Profile Lovejoy is the pastor of the
Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism First Church of Springfield, which most of the show's characters regularly attend. He attended
Texas Christian University. He initially came to Springfield in the 1970s as an eager, enthusiastic, young man, only to become cynical and disillusioned about his ministry, mostly due to
Ned Flanders, who constantly pesters him with minor issues such as "coveting
his own wife" or thinking that he "swallowed a toothpick". but rediscovered the joy of helping others, though Ned still irritates him. to the occasional "
fire and brimstone" about
Hell. He disapproves of popular music, as shown in "
Bart Sells His Soul" when Bart gets the congregation to sing "
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" as an opening hymn; he punishes Bart for the prank by making him clean the organ pipes that he has "befouled".
Acceptance for other religions Lovejoy demonstrates his acceptance for Hinduism when he performs a
Hindu marriage ceremony for Kwik-E-Mart shopkeeper
Apu (though Lovejoy does not know much about the faith, referring to it in
an earlier episode as "Miscellaneous"), co-hosts a religious radio program with
Krusty the Klown's
rabbi father, and admits evolution may be true. However, he does not tolerate
Buddhism, as when
Lisa Simpson converted to it, he referred to her as "Marge Simpson's devil-daughter". He also appears bitter about the tall
Episcopal church across the street, wanting to build a larger steeple, and when mentioning the other church, placing the emphasis on "
pis". He maintains two
rolodexes – one for
Christians, and one for non-Christians. While he seems to have originally accepted evolution, he later advocates for
creationism at his church to beef up its membership. He does not accept
Roman Catholicism either, as he is shown brawling with a priest. He tells Marge that he might as well do a
Voodoo dance for
Abe Simpson when asked to give him the
last rites. He also helps kidnap
Bart to keep him from converting to Catholicism. to various same-sex couples who arrive at his church to get married that "while I have no opinion for or against your sinful lifestyle, I cannot marry two people of the same sex anymore than I could put a
hamburger on a
hot dog bun" and tells them to "go back to behind the scenes of every
facade of entertainment." When Marge objects, Lovejoy tells her the Bible forbids
same-sex relationships, but when Marge asks which book in Bible forbids it, he merely claims "The Bible" and then continuously rings the church bell after Marge continues to press him on the matter.
Negative qualities Lovejoy has been shown to do things that would be considered sinful. Lovejoy has been known to exploit his congregation for money, brawl with a
Roman Catholic priest, and implied that he once burned down his church for
insurance money. In "
Whacking Day", he made up a passage in the Bible to attempt to convince Lisa that "even God himself endorses Whacking Day". In "
The Joy of Sect", the episode in which the whole town of Springfield is deceived into joining a cult, Lovejoy kidnaps Homer with Groundskeeper Willie from the cult and hits him across the head numerous times hoping to knock him out. Also, when Lovejoy sees the spaceship emerge from the "forbidden barn" he throws his
religious collar on the ground. After it is revealed that the spaceship is fake, Ned Flanders notices his collar on the ground and informs Lovejoy, who picks it up and puts it back on. Lovejoy is not always enthusiastic about the
Bible, calling it a "2000-page sleeping pill".
Family Lovejoy's wife
Helen was originally portrayed as a moralistic, judgmental gossip, but in voice actress
Maggie Roswell's long absence, her character was seen but not heard. The Lovejoys' manipulative daughter Jessica was the focus of the episode "
Bart's Girlfriend" where she was voiced by guest star
Meryl Streep, but is otherwise rarely seen. Lovejoy's father is briefly shown in the episode "
Bart After Dark" as an older version of Lovejoy (including clerical collar) who visits the Maison Derrière. ==Creation and reception==