The TikTok profile Daily Believer (@believerdaily) has 70 videos with computer-generated Jesuses looking directly at the viewer, beseeching them to stop scrolling and watch the next minute’s worth of content.
All these Jesuses are long-haired and bearded, recalling artist Warner Sallman’s ubiquitous 1940 painting “Head of Christ.” Some wear the crown of thorns, some look alarmingly like the actor Jared Leto. Nearly all promise a surprise or “good news soon” in exchange for the viewer liking, commenting “Amen” or sharing it with their friends and family. With this digital outreach, the Daily Believer has gained, as of Nov. 13, 2023, 813,200 followers and over 9.2 million likes.
As a scholar of religion in the U.S. and its intersection with popular culture, I have been studying the ways American Christians use media and popular culture to perform religious work and evangelical outreach for the past 13 years. I argue that this TikTok phenomenon, in which viewers are promised good luck for sharing, liking and commenting on videos of a computer-generated Jesus, is close to what is known as the prosperity gospel – that is, a Christian belief that God will reward faith with this-worldly comforts, like health and wealth.
Computer-generated Jesus
“Welcome Jesus into Your Home” is among the Daily Believer’s most popular videos, with over 22.2 million subscribers. According to the computer-generated Jesus, if the viewer believes in God, they must share this video with their friends and family and comment “I believe.”
If they do, they will receive a blessing within an hour. If they do not, computer-generated Jesus issues a thinly veiled threat of damnation by quoting Matthew 3:10, which has John the Baptist saying, “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
It is a TikTok chain letter – one whose creator can be monetarily compensated, by TikTok, between 2 cents and 4 cents for every 1,000 views. For example, “Welcome Jesus into Your Home” could have earned the creator $900 from TikTok views alone, with the possibility for additional money earned on sites like Facebook Reels.
It is simple and effective. While the Daily Believer’s views are dwarfed by TikTok megastars like socialite Kylie Jenner and social media personality Khaby Lame, its engagement percentages are much higher, receiving some form of engagement from about one out of every four viewers.
Whether or not there are religious motivations underlying the Daily Believer’s desire for viewer engagement, there are monetary benefits for sure. The TikTok Creator Fund pays creators who have over 10,000 authentic followers based on the number of views, comments and sharing.
Faith equals wealth and health
Religious and monetary motivations are not mutually exclusive. In fact, their union is key to one of the more popular recent developments in American and global Christianity – the prosperity gospel, a subsection of Charismatic Christianity that says God will ensure followers’ material wealth and happiness as long as they believe in God.
The closest nonreligious analogy to the Daily Believer’s content is the chain letter where the recipient is promised good luck for forwarding and curses for breaking the chain. Such letters had their heyday in the mid-20th century as paper letters and in the late 1990s and early 2000s as emails and social media posts.
Two of the United States’ most famous preachers, T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen, teach that individual faith in God will be rewarded by God in the form of material wealth and health.
However, the Daily Believer further simplifies this formula. Viewers don’t really need to have a specific set of Christian beliefs to participate and benefit. All that they need to do is to say “I believe” and share the content with friends and family.
Turning likes and shares into cash
This lack of denominational-specific beliefs allows for the widest possible engagement with a wider Christian community.
The TikTok videos can appeal to a spectrum of Christian groups that may have theological, ethical and social disagreements.
Additionally, the Daily Believer’s requests for social media engagement is analogous to the prosperity gospel’s idea of tithing. In the prosperity gospel, tithing – the donation of a portion of your income to the church – is framed as “seed faith,” a monetary investment to demonstrate a person’s faith, and lack of faith will be punished as surely as faith is to be rewarded.
Seed faith and engagement with the Daily Believer’s TikTok videos have the same ritualistic function – give a little time, money or effort to get even more material rewards. They also both serve to make the person behind the request wealthier or increase their cultural clout.
By framing these requests as coming directly from the Son of God, not the influencer or content creator, the Daily Believer has made engagement with its social media religious work, which comes with a promise of divine reward in the here and now. It has transformed like-farming – the social media phenomenon of asking for viewer engagement – into the word of God.
