Critical Literacy and Religion: An Androgynous Jesus?

How's this for an interesting lesson in critical literacy for religion teachers! I have never seen Christ rendered in any art form quite like this. The following excerpt comes from a website that deals with Christ iconography:

This image "Jesus of the People" by Janet McKenzie portrays Jesus as relatively androgynous and as black. Edwina Sandys' Christa portrays Jesus as a woman hanging on the cross, and was extremely controversial. Reinterpretations like these make the symbol of Jesus Christ accesible to people who do not wish to accept the traditional white European male image. Many feminists have chosen to reinterpret Christ, not visually but theoretically, and this is often labeled feminist christology.<(http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Projects/Reln91/Gender/qchristology.htm)

This exercise is a great opportunity to look at conventional portrayals of Jesus and discuss why they were chosen or deemed acceptable? By whom? For what purpose? Are there any underlying issues of power that are implicated in certain portrayals of Christ? Why are most renderings of Christ reflect a man of northern European descent as opposed to Middle Eastern ancestry?

I would LOVE to hear what students have to say on this. I think this sort of activity is guaranteed to promote high levels of engagement because:
1.) it's inquiry based learning
2.)it involves a great deal of inductive reasoning (your boys will thank you)
3.)it's highly controversial - what teenager doesn't like to challenge the status
quo?
4.)students are doing all the meaning-making, while participating in highly academic
processes(research, synthesis, evaluation, etc.)

In the past, I have challenged my students to create their own artistic renderings of Jesus and the diversity is astounding. Their creations often reflect their own personal relationship with Jesus. I have often taught this sort of lesson in the context of discussing how the four gospels provide very distinct representations of who Jesus is (supported by an article called "The Four Faces of Jesus"). I have done this lesson with grade 10 students taking the Christ in Culture course. A sure winner!