Ned Flanders and His THEMs

On the opening weekend of The Simpsons Movie, Christianity Today has re-issued their February 2001 article, "Blessed Ned of Springfield." It's an adaptation from Mark Pinsky's book, The Gospel According to the Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of America's Most Animated Family.

The article will introduce you to Ned Flanders, television's most well-rounded evangelical character. But it was Pinsky's closing comments that really caught my attention. I hope we're all like the neighbors he has. Ned Flanders can teach us a few things about relating to our THEMs:

Stripped of their comedic excess and hyperbole, how fairly do Ned and his family represent evangelical Christianity to the world? As an observant Jew raised in a Northeastern suburb, I may not be the best judge. Or maybe I am. For the past five years, I have reported on the evangelical movement—locally and nationally—for The Orlando Sentinel newspaper. More to the point, fate and my central Florida suburb have put me into close contact with a family I see as the Flanders family in real life. Until I raised the issue with them, they had no basis for comparison; they didn't watch the show or allow their children to watch it.

Dan and Lorraine Hardaway are an attractive, college-educated couple in their late 30s. Each experienced some degree of dysfunction in their early lives before turning to Jesus. Dan, who has reddish blond hair and blue eyes, works full time for a Christian outreach organization based in Orlando. Lorraine, whose auburn hair frames a face brightened by a toothy grin, is a stay-at-home mom. Their four children, who range in age from 6 to 14, are as good-natured as Rod and Todd Flanders but considerably more worldly. The Hardaways belong to a nondenominational, evangelical megachurch and a small Bible-study group. They sing in the choir and listen to a contemporary Christian radio station in their cars and at home, and hold conservative beliefs on social issues, although they disagree with some aspects of the Christian Right. For the most part, they grapple with the same things our family does: balancing their stretched budget and busy schedules, deciding what television show or computer game is appropriate for the kids. Like their neighbors, they made an accommodation with Beanie Babies, PokÉmon, and, after much soul-searching and consultation with Christian friends, the Harry Potter books. With their agreement, I use the family as a source, a sounding board, and a pipeline to ground-level believers for my newspaper reporting.

Are the Hardaways typical of evangelical Christians, as typical as the Flanders family? It's hard to say. We have come to know them pretty well in recent years. Our children attend the same public elementary school and the same scout troops at the school, and often attend the same birthday parties, which means we are often in and out of each other's houses. They are sophisticated and generally open-minded, and never press their religious or political views on us or on our children. It is apparent, though, that they draw strength from their Christian faith, which they try to apply to every aspect of their lives. I met them before I started watching The Simpsons, but I cannot watch the Flanders family without thinking of the Hardaways.

I showed them an early draft of this essay, loaned them some tapes from the series and asked them what they thought. "All in all, it would be flattering to be associated with Ned Flanders, based on what I know about the person and how he lives out his faith," Dan says. "There's an element of unconditional love in his life that accurately portrays Christianity." Some Christians might be put off by some of the idiosyncrasies associated with the character, like "nerdy behavior," he added.

Lorraine agreed . . . . "How else are people going to see Jesus' teachings lived out unless they see them in our lives?" she says. "It's very important that we're part of the world, that others can see the difference he's made and the truth we believe he taught and shared."