Steve Shoemaker and “Zealot”

Since 1999, Steve Shoemaker has been hosting and producing WILL’s weekend religion call-in talk show “Keepin’ the Faith.” At the time he pitched the idea for the show, very few media outlets dealt with issues of religion. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Shoemaker about the show, why he started it and how media coverage of religion changed after 9/11. We’ll also talk with Shoemaker about his favorite Keepin’ the Faith episodes and how he managed to host and produce the show as a side project while working full time.

Then during the second half of the hour, we’ll talk with Reza Aslan, author of the controversial new book about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. In his book, “Zealot,” Aslan attempts to paint a truly historical picture of Jesus. We’ll talk with him about what we know about Jesus’ life independent from the gospels…..and what we don’t. Meadows also talk with him about his own faith and why he says it’s not a good idea to read the bible as literal text.