After years of standing outside venues attempting to ban the filth, Bible experts have moved on to the stage. For the first time, the Edinburgh fringe is swamped with religious shows, including an Old Testament variety show and two productions of St John's gospel in the original text.
For years, the only biblical productions were radical retellings, such as Terence McNally's gay Jesus in Corpus Christi, which prompted protesters to stand outside shouting: "It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." But the bigger fringe venues are now hosting straight performances of the gospels by non-religious companies. Ticket sales are high as audiences thirst for an alternative to comedy.
For the first time, the Scottish Bible Society put up a £1,000 sponsorship for any show that reflected "life themes". Thousands of performers scrambled for the money, including an ex-convent girl doing a routine about her childhood.
The winning show, Tetragrammaton - a Greek-inspired "reconstruction of the Bible" - is to be performed in a venue also sponsored by vodka makers Smirnoff. But the Scottish Bible Society is not bothered. It will also stage its own production, the End of the World and Other Embarrassing Moments - a sketch show featuring Noah and St Peter at a party.
The Scottish Bible Society's artistic programmer, John Lloyd, said: "Of course we are taking a risk by coming to the fringe. Those sections of the Christian church who believe the theatre is no place for God will be very shocked."
The actor John Griffiths, who once appeared with the teenaged Rowan Williams, now Archbishop of Canterbury, performs his one man recital, the Gospel According to John, in a dark cavern with candles and a hair robe for props.
Adrian Locker, whose three-hander Gospel of St John includes choral speaking and performance art, said: "People have said that they felt really nourished by the show. It's a religious experience in a nonreligious setting, and it's obviously meeting a need here."