Chaplains Bible study a big hit

8/7/2003 - INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFPN)  -- Most people would not associate the somewhat irreverent nature of the long-running sitcom, The Simpsons, with church.

However, Chaplain (Maj.) Steve Schaick, 39th Air Base Group senior Protestant chaplain here, is not most people. He not only managed to create a tie between a dysfunctional cartoon family and the Bible, but in the process walked away with a National Bible Association Award.

The association hands out an award every year to the chaplain from each military branch who manages to teach Biblical truth with the most innovation and creativity. Schaick, who created the Bible study Blessed are The Simpsons, is this years Air Force winner.

To honor award recipients, the association sponsors a New York City luncheon Nov. 18.

The chaplains relationship with Bart, Homer and the rest of the Simpson clan began in 1989, shortly after the show debuted.

I was leading a youth ministry at Eaker Air Force Base, Ark., on Sunday nights, Schaick said. No one came because The Simpsons was on. I started to hate the show because I heard the content was questionable and because it was keeping kids away from church.

Curious about the magnetic effect the show was having, Schaick decided to tune in and watch a few episodes.

I saw a very clear spiritual thread weaving throughout many of the shows, he said. I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, The Simpsons was an untapped resource for the church. I decided it would be fun to do a Bible study using the show as a launching point for Biblical discussion.

His efforts proved to be a resounding success. He moved to the Air Force Academy and began a standing-room-only Bible study for cadets, who were curious about the connection between the humorous sitcom and God.

Id start off by showing an episode, which would lead us into a discussion about the Bible, he said.

One of his lessons focused on an episode where Homer and Ned Flanders compete over who has the more perfect life and set their sons up for a highly competitive game of putt-putt golf. The loser would have to mow the others lawn in a dress. The lesson?

The episode ends with the children, Bart and Todd, teaching the community of Springfield about loving your enemy (by agreeing to end the game in a tie), which sets us up for a look at Jesus teachings about child-like faith, Schaick said.

Encouraged by the resounding success of the study, the chaplain decided to introduce it at Incirlik AB.

Once again, people came in droves to see what Homer and the Bible had in common.

It was interesting to see how a show like The Simpsons had a moral message, said Master Sgt. Susan Northcutt, superintendent of the bases manpower and organization office, who attended the study last spring. I had never seen the show before, but the study made me curious. The chaplain showed there are lessons in morality everywhere.

Schaick plans to start the study again soon and hopes to one day publish it, but he has his plate full at the moment while working full-time and finishing his doctorate in Christian spirituality.

As Homer would say, Woo-hoo!