In 1969, evangelical pastor Chuck Smith and charismatic speaker Lonnie Frisbee led a revival on the West Coast. Jesus Revolution tells the remarkable and slightly fictionalized story as witnessed by Greg Laurie, who would come out of the movement as an influential preacher. Some might even say that Jesus Revolution is a minor miracle, as it rose to #5 in box office earnings for 2023 shortly after its release.
Directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle, Jesus Revolution stars Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, and Greg Laurie. Interestingly, Jesus Revolution does not list a composer; the first one we’ve ever done that doesn’t. Its release has been exceptionally well received and far exceeded expectations for performance at the box office. It costs 15 million dollars but has nearly $50 million in box office earnings. It tells the very engaging story of how Chuck Smith met Lonnie Frisbee and began to engage the hippie community through evangelism. What started as a few people worshiping grew into a movement credited with leading hundreds of thousands of people to Christ.
Initial Impressions of Jesus Revolution
Christian movies in mainstream entertainment often perform poorly. They fall below better-funded secular films in story and production values and rarely gain a foothold at the box office. For comparison purposes, to date, the movie Redeeming Love was released 15 months ago, cost 30 million dollars to make and grossed slightly less than 10 million dollars at the box office.
Interestingly, Eve and I have had more people ask if we’ve seen this movie than nearly all the other movies combined. Take away the Marvel movies; it definitely is the case. Likewise, we get asked if we liked it. A lot. Because we do reviews, we can only answer that with a caveat. We don’t usually review Christian movies (we found our discussion on War Room to be a bit bland), but we are addressing Jesus Revolution more from a bio-pic/historical movie point of view.
We’re pleased Jesus Revolution draws good audiences and receives mostly good press. While historical in nature, it still portrays thousands and thousands of people coming to Christ. That kind of exposure can sow some seeds. Still, Jesus Revolution is NOT a gospel movie. Despite several scenes featuring a pastor “at the pulpit,” the gospel message is never heard.
I am a diehard fan of Kelsey Grammer. His acting chops are equally impressive in comedy and drama. I’ve been watching the man since I was a teen when he first donned the Frasier Crane persona, and I can’t think of a performance he’s done that disappointed me. I even liked Up Periscope! In Jesus Revolution, he plays the conservative evangelical preacher Chuck Smith. Chuck is portrayed as putting his service to God over the discomfort of learning to work with and embrace the hippie culture. As usual, Grammer doesn’t need to perform the role; he inhabits it.
I also loved how Jesus Revolution portrayed the relationship between Chuck Smith and his wife, Kay. With a few simple scenes, they demonstrated a beautifully complementary relationship where two imperfect people worked off each other to become something greater in Christ.
By the end of Jesus Revolution, Chuck Smith gives Greg Laurie the keys to a church to call his own. However, at no point in the story does it show Laurie receiving any theological training. That bugged me. It made it feel like the movement didn’t have any theological foundation. So I spoke with a friend who had some first-hand knowledge of the events surrounding the Jesus Revolution setting. He assured me that Chuck Smith had a structured training regimen for men called to shepherd churches and that Laurie had completed that training.
Mini Theme: Too Big To Tell
Because Jesus Revolution is a historical movie more than anything else, Eve and I were compelled to note what parts were accurate and where they may have used a bit of creative license. So, for example, the Time Magazine articles referenced in the movie were authentic. (See The Alternative Jesus: Psychedelic Christ.)
We also looked into the various reactions in media, both Christian and secular. For example, in the Christian podcast Roys Report, they were less than kind about the movie, essentially calling it self-aggrandizing. Yet when Kelsey Grammer was on Live with Kelly and Ryan, he became emotional talking about his love for Jesus Revolution.
Secular responses were pretty varied as well. One review from Uproxx discounted the entire movie because it “hid” the fact that Lonnie Frisbee was gay. This became so common a complaint that the film filmmakers had to explain why they chose not to address it.
At the end of the day, though, Jesus Revolution covers several years in the life of three main characters. In any retelling, the storytellers must choose what parts of the history serve the story they want to tell and what does not. Leaving something out does not make it any less valid or meaningful.
