It was a time for Jesus! Literally, it was. I still have the “Time” magazine cover from June 21, 1971. There was something about that psychedelic image that arrested my teenage attention. The cover story was all about the Jesus revolution in our culture. Something remarkable was happening in our country back then.
Against the backdrop of racial turmoil, protests of an unpopular war and the hippie culture marked by drugs, sex and rock-n-roll, a spiritual awakening was taking place. Long-haired rebels were beginning to keep short accounts with God. And the Wenatchee Valley was not exempt.
I was a teenager at the time and have vivid memories of that unforgettable season. A couple years prior to the Time magazine issue, there were stirrings of faith. It was felt in our local schools. Our Christian club at Wenatchee High School was called Revolution for Christ, or RFC. That home-grown Christian group led by students met in the choir room over lunch. Attendance grew among churched kids and those who were curious. It was exciting!
Meanwhile, a twenty-something pastor and his wife moved to town from California. Larry and Devi Titus began to minister to a fringe group of teens in the city parks. Those who had been high on pot became high on Jesus. What emerged was a growing revival in the valley.
It included a half-way house for runaways and those who were spiritually seeking. The House of Mercy was a gathering place for Bible study, worship and recovery. A café opened on Orondo Avenue called Good Sam’s. A Christian radio station on Wenatchee Avenue was launched.
Most notably, the old Monitor school became home to a growing church and an eventual Bible college. Critics (justifiably concerned about mismanagement of the movement) were outnumbered by those being genuinely converted.
About the same time, a small church in Costa Mesa, California, by the name of Calvary Chapel was experiencing exponential growth. Pastor Chuck Smith served as a spiritual labor and delivery physician, as countless hippies were “born again.” “Free Love” decals gave way to “Honk if You Love Jesus” bumper stickers.
Simultaneously, a Southern California writer by the name of Hugh Steven and Smith wrote a book documenting the unprecedented happenings as they were unfolding. In “The Reproducers: New Life for Thousands,” Steven refers to 19-year old Greg Laurie, who responded to the acceptance and hope he’d been denied in his dysfunctional family. It’s a story that lays the foundation for what millions of Americans are currently flocking to theaters to see.
The popular film “Jesus Revolution” is based on Greg Laurie’s autobiography and describes how the Jesus people movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s catapulted him from a drug-using loser to a successful, highly respected pastor.
As I watched the movie, I was immersed with memories from a half-century ago. What I saw on the big screen triggered a confidence that lives of disenchanted and marginalized people we know can find healing and transformation. Scenes of those being baptized in the Pacific Ocean recalled a simpler time when public affirmation of one’s faith was not limited to a stained glass sanctuary. I wondered if it could happen again.
Amazingly, the “Time” magazine cover I saved actually factors into the movie. The reporter who wrote the cover story for that 1971 issue is woven into the script.
And get this: at the same time the “Time” correspondent was researching his story, the author of “The Reproducers” was collecting material and taking photos of the Calvary Chapel explosion. His oldest child witnessed the phenomenon in person. She worshiped in the huge circus tent that served as a church building. She attended concerts of Christian bands born out of that movement.
As she left the theater after seeing “Jesus Revolution,” Steven’s daughter commented just how accurate the movie was to what she experienced. I heard her comments as I walked her to the car. You see, I married the daughter of the guy who wrote the original history of the Jesus movement. Hugh Steven is Wendy Asimakoupoulos’ father.
Wenatchee-native Greg Asimakoupoulos lives on Mercer Island, where he is a columnist for the Mercer Island Reporter.
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone
