.m. on Fridays, where they watch and related the episodes to God, Christianity, religion in general and personal values and experiences.

This event is open to all students, faculty, and staff from northern Virginia colleges and universities.

Ben Buss, Director of Lutheran Campus Ministry at GMU, first saw the idea at an adult church retreat. The whole weekend consisted of discussing “The Simpsons” and playing board games.

“It is a way of trying to reach people who might not fit in other places,” Buss said.

“There is a lot of religion and faith-based issues tackled in pop culture that a lot of times churches ignore or don’t do much with.”

With the borrowed name and help from a book by Mark Pinsky, Buss sought to reach out to students with something they were already watching.

Buss chooses episodes that have relevant topics and have jump off points for discussion.

“The Simpsons tackles a little bit of everything and they usually come around to a good resolution,” Buss said.

Some examples of discussions topics include:

• "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment:" This episode was viewed at the March 21 Gospel According to The Simpsons and was about cable theft. Buss discussed big sins versus small sins among several other topics.
• "Bart Sells His Soul:" How do individuals view their soul. Can you sell it?
• "She of Little Faith:" Consumerist Christianity and how it makes people feel.

As a part of Northern Virginia Lutheran Campus Ministry, the GMU Lutherans also participate in and host many other events.

• Thursday, April 10: With One Voice, a co-sponsored event by the GMU Christian Ministries. More information to be released at a later time.
• Friday, April 18–Sunday, April 20: The Mid-Atlantic Lutheran Student Movement Spring retreat will join Lutheran and non-Lutheran students from northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The themed retreat, Roughing It With Jesus: Back to the Basics of Our Faith, is free and will be held at Sequanota Camp in Jennerstown, Pa.

“As a community of the people of God, we are called to minister to all people in our world, knowing that the world is often an unloving place,” states the GMU Lutherans’ website.

“We are challenged by the Gospel to be agents of healing within our society.”

For more information, contact Buss at gmuLutherans@bbuss.com for more details.