Prominent Christian comedian John Crist entertained students and guests Friday in Vines Center

John Crist, a well-loved Christian comedian whose videos have gained over a billion views, caused carefree laughter with his clever stand up routine during Friday’s Convocation. Crist spent just over 20 minutes entertaining students with his relatable jokes and comedic timing. 

Many students could not contain their laughter as Crist joked about the immature thoughts he has in his everyday life. He also made some Bible-themed jokes, such as his interpretation of Lazarus’ perspective of being brought back from the dead. 

After his performance concluded, Pastor David Nasser held a Q & A with Crist, but not without adding a few jokes of his own, many of which left Crist himself bent over in his seat from laughing so hard.  Crist spoke about a variety of topics, from his inspiration as a comedian to his experience of being fired from Chick-Fil-A for stirring the lemonade with his arm. 

Nasser and Crist highlighted the fact that many of his jokes and skits inadvertently point-out the hypocrisy in many churches today. For instance, Crist spoke about one church at which that had reserved parking for the pastors. Believing that was not biblical, Crist recorded a skit about the church (without naming the church specifically) and posted it online. 

“If I cloak my message, it’s not like I’m trying to sneak truth in; I’m not,” Crist said. “Sometimes they’re just dumb fart jokes, but sometimes they’re more serious.” 

Liz Fitch| Liberty Champion
DUO — Pastor David Nasser sat down with John Crist in what some are calling “a battle of wits” following Crist’s brief stand up performance at Convocation Friday morning. Crist shared with students about his experience as a Christian comedian, his rise to YouTube popularity and the inspiration behind his videos.

When Nasser asked him about his boundaries as a comedian, Crist said that he does not operate like an anonymous online meme account.

 “I’m a name and a face and I have tour dates and all these pastors and worship leaders (whom he jokes about) are friends of mine, and I see them at festivals, and I see them at conferences and I have to look all these guys in the eye. … If you could not say it to a person’s face, then I wouldn’t say it on the internet,” Crist said.

He continued his thought later by saying, “We kind of had a rule in the show (his live tours). Let’s say you had a joke about Kim Kardashian or something like that, and you were mocking her character or saying something demeaning about her. If we got a text that day saying that we’ve got Kim Kardashian coming to the show that night, and we would remove that joke, then that’s not a joke we should be telling anywhere.” 

Although many of his jokes “roast” people, Crist said they are never meant to be hurtful.

John Crist’s comedy videos can be found on his Instagram (@johnbcrist), his Facebook (John Crist) or his YouTube channel (johnbcrist).

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