Article #3

Jesus People: The '60s Intriguing Offspring
Christian Week Feb. 14, 1995, 10

Approximately 25 years ago a most curious social phenomena stunned religious analysts. On the heels of the 1966 “Death of God” pronouncement, a revival broke out among the North American hippie populace. Time magazine reported that Jesus People had taken to the streets and were "embracing the most persistent symbol of purity, selflessness, and brotherly love in the history of Western man." Once again, Jesus was more popular than the Beatles. With fingers pointed to the sky and shouts that “Jesus is Coming,” the ensuing revival spilled over into dozens of countries in its wake and has left a continuing legacy within North American evangelicalism.

The decade of the 1960s was one of transition where the norms and mores of the previous generation were seriously challenged by the young. Civil rights, the brutality of the political assassinations, student protest against the war in Vietnam and the threat of nuclear disaster all added to the increasing tension which spilled over into individual households. Kitchen tables became the ideological battlefields where child and parent clashed. Although regarded as the most affluent and educated group in history, the 'baby-boomers' (those born between 1945 and 1960), rejected the materialistic vision of their parents with the hopes of creating their own utopia. Theodore Roszak dubbed this affront to the status quo the counterculture.

The counterculture became a rallying point for youthful protest. Urban pockets of dissident teenagers gathered in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district and Toronto’s Yorkville area to find collective expression. Encouraged by self-proclaimed prophets, the media-dubbed “hippies” were invited to “tune in, turn on and drop out” in submission to the altar of experience and self-introspection. Drugs, eastern mysticism, sex and communal experimentation all pointed to the counterculture's desperate yearn for truth. When introduced to the message of Christ, the response was overwhelming. The ensuing revival spread across the continent like wildfire.

The Jesus People revival began in 1967 when a number of independent missionaries felt the call of God to enter areas of counterculture. The spiritual hunger of the truth starved hippies, coupled with their innate penchant for introducing their peers with the latest panacea, paved the way for the quick spread of the gospel message. Immediately, the streets were filled with street corner preachers and long-haired evangelists all espousing Jesus as the answer.

The Jesus People were the counterculture's most intriguing offspring; the hypostatic union of hippie and Christianity. Since the movement was dependent on the counterculture, the revival adopted and mirrored most of hippiedom’s innovations. Christian communal houses and underground Jesus papers were established wherever two or three new converts were found. The synthesis of rock music and the gospel gave birth to Jesus Music where faith found expression in the musical vernacular of the era.

Though the American scene grabbed the lion’s share of the coverage, the Canadian provinces were also affected. In British Columbia, the earliest outpost of Jesus People activity began in 1969 when two teenage girls hitchhiked into Vancouver and found a temporary shelter at St. Margaret’s Reformed Episcopal Church. Rev. Robert Birch, soon had the halls of the church filled with a number of newly converted Jesus people. In August, 1969 the group made contact with David Milton who purchased and transformed an old sea captain's house into a communal home called the House of Daniel.

Other groups soon followed. Russell Griggs was in charge of the Jesus People Army in Vancouver which owned the Shepherd’s Call Bakery and distributed the Agape newspaper. Other outposts in the B.C. area included Maranatha (publishers of the Maranatha Free Paper), Upper Room Coffeehouse in Chilliwack and the Bible Way House in Cloverdale.

The Prairie provinces were closely tied to the Pentecostal movement and the influence of Immanuel Church in Calgary. In 1970, five young teenagers opened a Christian commune and made contact with the church's pastor, John Lucas. A year later, a Calgary Spiritual Stampede touched off a flurry of activity as many Jesus houses were established. Elim House, The House of Shiloh, and Shining Light were organized in Calgary while House of the Lord and The House of Ruth were set up in Edmonton. Saskatchewan was home to the House of Acts, Maranatha Christian Center and the Tranquility Base Coffeehouse while in Manitoba, the House of Peter served as a Jesus People center.

