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Credit Crunch Christ

 
Glory to God in the High Street? (Photo: Now and Here) 

And Jesus said: Put on a Tutu

Is it ever OK to get a laugh by implying that the miracles of Jesus were just magic tricks? If not, then 540 people were right to complain to OFCOM about the above sketch on ITV by Rowan Atkinson. And OFCOM were wrong to bat the whiners away. Personally, I think it depends on the kind of comedy involved. In this case, I think the comedy was good-natured and therefore, it's a bit over the top to complain. After all, God has a sense of humour ("The One enthroned in the heaven laughs" Psalm 2:4).

The Bible and British politicians

 
With President Obama's Bible inauguration faux-pas splashed all over the news, I thought it would be interesting to look a little closer to home. I've already sketched Gordon Brown's use of the Bible in a previous post, but here's an overview of how some other big names in British history have both used and been influenced by the Bible. Photo: dclay

Genesis hits Facebook

Jesus may be on Twitter, but God is on Facebook - along with a host of other B-listers such as Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. See below for some well-observed narration of the early chapters of Genesis. Not for the easily offended.

Dawkins' new Bible bus

 
With the atheist bus campaign getting such wide publicity, I thought Richard Dawkins would welcome some suggestions for his next outing. Based on his previous claim that people should be written off as uncultivated if they know nothing of the Bible, this would undoubtedly get far more people talking. Sadly, however, I'm sure that the ASA would insist that the word 'probably' was slotted in there somewhere. But Richard, it's over to you. Picture: Ian Summers

Jesus in ripped jeans

According to the latest gossip, Sacha Baron Cohen is set to stir up more trouble with a new film. Casting aside his past incarnations as Ali G and Borat, Cohen will take on the persona of Bruno, a fabulously camp Austrian fashion journalist. For added shock factor, the film will feature a black model called Jesus sporting a crown of thorns.

For those who haven't seen Bruno in action before, the clip above has him discuss potential makeover options for Jesus with a Hollywood stylist. Leaving aside the salacious start, it's a must-see in terms of both sending up the fashion industry and picking up some nifty style tips for Jesus, who is said to have "the appeal of a major movie star".

The Micro-Blogging Messiah

I've yet to be drawn into the Twittering Classes, despite being enslaved by Facebook some time ago. Yet, it's a matter of time before Twitter is extensively hyped by the media as the next big thing. As such, The Telegraph have featured Historical Tweets, a spoof Twitter site featuring historical characters, including Jesus, Joan of Arc, Elvis and Hitler.

Each of the Twitterers share their thoughts about key events in their lives (as on the real Twitter). Jesus' musing is pictured above. Great fun, if a touch late. You see, Jesus Tweets for Easter were first devised as far back as 2007. Also worth a look on the micro-blogging Messiah front is My Tiny Jesus, a site where absolutely anyone can put their words into the mouth of the Saviour.

Straight from the Heart

As a sign of its commitment to religious broadcasting, Channel 4 is to screen a major new 8-part series, Christianity: A History, starting this Sunday. The producer of the series, David Batty, took a break from production to talk me through how each of the programmes has a personal touch.