The Jesus Revolution was a real phenomenon that happened between 1969-1972, when Hippies got the Holy Spirit, and went into the churches and changed Christianity in America and the World forever. The film tells the story of three men, three streams, that formed in the movement. One is Lonnie Frisebee played by Jonathan Roumie, who many know for his portrayal of Jesus in The Chosen, there is even a joke when one person says have you met Jesus and the person shakes Lonnie’s hand, which you know is a nod to that Jonathan plays Jesus in The Chosen. The other is Chuck Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer, who is head pastor of Calvary Chapel, and finds his flock dwindling, and he not understanding these Hippies. Lonnie a traveling Jesus Freak and hippy preacher meets Chuck’s daughter, who introduces the two and what happens is a match that starts a revolution and revival. Caught in the middle is Greg Laurie, played by Joel Courtney, a young man running from pain and who fears people will leave him, he becomes the middle man between Chuck’s more traditional style of the movement where he raises The Bible and says “this is God’s Word, lets read it together,” and Lonnie’s more charismatic touch of laying hands on people for healing and calling out words of knowledge. This in inevitably leads to schism between the two, with Greg staying with Chuck, and in the end Greg faces his demons, and gets his own church, which he founds Harvest Church. The film is full of 60’s and 70’s tunes like “Jesus is alright with me,” and other secular hits like “War! Huh! What is it Good For?!”. It is a well made film, not the usual Christian low budget fair that I appreciate does serve our Lord, but this film you can tell is a love letter to the generations who witnessed and experienced The Jesus Revolution. Even I who come later than that movement, was moved in the Spirit by the anointing that bleeds through the pixels and sounds of this film.
There are two scenes that may provoke people, one is the lie the hippies are taught at Janis Joplin concert on the beach, where a hippy white hair man claims drugs is doorway to understanding god, and other estoeric sayings from hell. There is a scene when different religions at a high school get up and one guy rises up and says “hail Satan,” which was rather shocking, but it is true Satanism was growing at that time, and it serves to show that those times are full of many messages, and Lonnie Frisbee gets up after and says “Jesus says you must decide,” which reminds me of the line by Sybilla in Kingdom of Heaven, “their Prophet says submit, Jesus says decide.” Indeed, you must decide as Joshua said, “choose (decide) this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15).
There are three very powerful moments in the film that I sense are crucial for The Church and our world now. The first is a dialogue between Lonnie and Chuck where he says “my people go through open doors, but your Church’s door is shut.” Ironically the offshoots of the real Jesus Movement have become Megachurches that look as Square and uninviting as the mainliner churches, and so there is a “desperate” generation now as there was then that we arn’t ready to accept, instead of tie dye shirts they have tie dye hair, instead of “free lov’in” they are transgender, and instead of protesting Vietnam they are protesting Climate Change. To navigate reaching this New kind of Hippie, we must be like Chuck and Lonnie, looking past paint and social dispositions, and seek those lost souls with the love of Christ.
The second moment is when Chuck gets up in his church and says, “Jesus was a friend to the outcasts, the forgotten and lost, so if you feel like a outcast, or like you are judged, come here, this is your family.” (Paraphrased). That is what the Church is, a refuge for outcasts and sinners who love Christ and each other. But somehow we forgot that while looking at marble statues of saints and mega church interiors. Jesus came for everyone, for the freaks, the addicts, the gender confused, all of us! And its time to stop acting like our Ecclesia (church) is a mausoleum for perfect looking people, its a hospital and home for rejects, radicals, misfits, freaks, outcasts, broken, sinners, addicts, and rebels.
The third moment is when Lonnie Frisbee breaks down asking “Father forgive me for my sins, please keep using me, do not abandon me!”
This is prayer of every Christian who sins in a big way. Our conscious feels seared and we wonder if Christ will drop us and unseat us or undisciple us. He won’t, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9), and “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2). So the truth is Jesus forgives all our sins, all our failings, and feebleness. Its Satan’s plan to convince you as a Christian that you did something that God will not forgive. It is clear Scripture which is from God’s Very Breath (2 Timothy 3:16) says Satan is a liar (John 8). So do not listen to the devil! Instead repent (turn from) of your sin (missing mark); turn from your bad deeds and stop doing them and aim your bow’s mark again and fire again, or more simply “just keeping swimming!” (Dory, Finding Nemo).
The Jesus Revolution is a movie for this time, as revivals in Ashbury to Texas, and all over are currently rising, this film is a reminder to reach out to the Hippie or Freak or Outcast in whatever form and tell them there is “One Way” to Heaven (John 14:6) and that when they are baptized they can sing “We Are One in The Spirit, We Are One in The Lord!” Amen.
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