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In stark red letters against a black background, the April 8, 1966, issue of Time asked, "Is God dead?"

But as Mark Twain quipped, after his obituary appeared in the New York Journal, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." No, God is not only alive, he and his Son, Jesus, seem to be more popular than ever.

Recent books chronicle the popularity of the God/man who lived 2,000 years ago. In a Books & Culture review of American Jesus, Philip Jenkins writes, "One great strength of [author Stephen] Prothero's accounts is that he draws not just on standard and official texts, but on the proliferating manifestations of Jesus in popular culture, in film, novels, and especially in consumerist material culture, often of the very kitschiest."

In such popular depictions we take the pulse of culture's feeling toward Jesus. A recent Newsday article told the story of Rev. Thomas Goodhue, executive director of the Long Island Council of Churches. Goodhue couldn't even deposit a check at the bank without encountering a theological discussion. The teller looked up and asked if he was a clergyman, and then she went on to ask about The Passion. The movie has grossed over $300 million, and according to Goodhue, "It was probably the 100th conversation of the day inspired by The Passion of the Christ."

Meanwhile, "Dateline NBC" played "The Last Days of Jesus" and Peter Jennings reported on Jesus and Paul and the birth of Christianity. "Joan of Arcadia" and even reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have filled the programming hole left by Touched by an Angel. The evangelical Left Behind series and The Purpose-Driven Life, and the heretical The Da Vinci Code, are all selling millions.

What's going on? Is this a sudden upsurge in interest in Jesus?

Maybe not.

Peter Chattaway wrote in Books & Culture that Jesus has been a regular feature at the movies since moving pictures were invented in the 1890s. The first American Jesus film, The Passion Play of Oberammergau (1898), attracted audiences for weeks and was even used in revival meetings. From the Manger to the Cross (1912), Intolerance (1916), The King of Kings (1927), and Day of Triumph (1954) were all successes (though the 1961 King of Kings and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) were box-office duds).

Jesus films portrayed what Christians expected--until the '70s, when Jesus was included in A Clockwork Orange (1971) and satirized in The Ruling Class (1972) and Greaser's Palace (1972). Further interpretations--Jesus Christ Superstar, Life of Brian (Monty Python's indirect satire), Hail Mary, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Jesus of Montreal—showed that despite what a filmmaker thought of Jesus, he was still popular.

Another satirical film featured a "buddy Jesus" statue set up to increase attendance at an inner-city Catholic church. Dogma, the 1999 film directed by Kevin Smith, humorously and at times obscenely explored religious doubt. Loudly protested before its release (my Christian college forbade students from seeing it), the film did not seem worth the ruckus. Ironically, Jesus' popularity helped boost the movie to success.

Ratings-conscious television gave us Jesus of Nazareth (1977), a two-day miniseries recreating his life. Adding fictitious elements, the film was condemned and praised for the effort. Mary, Mother of Jesus, an NBC film from the 90s, presented Mary by giving her some of the lines and actions attributed to Jesus in the Gospels.

Jesus' life on earth has also been studied for his management techniques, used as a wrist accessory, or included in the $3 billion "Jesus junk" market. This Christian kitsch includes HolyBears and t-shirts with slogans like "Got Jesus?"

Online, Beliefnet.com reaches 4 million people a day, and our own ChristianityToday.com reaches 2 million unique visitors per month. A Pew survey found that 64 percent of the nation's 128 million Internet users seek spiritual content online.

It's interesting that while Jesus has remained popular—in film, TV, books, and consumer products—Christians keep trying to figure out how to be relevant. "This is a postmodern culture," many say. "Americans are spiritual consumers, the church must meet seekers' needs, and having church in coffeeshops, homes, or even dance clubs is the way to reach the unchurched, who won't darken the pews of traditional churches." Books, magazines, and conferences tell us how to be relevant.

Meanwhile, as box-office sales and best-seller lists prove, Jesus will always be relevant.