If the End Is Near, You Want to Know The Jesus Guy
He looks like popular conceptions of Jesus Christ, he dresses like Jesus (with added rosary beads and scapular), he meditates by the shore, and he walks city streets. He’s known as The Jesus Guy and filmmaker Sean Tracy features him in a documentary.
His name is now James Joseph (nee Carl) but he’s also known by the question “What’s your name?,” he owns nothing but the clothes on his back, and he’s journeyed by foot through 47 states and 13 countries. He doesn’t think he is Jesus and does not accept contributions (he doesn’t use money). He claims to be merely a preacher, a street evangelist.
Some people find him inspiring, others think he is a nut. Compared to St. Francis of Assisi, he has caught the attention of the media and has been followed by news crews and profiled on 20/20. He is also seen being heckled by passers-by and hassled by the police in Wildwood, New Jersey. (As interesting as The Jesus Guy is a segment on a Charismatic Catholics Convention held in Wildwood.)
One of the criticisms of What’s Your Name is that he seems overly interested in the media, and plays to the cameras (not that there are any other preachers who would entertain such thoughts). On the other hand, he follows Jesus’ injunction to put aside all earthly things and spread the Word.
Interspersed throughout the documentary are Biblical quotations and reminiscences from a woman who no longer holds What’s Your Name in high esteem. Overall, The Jesus Guy is a balanced portrait of James Joseph, but it lacks depth and seems somehow incomplete. Nevertheless, it is fascinating and thought-provoking.
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