Editing Reverend Lovejoy (section)

===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.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite episode |title=The Father, The Son & The Holy Guest Star|episode-link=The Father, The Son & The Holy Guest Star |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Warburton, Matt; Polcino, Michael |network=Fox |airdate=May 15, 2005 |season=16 |number=21 }}</ref> He attended [[Texas Christian University]].<ref>"[[Wedding for Disaster]]"</ref> He initially came to Springfield in the 1970s as an eager, enthusiastic, young man,<ref name="inmargewetrust"/><ref>In "[[Faith Off]]" he uses an electric guitar in the church to compete against Bart's faith healing musical show.</ref> only to become cynical and disillusioned about his ministry, mostly due to [[Ned Flanders]], who constantly pesters him with minor issues such as "coveting [[Maude Flanders|his own wife]]" or thinking that he "swallowed a toothpick".<ref name="inmargewetrust"/>

Lovejoy would deal with Flanders' concerns very briefly, so that he could return to playing with his [[Rail transport modelling|model trains]]. [[In Marge We Trust|At one point]], Lovejoy "just stopped caring",<ref name="inmargewetrust">"[[In Marge We Trust]]"</ref> but rediscovered the joy of helping others, though Ned still irritates him.<ref name="inmargewetrust"/> Lovejoy even suggests Ned join another religion, as he believes that "they are all pretty much the same". In the season two episode "[[Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment]]", Lovejoy helps Lisa with her family's [[illegal cable]] hookup.

His sermons vary between dreary recitations of more opaque parts of the [[Old Testament]],<ref>{{cite episode |title=Simpsons Bible Stories|episode-link=Simpsons Bible Stories |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Long, Tim; Doyle, Larry; Selman, Matt; Kruse, Nancy |network=Fox |airdate=April 4, 1999 |season=10 |number=18 }}</ref> to the occasional "[[fire and brimstone]]" about [[Hell]].<ref>{{cite episode |title=Bart Sells His Soul|episode-link=Bart Sells His Soul |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |credits=Daniels, Greg; Archer, Wesley |network=Fox |airdate=October 8, 1998|season=7 |number=4 }}</ref> 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".