Reverend Lovejoy

Template:Simpsons character Reverend Timothy Lovejoy is the local minister in the long-running animated TV show The Simpsons, He is voiced by Harry Shearer.

Rev. Lovejoy is the Reverend of the Church (of uncertain Protestant denomination, mentioned as the "Western Branch of American Presbo-Lutherism" in one particular episode) that seemingly every non-African-American Christian in Springfield attends. His sermons vary between dreary recitations of the more opaque parts of the Old Testament, to the occasional "fire and brimstone" scaremongering about Hell - and very little of the love and joy that the Reverend's surname, taken from the name of a street on the north side of Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, makes comment on. Bart and Homer, particularly, find it extremely difficult to pay attention during church. If his congregation begins to drowse off, Lovejoy can awaken them by pressing a button on his lector which plays pre-recorded sounds, including an eagle, an ambulance, and a Disco whistle.

An episode points to how he first came to Springfield eager and full of idealism in the seventies, but has since become cynical and disillusioned about his flock and his ministry, mostly due to Ned Flanders, who constantly pesters the Reverend with such non-emergencies as coveting his own wife.

Lovejoy then dispatches these, and the concerns of other parishioners, with as much brevity as he can manage so that he can go back to what seems to be his true passion - his model trains. "I just stopped caring", he explained to Marge. "[But] fortunately, by then it was the eighties, and no one noticed." The producers of The Simpsons have said Lovejoy is one of the least corrupt and most decent characters in Springfield.

Lovejoy has often been portrayed as a conservative Christian. In She of Little Faith, he calls Lisa, who had converted to Buddhism, "Marge Simpson's devil-daughter". In another case, he refused to perform same-sex marriages when Springfield legalized it, claiming the Bible forbids it, but when asked which book, he did not answer. He has also been seen driving a "Book-burning mobile."

The church itself is a clone of the one seen in The Graduate.

Quotes

• There's more to being a minister than not caring about people.
• (Holding Bible) Marge, have you ever actually read this thing? Technically, we're not allowed to go to the bathroom.
• (Realising that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is being played on the organ) Wait a minute! This sounds like rock and/or roll!
• (In response to one of Ned Flanders' frequent panics) Uh, Ned? Have you ever considered one of the other major religions? They're really all pretty much the same.
• (Frequent response to one of Ned Flanders' frequent panics) Damn Flanders.