Use of Jesus’ image
At the same time, it is difficult to see the Daily Believer’s content as having a missionary or outreach function. It seems aimed at those who would already consider themselves Christian and offers little in the way of persuasion or explanation of why someone should be a Christian.
The Daily Believer is not the only TikTok profile engaged in a type of “smash that like button if you love Jesus” content production. Within the larger phenomena of #ChristianTikTok, there are multiple profiles engaged in theological discussion and doctrinal issues. There are even more profiles that forgo discussion in favor of performing praise and worship.
The use of Jesus’ image as the deliverer of the message is more unique.
But the Daily Believer, with its digital Jesus and its bare-bones gospel of “Believe,” serves as an example of a new expression of an ancient religious motivation – the securing of this-worldly health, wealth and reward in exchange for following the will of the deity or deities.
Author: Brandon Dean – Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Iowa
On the big screen, Deadpool clashed with Wolverine in a spectacle that set social media abuzz, while animated darling Inside Out 2 stormed the box office — leaving Joker’s sequel in its shadow. Off-camera, there was more drama as Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni found themselves locked in a bitter legal feud.
The off-screen action, however, didn’t stop there. There were debates over The Brutalist’s daring use of AI and Anora’s controversial decision to forgo an intimacy coordinator sparked plenty of heated exchanges on social media.
As the Academy Awards draw near on Sunday, March 2, 2025, the anticipation is palpable. We look at some of the possible winners on Hollywood’s biggest night.
Best Picture: Anora leads, but there others
Anora is just barely ahead—but only by a hair. Why? A string of major wins, including the Critics Choice, Producers Guild, and Directors Guild Awards, put it in prime position. But rivals like Conclave and The Brutalist are lurking. We could see a historic upset here.
Best Director: Close fight between Sean Baker and Brady Corbet
Two directors, one golden statuette. Sean Baker (Anora) and Brady Corbet (The Brutalist) are neck and neck. But history favours Baker, thanks to the Directors Guild Awards’ near-flawless Oscar track record. Still, nothing is certain.
Best Actor: Both Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet are in the race
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) was cruising toward his second Oscar—until Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) crashed the party with a major SAG win! Brody is still the favourite, but don’t be shocked if Chalamet pulls off a dramatic last-minute upset.
Best Actress: Demi Moore has a fair chance
Demi Moore (The Substance) has swept the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards. But with Anora’s Mikey Madison taking the BAFTA and I’m Still Here’s Fernanda Torres still in play, Moore’s victory lap could be premature.
Best Supporting Actor: Could Kieran Culkin lose?
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) has dominated awards season. Could someone else steal the statue? Sure. But at 87.7% likelihood, this one looks locked in.
Best Supporting Actress: This could be a clean sweep for Zoe Saldana
Despite chatter that controversy around Emilia Pérez could hurt her chances, Zoe Saldaña is sweeping through the competition. The numbers say she’s almost certain to take home gold.
Best Animated flick: The Wild Robot could go for gold
Chris Sanders has been nominated four times — but never won. At 55 per cent, The Wild Robot is the favourite. But Flow and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl are still in the game.
Best International movie: A twist in the tale
Emilia Pérez was expected to dominate — but controversy, critic-audience divides, and I’m Still Here gaining ground could mean a shocking upset.
Final Thoughts: Who will win, who’ll lose
There’s no such thing as a sure thing at the Oscars — but if the data is right, expect major moments, potential heartbreaks, and perhaps a few historic wins.
Bollywood’s beloved ’90s comedy king Govinda and his wife Sunita Ahuja are rumoured to be on the brink of separation after nearly four decades together. While neither Govinda nor Sunita has addressed these rumours, multiple reports suggest that the couple has decided to go their separate ways. However, Govinda’s secretary is yet to confirm these reports.
Tension between couple
Govinda and Sunita have often kept their personal lives private, rarely letting the media into their domestic affairs. However, whispers of tension between them have surfaced repeatedly over the years. It is now being suggested that the couple, who reportedly have not been living together for a while, have chosen to make their separation official.
