The Jesus Christ Show

The Jesus Christ Show is a radio program that airs every Sunday from 6 to 9 a.m. Pacific time, originating from KFI in Los Angeles, California. The show is billed as "Hosted by Jesus Christ".

Jesus is played by the show's producer, Neil Saavedra, a 6'4", 240-pound, punk rock Latino man with a handful of tattoos and a goatee, who is Catholic by teaching and who, as marketing manager at KFI, is "usually too tired to attend church after his program." Saavedra calls the program "interactive radio theater to teach people from all walks of life about the historical person of Jesus Christ."[1] Saavedra refers to his character ("KFI Jesus") as "your holy host" and God as "Jesus' father," asks that people pray "to Jesus," and that "the way to salvation is through belief in the sacrifice of Jesus."

This has led many Christians, such as syndicated Christian radio host Ingrid Schlueter, to protest this practice as it borders on blasphemy, and that it marks Saavedra as a "false Jesus." Others, who criticize the show more gently, suggest that pretending to be Jesus leads people to be too impressionable to human advice. In his own defense, Saavedra compares his "KFI Jesus" character to "a historian dressing up as Abraham Lincoln" and that his impression of Christ is not to be taken as impersonating the actual Jesus Christ.

The show became a part of Premiere Radio Networks starting on June 1, 2008, and is syndicated to several stations in the US including WFLA (Tampa), KOGO (San Diego), America's Talk (XM Radio), and others.

Saavedra claims that the show is not inherently religious; rather, life issues are discussed in a manner similar to the advice shows of Laura Schlessinger and Joy Browne, though one might more aptly compare him to fellow KFI talk show host, Phil Hendrie, who, unlike Saavadra, comes to His talk show seat with a suitcase full of other personalities. Saavedra, as Christ, dispenses answers and advice based upon Christ's parables and preaching as told in the Gospel. The substance of the show regularly involves theology, philosophy, and social commentary. On August 21, 2011, when a called asked him about the validity of UFOs, he stated that "UFOs are precisely what they purport to be, 'Unidentified Flying Objects,' and explained that there is no proof that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe.

Some broadcasts are taped in advance, such as the Christmas show, and others may be repeats of previous shows. Irate callers who use false pretenses to get on the air are frequently denounced on air. Saavedra often takes opposing views and often spends more than one segment answering critics.

The Jesus Christ Show began as a short segment on KFI’s The Bill Handel Show, when Saavedra was invited to play the role of Jesus as a serious guest for an Easter program segment.^[1]

A podcast version of the show is available from KFI's web page.

External links

• The Jesus Christ Show Official Website
• Official Premiere Radio Networks Website
• Official KFI website
• Premiere Radio program clock

References

1. ^ What would Jesus say? Radio host takes on godly persona, gives life advice