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As a movement: We need to produce our own first-class documentaries to be aired on TV channels outside of Christian broadcasting. Just a few years ago, Christian entertainment and media was a $4 billion industry. A mere .002 percent of that money could provide the $8 million it would likely cost to produce a quality documentary for primetime airing once a year. Most of us can find an extra .002 percent in our budget for a worthy cause, and organizations like the National Religious Broadcasters are well equipped to pull together the media talent and scholarly expertise needed for such projects. The resulting programming would be intended both for believers and for a broader audience, addressing issues of the Bible and Christian history in factual and engaging ways.

We need to understand that public discussion of the Christian faith has changed—permanently. So the next time you hear an earth-shattering announcement about Jesus from the media, don't get angry. Rather, take three deep breaths, sit down with your Starbucks coffee, and watch how the announcement is treated on blogs and other media. Above all, prepare yourself for the opportunities it presents.

This is how religious news comes to us now. It requires a fresh response.

Darrell Bock is research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author, most recently, of Dethroning Jesus: Popular Culture and the Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ (Thomas Nelson, 2007).

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

CT's previous coverage of media and Jesus:

Q&A: Darrell Bock | CT spoke with Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary research professor of New Testament and author of the forthcoming The Missing Gospels (Nelson), about the stir caused by the Gospel of Judas release in early April. (June 1, 2006)

A Faith Tailored Just for You | The hoopla over the Gospel of Judas is both absurd and revealing. A Christianity Today editorial (May 10, 2006)

Jesus Out of Focus | The Da Vinci Code is raising issues that go to the heart of the Christian faith—and it's starting to confuse us all. (June 1, 2006)

The Judas We Never Knew | Disgraced disciple actually conspired with Jesus, according to newly released Gospel of Judas. Should we believe it? (April 6, 2006)

The Jesus and Judas Papers: A Look at Recent Claims about Jesus | Questions about history may be sincere, but make no mistake: There is an agenda at work. (April 13, 2006)

Leading with Conclusions | Much of Jesus scholarship is about neither the historical Jesus nor good scholarship. (April 29, 2002)

Historical Hogwash | Two books—one new, one newly reissued—debunk false claims about the "real" Jesus. (July 13, 2001)

What Did We Want? A Say in Hollywood! When Are We Getting It? Now! | The BBC's digital Jesus, and other articles from mainstream media sources around the globe."

Christianity Today Movies and Christian History & Biography have websites devoted to the Da Vinci Code.

The Gospel Code , Fabricating Jesus, Reinventing Jesus, and The Missing Gospels are available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

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December 2007, Vol. 51, No. 12