ITEMS of INTEREST

Dominic Utton with contributions from Ruth Gledhill

"Kids are praying like it's AD33. Pop stars Beyoncé, 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, and Daniel Bedingfield, all winners at the recent Brit awards, are united by a shared belief in the grooviness of the Alimighty, and were all efffusive in their thanks to Him when accepting their awards last month....

"And, thanks in part to Mel Gibson, the crucifixion is once again an image we're all invited to reflect upon. His film The Passion of the Christ may be making waves among those who consider it antisemitic or a glorificattion of violence, but it has undoubtedly got the chattering classes talking about Jesus again. And even the Pope has figured in the prepublicity. 'It is as it was,' he reportedly said, after a special screening.

"But teenagers have always been the target market for those serious about trend-spotting, and Christianity is no different. In America... selling His word for teens has become big business. CBA International, a trade association for the Christian retail industry, racks up sales of about $4.2 billion (£2.2 billion) a year: that's a lot of souls saved, and a lot of money made (hopefully in that order)....

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