Rumours about Govinda’s closeness with a Marathi actress
According to reports, one of the prominent speculations behind the rumoured split is Govinda’s increasing closeness with a 30-year-old Marathi actress. While no specific names have been mentioned, some claims suggest that their bond may have contributed to the couple’s growing rift. However, there is no concrete evidence to substantiate these claims.
Govinda and Sunita live in different houses
Earlier this year, Sunita Ahuja made a surprising revelation about their living situation, stating that she does not share the same residence as Govinda. While the ‘Hero No. 1’ star resides in his bungalow, Sunita and their children, daughter Tina Ahuja and son Yashvardhan Ahuja, live in a flat located opposite the house. This disclosure fueled speculations of an underlying issue in their marriage.
Following the revelation, Sunita downplayed the rumours, asserting in an interview that no one could break their bond. She maintained that external forces often try to disrupt marriages but said that she remains committed to keeping her family intact.
How the duo fell in love
Govinda first came across Sunita Ahuja when his uncle married her elder sister. She came from a wealthy family in Mumbai city, while the actor hailed from a small town in Virar. The duo got into a relationship when Sunita was 15 and they got married in 1987 when she turned 18 and the actor was 24. But, the actor didn’t publicly reveal his marriage to safeguard his female fan following. They announced their wedding only after the birth of their daughter, Tina, in 1988.Later, they had a son, Yashvardhan, in 1997. Despite the usual ups and downs, they remained a much-admired couple. Over the years, Govinda has often credited Sunita for being his pillar of strength through thick and thin.
When Govinda nearly married Neelam
During his career, the actor was linked with a number of actresses like Neelam Kothari and Rani Mukherji. In fact, in one of his earlier interviews, Govinda revealed that after a spat with Sunita, he broke off his engagement with her. “Had Sunita not called me after five days and coaxed me into it again, I would probably have married Neelam.”
Govinda’s secretary denies divorce reports
Amid the growing speculation, Govinda’s secretary Shashi Sinha spoke to ABP News and denied the reports. He said, “There is no truth to these reports. I always stay with Govinda Ji, and there is nothing like this. Sunita must have given some interviews, and someone must have exaggerated her words, which is why such news is spreading.”
Salman Khan has never been one to hold back, and at a recent event in Dubai, he added his signature dose of humour to the oft-debated topic of nepotism in Bollywood. The superstar, fondly known as Sallubhai, was in town to launch his nephew Ayaan Agnihotri’s debut song, “Universal Laws”, and in true Salman style, he had the audience in splits with his witty remark.
As Dubai’s DJ Bliss – who hosted the event – praised the Khan family for their unwavering support for Ayaan, Salman quipped, “That’s what nepotism is!” His playful jab left everyone in the room in splits.
And as the crowd cheered, Salman officially launched the song, marking Ayaan’s much-anticipated entry into the music world.
A Star-Studded Affair
The event turned into a Bollywood reunion, with stars like Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Neha Dhupia, Angad Bedi, and other celebrities coming together to celebrate Ayaan’s big moment.
During his speech, Salman highlighted that Ayaan, the son of Atul Agnihotri and Alvira Khan Agnihotri (Salman’s sister), hails from a family of seasoned film producers. He also mentioned that Ayaan’s cousin, Alizeh Agnihotri, who recently made her Bollywood debut, shares the same film-driven lineage.
Ayaan and Salman’s Previous Collaboration
This isn’t the first time the uncle-nephew duo has joined forces. Salman and Ayaan previously worked together on the track, “You Are Mine”, where the young artist showcased his rap skills alongside the Bollywood megastar. The song, composed by Vishal Mishra, became a talking point among fans.
Salman & Sanjay Dutt Spotted in Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, Salman is keeping busy with multiple projects. A recent video circulating on social media showed him and actor Sanjay Dutt filming on the streets of Saudi Arabia. The clip, shared by an X user, captured the two actors casually chatting with crew members.
The buzz is that Salman and Sanjay are working on a cameo appearance in the Bollywood remake of the 2021 Argentine film Seven Dogs. While details remain under wraps, fans are excited to see the duo share screen space again.
From family celebrations in Dubai to shooting in Saudi Arabia, Salman Khan is proving yet again that his star power knows no boundaries.