The Gospel according to Andy: Series uses themes from Mayberry

Relevance and realism get a moral message across to viewers of all ages.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
MINERAL RIDGE -- The mention of the whistled theme song ("TheFishin' Hole") to "The Andy Griffith Show" will start it playing in your head.
If you're a baby boomer who grew up watching the show that aired from 1960 to 1968 or an avid TV viewer who knows the program from its long run in syndication, you have fond memories of the small-town lifestyle of Andy Taylor, his son, Opie, Aunt Bee and Deputy Barney Fife. And whether you realize it or not, a moral message was often a part of the show.
The song and the message had staying power.
And maybe that's why episodes of the show are featured in the Mayberry Bible Study, a four-week discussion series touted as the Winter Wednesday Night Study Group at First Presbyterian Church.
"It's something we thought would be appealing to people," said the Rev. Mark Phillips, who will lead the series. "So we're giving it a try."
The Rev. Mr. Phillips said participants will watch an episode then the discussion will take place.
Based on other experiences, the series could attract 20-25 people but more likely 15 would attend, he noted. The age range of participants is usually from 40 to 85 years old, he added.
What's the appeal of the Andy Griffith episodes? "It's something familiar, but you can see it in a whole new light that you never realized before," Mr. Phillips said.
Tied to Scripture
The resource materials for the series also use familiar Scripture passages relating to the message in the shows. "They don't use something obscure ... it's something people know ... and probably studied in Sunday school," Mr. Phillips said.
Mr. Phillips said the Eastminster Presbytery offers a resource center where innovative study tools may be obtained. Other Mayberry Bible Studies are available in addition to the Box Office Bible Study.
"It uses secular movies but there are messages in them," he said. The struggle between good and evil, life choices and moral issues are the part of the story line in "Star Wars," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Throw Mamma from the Train."
"There's a message there, but it's not presented in a heavy-handed way but is entertaining," Mr. Phillips said. "There's more to it."
Others are "The Gospel According to the Simpsons," which uses the animated sitcom cartoon show, a satirical parody of middle-America, and "All in the Family," a 1971-79 groundbreaking situation comedy that dealt with previously taboo topics such as racism, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, breast cancer and impotence.
The Rev. Deborah Dockstader, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, 890 Churchill Road, Girard, said her church plans to use the Mayberry series for Bible study. A couple of years ago, the church sponsored a "Dick Van Dyke Show Bible Study."
"It was lots of fun and really got people talking," she said.
Real-life issues
One episode, the Rev. Ms. Dockstader recalled, focused on an argument between Rob (Van Dyke) and Laura (Mary Tyler Moore). "This was an opportunity to talk about resolving family fights," she said. Another, she noted, was an episode in which Rob and Laura's son, Ritchie, needed to be disciplined. "This was extremely practical stuff done in a church setting. We talked about what God would want you to do in these instances."
"These stories aren't in the abstract," Ms. Dockstader said. "They're real situations that most families have experienced and can relate to.
"I love Bible stories, trust me, but sometimes they have nothing to do with modern life and people don't connect with them," Ms. Dockstader said. Using popular sitcoms, she said, helps people better understand how the "principles translate."
"I think it also makes people think more about the messages in TV shows. They're more aware that there is a message and more discerning about it," Ms. Dockstader said. "And this applies to adults as well as children. ... Adults aren't immune when it comes to being influenced by TV."
The various series based on sitcoms offer a springboard for the leader, Ms. Dockstader noted. "The focus is on how it all relates to what Jesus taught."