The most celebrated Jesus People center in Ontario was the Toronto Catacombs, emanating from a high school club begun in 1968. After meeting at various locations, the core group sponsored a Thursday night praise and worship rally at St. Paul's Anglican Church. Led by the charismatic music of Merv and Merla Watson and the preaching of Jim McAlister, the Toronto Catacombs regularly drew crowds of 2,000 young people. Other Jesus People ministries in Ontario were the Cornerstone Church in Brantford founded by Mark Woodley, the Jesus Rap in London led by Rev. David Mack, the Jesus Forever Family experiment at Rochdale College and various communal houses (House of Smyrna, House of Emmaus and the House of Life and Love).

In Quebec, Ray Skelton began Solomon's Porch as an outreach to local Montreal youth in 1970. The group also sponsored the Hallelujah Cafe and The Ark coffeehouse. Other Jesus People centers included One Way Fellowship in Dorval and The Lighthouse in Rosemere.

Though the activity of the Jesus People in the Maritimes was less anti-establishment, Eastern Canada did not remain untouched. In 1971, a drug dealer nicknamed “Joe Bananas” received Christ and became the conduit through which the revival touched the street people. While most of the evangelistic campaigning was done through existing ministries, a handful of Christian communal groups were established.

When the counterculture started to recede in 1973, the Jesus People lost their audience. They began to marry, have children and assimilate into the larger corporate church setting. Since the counterculture was so transient and impermanent, very few of the groups maintained stability. There are few remaining visible legacies of the Jesus Movement, yet the influence of the revival is still being felt throughout evangelical circles in several ways.

First, the Jesus People revival must be seen in the context of the outbreak of pentecostalism at Azusa St. in 1906. Whether numbered as a second or third wave of this initial outpouring, there are a number of similarities to be drawn. Akin to Azusa St., the Jesus Movement began among the common element, was dependent on the media for some of its success and convinced those involved that they were the prophetic fulfillment of the 'pouring out of the Spirit' in the Last Days (Joel 2:4). Also like the Azusa St., the Jesus People gatherings displayed vibrant worship, speaking in tongues (glossolalia) and other manifestations of spiritual gifts. The lasting legacy of both of these revivals has been to lean towards the experiential over dogma and doctrine; the daily intervention of God in His people's lives. The Jesus People were prime examples of how magnetic experiential Christianity could be.

Second, the birth of spiritual rock music has influenced the church through the use of worship bands and upbeat choruses. Jesus Music has also blossomed into the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) subculture providing alternatives to Metallica and Aerosmith. Though CCM struggles to find the balance between commercialism and ministry, it has outlasted the 'rock music is satanic' conspiracy theorists, and should be seen as a positive argument for the mixture of culture and the gospel.

Finally, the revival has spawned new denominations which have made their presence felt worldwide. Both the Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard churches trace their exponential growth to the Jesus Movement having a common impetus through the charismatic ministry of Jesus People evangelist Lonnie Frisbee. Having shed the distinguishing characteristics of hippie Christianity long ago, both denomination’s leaders have definite ties to the Jesus Movement.

The advent of the Jesus People offered the ultimate rebuttal to God's 1966 obituary. At the very moment when the church was announcing that a post-Christian era would ensue, the Jesus freaks proved that reports of His death were greatly exaggerated. At least one of the “death of God” pundits has recently come forward to “eat a little crow” for his miscalculations. The growth of evangelical churches continues to mystify the experts.

Today, things seem to have come full circle, and another spiritual wave looms on the horizon. The recent Toronto Blessing development reminds careful observers of the same comments that were made about the Jesus Movement; about Edwards and Whitefield; about Azusa St; and that were probably uttered after the day of Pentecost. As usual, the church will offer both positive and negative reports in it attempt to achieve contemporary orthodoxy. Let us take heart that God has moved among us in our past, that we may learn from these movements and that we remain open to future awakenings.