The Gospel according to The Simpsons,Bigger and Possibly Even Better! Edition: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Gospel According to...) [Paperback]

Samuel F. (Skip) Parvin (Author), Mark I. Pinsky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gospel According to... | Publication Date: October 6, 2009

Introducing a complete revision of the study guide to the best-selling book The Gospel according to The Simpsons, complete with new studies on episodes of The Simpsons as well as studies for discussing other popular animated comedies such as Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Futurama.

This new edition features a session plan for a "green retreat" based on The Simpsons feature film and the environmental film An Inconvenient Truth, as well as a listing of DVD availability for each episode with cross-references to the relevant chapters in the book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Samuel F. (Skip) Parvin is an established youth curricula writer and is the coauthor of the companion study guides for The Gospel according to The Simpsons and The Gospel according to Harry Potter. Parvin is also a former pastor of Isle of Faith United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mark I. Pinsky is the author of The Gospel according to The Simpsons (with Samuel Parvin), The Gospel according to Disney, and A Jew among the Evangelicals. His writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He appears frequently in national media discussing religion and culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 103 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1 edition (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664232086
• ISBN-13: 978-0664232085
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,041,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Longtime religion writer Mark I. Pinsky (b. 1947)was a free lance writer before working for 25 years for the Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel. His primary specialties are religion, politics (Sun Belt evangelicals) and popular culture (The Simpsons, Disney, South Park, etc.) "You can find God in the funniest places -- and where you least expect."
Since leaving the Sentinel in 2008, Pinsky has concentrated on books, free lance writing (USA Today, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, etc.), college lectures around the country, and adjunct teaching at the University of Central Florida. He has held numerous fellowships, including Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, University of Cambridge (Templeton) and Duke University Divinity School.
For the moment, he is trying to figure out how to make his first three books available online(he owns the electronic rights), and to find a publisher for his latest nonfiction book, "Unfinished Business: The True Story of an Appalachian Cold Case Murder." His literary agent is Gail Hochman, of Brandt & Hochman. This book represents a return for Pinsky, who covered numerous capital murder cases, including serial killer Ted Bundy and Green Beret Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating course for a church, November 1, 2002

By 

John S. Wharton Jr. "springjohn" (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel according to The Simpsons: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Paperback)

We have been teaching this course at our Episcopal church to an intergenerational group of about 25-30 ranging in ages from 10-77. This is a wonderful course and even if you aren't a Simpsons fan, the series really is an eye-opener.

The only small bone to pick is that they use some (two)episodes for viewing that are unavailable via tape or DVD and this requires you to tape it off of TV when it airs, if you know when that is. Also some of the videos are out of print, so E-bay was a big help.

But the response to the course has been tremendous. People are really amazed that a "wicked, evil" cartoon can be so enlightening! I would recommend this for any church considering it.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!, July 16, 2003

By 

Brian Wallace (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel according to The Simpsons: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Paperback)

We started using the Gospel According to the Simpsons with our High School youth group and the response has been awesome. The episodes and questions provide an excellent way to engage the kids in discussions. I highly recommend using this series - although I also recommend sending home a letter to parents explaining what you're doing with the series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Leader's Guide doesn't match with contents of the book, March 26, 2011

By 

Paula Beaty - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gospel according to The Simpsons,Bigger and Possibly Even Better! Edition: Leader's Guide for Group Study (Gospel According to...) (Paperback)

If you are looking for a leader's guide to match with "The Gospel According to the Simpsons, Bigger and Possibly Even Better," then don't get this one; get the older one. This leader's guide doesn't review any of the episodes covered in the book; it discusses completely different material. This leader's guide may be great on its own, but it doesn't match with the book which is very disappointing to me.