By Nicole Haley

The newly formed Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship (NuChiAlpha) tried to reach students on a spiritual level Last Thursday by using the popular animated sitcom “The Simpsons” as a model.

The group met at the Sacred Space in Ell Hall to talk about Jesus, the Bible and Homer and Bart.

During the event dubbed “The Gospel According to The Simpsons,” members broke off into smaller discussion groups after watching an episode of “The Simpsons” to discuss the spiritual implications of Bart and Homer’s usual immoral behavior. In this particular episode, Bart is skateboarding one Sunday afternoon when Mr. Burns accidentally hits him with his car. Homer becomes overwhelmed by greed and finds a less than scrupulous lawyer and fake doctor to sue Mr. Burns for much more than Bart’s medical bills cost for the minor injuries.

Marge looks on disapprovingly as Bart lies on the witness stand and Homer becomes obsessed with a $1 million settlement. In the end, Marge tells the truth and they lose the case. Homer goes on a drinking binge at Moe’s and almost tells Marge that he doesn’t love her anymore because she lost him the money.

After tallying up seven out of 10 commandment violations during the course of the episode, the members formed small circles to share their thoughts about greed and the meaning of truth.

Matthew Jesse, a campus pastor who works with students in six other Boston schools for Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, asked students to share their thoughts about greed.

“Is your degree to put money in your pocket or to improve the lives of the people around you?” Jesse asked.

Arnaud Kamphuis, a junior finance major, said that although he believes there is nothing wrong with setting goals and going after what you want in life, “The people you meet in life and the friends you make are much more valuable than anything that you own.”

A few students recalled how Moe consoled Homer after he missed his chance to become a millionaire. Moe tells his friend that rich people aren’t happy.

“From the day they’re born to the day they die, they think they’re happy but they ain’t,” the animated bartender said.

Students exchanged thoughts about how money changes people and answered a question about what they would do with $1 million. Andrew Cook, a freshman music technology major, talked about the charity work he would do if his band makes it big.

“If we come into good money, I definitely want to do good things with it,” Cook told the group.

Janel Kozlowski, president of NuChiAlpha and a middler anthropology major with a minor in religious studies, explained how using “The Simpsons” to talk about aspects of Christianity was an approach the group will continue to use in the future.

Mentioning a possible upcoming event that would focus on “The Lord of the Rings,” Kozlowski said the group is “finding things in popular culture that we think are related to God.”

Kozlowski said the she wants NuChiAlpha, which is still in the process of obtaining approval to become an official student group, to help students find an alternative to partying and drinking. She said that it’s not always easy to be a practicing Christian on a college campus.

“It’s amazing to have other people that feel the same way I do. It makes it easier to live the way that I live and makes me stronger,” she said.

Brendan Brown, a freshman music industry major, said he likes the support system he gets from going to NuChiAlpha meetings.

“It’s good to meet up with fellow Christians and make sure you’re staying on track during the week,” Brown said.

Shane Adams, another campus pastor who moderated the group discussions, said that NuChiAlpha will “help encourage students and their faith.” He also expressed hopes that the organization could break down some Christian stereotypes.

Though NuChiAlpha does present a decidedly Christian worldview, Kozlowski says that anyone is welcome and that the group is “open to dialogue.”

Arnaud Kamphuis is an atheist who comes to meetings because he finds it “very interesting to be exposed to different cultures and ideas.”

When the group was discussing truth in very theological terms, Kamphuis said, “Truth is something you can take faith apart from. People are very open here and I can express my opinions.”

NuChiAlpha meets every Thursday in the Sacred Space in Ell Hall from 8 to 9:30 p.m.