Finding Friendship
Issue No. 2
Katy Shevel | Friday, June 26, 2026
Growing up as a 90’s church kid, one of our pastors was a huge fan of the TV show The Simpsons. When I was a teenager in Confirmation Class, our curriculum was based on Mark I. Pinsky’s book The Gospel According to The Simpsons. We were the “guinea pigs,” a.k.a. the first class to use this curriculum. I remember feeling like such trailblazers getting to watch clips (on VHS!) of Homer Simpson’s antics in the Youth Room. Now I have no idea what the adult members of our congregation thought about this. As kids, our consensus was: “This is great!” Say what you will about the show, there are some hidden theological gems. One of my favorite scenes is when Homer picks up a Bible and reads it for the first time. “Talk about a preachy book!” Homer scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Everyone’s a sinner!” Then pointing to a passage referencing Jesus, he notes with a smile. “Except for this guy…”
Then, there is Homer Simpson’s famous friendship with his Bible-thumping, nextdoor-neighbor Ned Flanders, known for cheerily greeting everyone with his gimmicky catchphrases. (“Hi-diddly-ho, neighbor-ino!”) From day one, Homer takes full advantage of Ned’s generous spirit, asking to borrow Ned’s couch. Over the years, Homer accumulates a running list of Ned’s loaned items that he never returns: TV trays, a power sander, and even a bathtub. When the Simpson family prepares to move to a different town, Ned approaches Homer. “Uh, uh, Homer, uh… about those things you borrowed from me over the years… You gonna be needing those things in Cypress Creek?” “Yes,” says Homer. “Oh, uh…” Homer forcefully interrupts, “Okily dokily?” “Okily dokily!”