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"No one should die alone, and no one should die in pain," Hageseth says.

If Jesus were born 30 years ago and ministering today, he would be visible and not readily accepted by all. And he'd have a lot to say, according to local people of faith and theologians, who considered this Easter what Jesus' earthly ministry in 2005 might look like here.

"He'd be identifying with the outsiders, the marginalized and the broken ... the people that smell bad and that nobody wants to sit next to in church," says Bill Leonard, dean of divinity at Wake Forest University.

"He would respond with judgment and irony to those who think they know what God is like and how God acts and when God speaks," Leonard says. "He would warn that the folks who think they won't be 'left behind' may be in fact the ones who get left off the list, and the least expected may lead the way into the kingdom."

His life might be a lot like others' -- working as a carpenter, volunteering at Triad Health Project, sharing a meal with a Lunch Buddy.

"I fancy Jesus would be born in Gibsonville, perhaps raised in Snow Camp, baptized in Deep River and comes to downtown Greensboro to preach on street corners and in old First Church, where he is soundly criticized and hounded," says the Rev. Stephen Crotts of Adams Farm Community Church. "His followers come from radical A&T as well as the car lots and Sedgefield Country Club. TV news does not know what to make of him. Local theology schools pick him apart. Yet the homeless, the harlots, the sick flock to him."

He would set an example, even in the way he dressed, says the Rev. Maria Palmer of Iglesia Unida De Cristo (United Church of Christ) in Orange County and an elementary school principal in Greensboro.

"I think Jesus would not wear clothes that had been made by exploiting people. I can see him reading the label. I can see him looking for clothing that reflects a just work environment. ... I can see him looking for 'Made in America,' where at least employers have to abide by OSHA rules. I can see him buying North Carolina textiles and having people here sew his clothes and his wearing home-knit sweaters."

He would work as a general contractor or a brick mason, says the Rev. Marcus Johnson of Mount Zion Baptist Church.

"He would lay foundation," Johnson says. "I see Jesus' job as being more symbolic ... as opposed to working for the money."

His disciples would reflect his mission.

"He would choose 12 very ordinary, rough-on-the-edges, not the brightest, nor the most religious, nor the wealthiest ... and it would be his desire that these 12 did as they did 2,000 years ago," says the Rev. Don Miller of Westover Church. "This group of people would change the world today as they did then.

"He would use stories, questions, conversations that would penetrate our hearts and get under our skin," Miller says

Public opinion about Jesus would be divided.

"Can you imagine him saying to Donald Trump, 'If you want to be my disciple, sell what you have and follow me,' " asks the Rev. Cardes Brown of New Light Missionary Baptist Church. "I can imagine the response would be the same, person to person: 'Are you for real? Where did you come from?' "

He would not condemn those with money simply for having money, but he would remind them that to whom much is given, much is expected, Brown says.

"We feel justified because we give to the tsunami (victims), but there are folks who die at your front door," says Brown, chairman of the local social services department board, whose southeast Greensboro church doubles as a social service agency.

"I am so indebted to God for the blessings," Brown says. "My congregation takes good care of me, and we try to take care of others. Some of the social service agencies routinely (tell clients) to go to New Light. Even at that I feel guilty."

Mary Wessling, who worships at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Greensboro, says Jesus' view of people and the world would be shaped by a profound yet simple premise: Love God and love one another.

"Somehow I think Jesus would take on many forms and be in many places," she says. "I believe he would be where we least expect to find him.

"For liberals and social justice advocates, that may mean that Jesus would be in the corporate boardroom or legislature, influencing the policies that impact the community and the environment," Wessling says. "For conservatives and morality watchdogs, Jesus would most be found standing on the lines of a silent peace vigil, organizing folks to effect change in the way their children learn or the way government serves its people."

Jesus would infuse himself into lives, building relationships with people, gathering small groups and sending them out to share the word, says the Rev. Rob Hutchinson of FaithWalk United Methodist Church in Whitsett.

"He is hanging out at McDonald's as well as Ruth's Chris (Steak House) because he likes to eat," Hutchinson says. "He is meeting us where we are.

"He is showing up everywhere, in mainstream movies, in music, at the water cooler and even in our schools whether we know it or not ... slipping into our lives without fanfare -- no billboards, no infomercials, no prime-time specials or even special inserts in the paper. He is just here."

Then again, Wessling speculates, Jesus probably would not be living in the United States.

"His place would be in a Third World country, working among the poor and striving for a greater understanding between the world of privilege and the world of need," she says.

The Middle East would be on his radar, says Max Carter, a Quaker.

"If he were still residing in his hometown of Nazareth, he would be witnessing against the violence in that region -- both by Israelis and Palestinians -- and seeking a just peace for all parties and a way for both Palestinians and Israelis to share the land equitably and justly," says Carter, the chaplain at Guilford College.

Wherever he walked, his message would not change, says the Rev. Alex McFarland, who founded the Greensboro-based Focus on the Family and is on the staff of James Dobson's "Faith in Focus" ministries in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"It is a mistake to assume that just because certain sins have been 'declassified' in our day, that Jesus would 'see things our way' and compromise the Scriptures to accommodate our current modes of behavior," he says. "The Bible isn't something that came about through man's opinions but through God's revelation."

It's always risky to presume to know too much, says the Rev. Julie Peeples, the pastor at Congregational United Church of Christ.

"I suspect Jesus would ask us why we're so torn up over just a few issues of personal morality that he never talked about, while ignoring all he said about money and power and violence," Peeples says. "Personally, I think he'd find our war with Iraq an outrage. I think he'd be urging us to be about healing the world, not trying to dominate it. And then he'd likely enjoy a good meal with us and remind us God's grace and forgiveness are meant for us as well."