A movie by this name hit the cinemas recently. We saw it in Cold Lake, Alberta. It’s based on the true story of a spiritual awakening among hippies during the 1960s and ‘70s. Beginning in southern California, it spread across America and beyond.
Time magazine devoted its June 21, 1971 cover story to the phenomenon. The article began, “…Jesus is alive and well and living in the radical spiritual fervor of a growing number of young Americans who have proclaimed an extraordinary religious revolution in his name.” So, who were some of the people God used to launch this unexpected and unusual revolution?
Chuck Smith
This middle-aged pastor led a small, struggling congregation in Costa Mesa, California, in the 1960s. Pastor Smith (played by actor Kelsey Grammer of the Frasier sitcom) didn’t understand (or like) hippies very much. In the movie, Smith’s wife comments that the hippies just needed some direction. Smith replies, “What they need is a bath!”
The pastor’s teenage daughter, however, didn’t see much love in her father’s church and was drawn to the growing hippie movement. One day she brought a “hippie pastor” to meet her father. Gradually, Smith’s attitude changes and (in spite of opposition within his church) he welcomes the young people in. They bring their praise and worship music with them. Smith and the hippie pastor work together to teach, counsel and lead the growing group. Many are baptized in the Pacific Ocean at “Pirate’s Cove.”
Pastor Smith launched the “Calvary Chapel” movement which spread to 1000 cities across America as well as other countries. He died in 2013 at age 86.
Lonnie Frisbee
This is the hippie pastor played by Jonathan Roumie (who plays Jesus in the popular The Chosen series). Frisbee came from a broken family and troubled youth. He had a dramatic testimony coming out of the drinking/drugging youth culture of that time.
Frisbee also had a genuine love for his “people” (hippies) and wanted them to experience the same liberating love of God that he had. He was a charismatic figure both in personality and theology. He had gifts of discerning people’s needs and faith to pray for their healing and wholeness. One of the funniest scenes in the movie for me was seeing Frisbee and others praying over an old car trying to get it to run.
At first, Smith and Frisbee worked well together but as the spiritual awakening grew in numbers, the movie shows that their relationship became strained. Eventually, they parted ways but years later would reconcile. Frisbee eventually teamed up with John Wimber and helped launch another charismatic denomination called the “Vineyard Movement.” He died in 1993 at age 43.
Greg Laurie
Growing up, Laurie (played by Joel Courtney) also experienced the pain of a broken family and alcoholic mother. As a young man, he was attracted to a girl in the hippie movement. He tried that lifestyle for a while but became disillusioned when he saw firsthand the dangers of abusing alcohol and drugs. Gradually, Laurie and his hippie girlfriend got involved in the growing Jesus movement. They were baptized together in the ocean and he was mentored by both Frisbee and Smith.
Laurie married his girlfriend and became one of the leaders of the movement. Eventually, he became the pastor of a large youthful church (Harvest Christian Fellowship) in Riverside, California and a prominent evangelist. Laurie is now 70 and still active in ministry.
Chuck Smith, Lonnie Frisbee and Greg Laurie impacted thousands of young people who were sincerely seeking love, peace and truth but often in the wrong places. These three men pointed them to Jesus for healing, purpose and salvation. The result was a revolution which has been described as the greatest spiritual revival in America’s history.
May it happen again.
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor who was never a hippie (but did wear shoulder-length hair during his E.L. Crossley years).
