Looking for a more modern way to express your faith? The company MSCHF may have come up with a solution with their creation of the “Jesus Shoes.”

Contrary to the usual depiction of Jesus wearing sandals, these shoes are a pair of Nike AirMax 97’s decked out with holy water from the River Jordan pumped into the soles, a crucifix, a “drop of blood” on the tongue, and frankincense-scented wool insoles. The shoes were offered for $1,400 but sold out in minutes.

But before Christians begin to write a check to purchase a pair, they have to consider their Christian morals in relation to the product. Father JohnJimenez discussed how it could be problematic when it comes to buying these shoes.

“It’s ok when group make t-shirts to evangelize. Maybe they make a little money. But, Nike already has a bad track record with having their shoes manufactured in exploitative situations,” Fr. John said. “So this seems like a whitewash to cover up their bad record.”

Christians commonly use different items to represent aspects of their faith, such as crucifixes, necklaces, Jesus t-shirts, statues, and more.

However, some feel like this pair of shoes somehow crosses the line. Religious studies teacher and former seminarian Joshua Keeney commented on how these shoes differentiate from other Christian items.

“It’s about intention. Whatis the intention of it? Is it about evangelization or to make money? They are trying to make money off of Jesus and the relevance of
the River Jordan. But, the image is to make money, not to spread the Gospel.”

He added, “There are many religious symbols that are used. Jesus culture is ok. We want Christian symbols. But the intuition behind this is just to make money. In addition, you can’t sell holy water. But the biggest thing is the intention, and that’s what differentiates a youth group shirt from this.”

Even though individuals educated in theology are able to see how buying a pair of these shoes could be wrong, a lot of young people don’t see it as a problem.

“I don’t really see what’s wrong with them,” Christian Castillo ’21 said. “They’re actually sick. I’d definitely buy a pair of those.”