It's a familiar technique. Churches, to remain engaged with popular culture, have been name-checking television shows, films, and pop songs for ages. The more risqué or controversial the media, the more rousing the congregational response. For better or worse, scandal—in all its varied forms—grabs attention.

But it can be tricky to pull off this tactic for connecting with congregants, and some ways of going about it can be more helpful—or hurtful—to churchgoers than others.

Dr. Tejado W. Hanchell, Senior Pastor of Mount Calvary Holy Church of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is one of many ministers to use Scandal as an object lesson. In the May 2 episode, "A Woman Scorned," Olivia growls the instant-classic line, "You want me? Earn me!" to Fitz. In response, Dr. Hanchell used the hashtag #DearSingleSister to dispense a bit of admonition to any women who may have been looking to Olivia as a relationship role model. "#DearSingleSister," he wrote, "A married man can't 'earn you.' His assets are tied up in another investment." Other advice from that week includes: "#DearSingleSister, you can get free from your 'Fitz' but you can't do it alone. Seek help." And then there's this observation: "Fitz is acting like those pastors who lose their church over a side piece."

For faith leaders who use the show primarily to address the perils and fallout of adultery, useful commentary seems limited. Lessons along these lines assume that there's a great need for addressing extramarital affairs in church—and there very well may be. But these quips also place the bulk of blame on Olivia Pope. She—and by extension, the female contingent of a church's Scandal-viewing audience—become whipping girls for the Purity Police. The message is: Don't end up like Olivia Pope, the mistress who will most assuredly received her well-deserved comeuppance. And, apparently: Don't be a "side piece" who causes a pastor to lose his church. Beyond that, there isn't much of a faith message to be gained.

Dr. Hanchell isn't alone in his adultery-based critique of the show and its viewers, but some churches are using Scandal as less of a shaming device and more of a conversation-starter and a Bible study. Take Impact Church of Atlanta, where Pastor Olu Brown preached a series on Scandal that was strategically planned to coincide with the show's last three-week hiatus. Three Scandal-centric sermons, "I've Been Hucked," "Every Scandal Has a Harrison," and "The Olivia Pope Syndrome," dissect the show's characters and plot in interesting and less judgmental ways.

"Raise your hand if you're involved in a scandal," Pastor Brown begins his "I've Been Hucked" sermon. "Don't you dare raise your hand!" After the congregation chuckles, he continues, "That's why we're talking about this series. As long as we live, we will all face a scandal in our lives. How do we find some basis to talk about this for the next three weeks? I can think of no other book than the most scandalous book ever written: the Holy Bible."