Bart the Lover her role in the episode. She was one of six voice-actors from "The Simpsons" to win the award that year. She is one of three guest stars on the show to win the award. The other two are Jackie Mason, who shared the award in 1992, and Kelsey Grammer who won in 2006 for voicing Sideshow Bob. Since airing, the episode has received positive reviews from television critics. It was named the eighth best episode of "The Simpsons" by Sarah Culp of "The Quindecim". Bill Gibron of DVD Verdict said "Bart the Lover" represent "The Simpsons" "at its apex as
Religion in The Simpsons praying. William Romanowski, author of the book "Pop Culture Wars: Religion and the Role of Entertainment in American Life", noted that ""The Simpsons" is not dismissive of faith, but treats religion as an integral part of American life. Episodes that I’ve seen are not so much irreverent toward religion, but poke fun at American attitudes and practices." One episode that heavily features religion is "Bart Sells His Soul" (1995). While discussing "The Simpsons" treatment of religion in his "Drawn to Television" book, M. Keith Booker cites a scene from the episode where Milhouse asks Bart what religions have to gain