Long History of Flawed People
Near the end of Jesus Revolution, Chuck Smith and Greg Laurie are overlooking some ongoing baptisms in the ocean, and Greg expresses concern regarding his preparedness to lead a church. Chuck tells him not to worry: “God has a long history of working through flawed people.”
The concept is not new. Paul writes about it in his second epistle to the Corinthians:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
The Bible is chock full of flawed people, many of whom are held in esteem as heroes of the faith in Hebrews. However, we should remember that as we confront flaws in our heroes. For example, Lonnie Frisbee is flawed in real life and in the movie. In Jesus Revolution, he’s presented as a bit of a glory hound with a history of drug use. However, in real life, he struggled with drugs and homosexuality, among other things. Yet, God still used him to do miraculous things. Writing for the Gospel Coalition, Trevin Wax asks, “Should We Cancel Karl Barth, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards?” Each of these highly influential theologians had deep moral failings, yet God still used them to generate some remarkable works.
Searching for God in the Wrong Places
In a scene early on, Chuck and Lonnie sit at the Smith’s kitchen table. Lonnie mentions that his “people” are sheep without a shepherd, looking for the right things in all the wrong places: drugs, sex, alcohol, music, and rebellion. He said drugs were an empty quest for God.
Many churches that emerged from the Jesus Revolution era are seeker-friendly churches that emphasize charismatic experiences over doctrine and tradition. For example, not only did Chuck Smith grow Calvary Chapel into a far-flung and influential denomination, but Laurie started the Harvest Christian church, and Frisbie initiated the Vineyard churches. The Vineyards are especially known to be doctrine-lite, seeker-friendly churches.
Eve raised the reasonable concern that this type of worship experience may not be the best. It’s easy to get swept up in the passion of those around you and perhaps find yourself in line for a baptism you aren’t ready for. Eve is most concerned of people who get “saved” but are not really saved because they were never presented with the real gospel. Baptism is just getting wet, if you’re not saved. Here, Eve and I differed somewhat. But, of course, I’m Presbyterian, and she’s Baptist, so this specific difference makes sense. We both agree, though, that God saves those that He desires.
Open-Door Church / Open-Air Evangelism
My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you? (James 2:1-7)
At the beginning of Jesus Revolution, several long-time members of Smith’s church object when the hippies start coming to “their” church. One even complained about their bare feet getting the new carpet dirty! This behavior is the exact opposite of how James instructs us to behave. However, Eve points out that evangelism isn’t intended to happen from the pulpit; equipping the saints for good works is.
Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-24)
Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17)
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47)
But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:14–15)
Paul encouraged and taught the believers in the churches, but when he evangelized, he did it out in public in the open air. When unbelievers enter a worship service, they look in from the outside. They may need to prepare for what they will encounter. We need to do what we can to evangelize in an environment that is conducive to welcoming people.
People don’t get saved by saying the sinner’s prayer in a highly emotional setting or in the context of peer pressure. Eve strongly encourages evantgelistic-minded Christians to listen to Ray Comfort’s sermon Hell’s Best Kept Secret.
Check out the book How to Talk About Jesus (Without Being That Guy) by Sam Chen. It does a great job explaining how to help people feel comfortable with the deeper discussions needed to understand the importance of belief.
Jesus Revolution presents baptism as a profound experience (which is right) and almost the point of salvation (which is wrong). Mass baptisms and altar calls tend to come with oversized helpings of peer pressure. Like many things that we do under the influence of peer pressure, we may come to regret what we did and pretend that it never happened.
Holy Spirit or Emotional High?
We must be on guard against churches and teachers who encourage seeking God’s voice outside of scripture. It’s all something we want; we want to hear the voice of God speaking just to us, but we cannot trust that voice if it is apart from scripture.
The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve. (Jeremiah 17:8-10)
We have to test the spirits when they come upon us.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
Enjoying God and worshiping him is terrific, but that is more milk than solid food. We need both in our relationship with God. Revivals, as we have seen at Asbury, can be effective, but they are more akin to the first step in a long journey. It produces an emotional high that will eventually succumb to the troubles of a fallen world. We must cultivate the sprouts from these seeds and the soil to produce a vigorous plant with rich fruit.
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