Nancy and I went with friends on Saturday to see the newest and heavily marketed Christian film, called The Jesus Revolution. Whether you love this movie or hate it, it will probably get you to think (and maybe rethink) about how the events portrayed in it have reshaped the American church over the last generation. The story begins with a young man named Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) and his mom, a struggling Pastor named Chuck Smith and a hippie-preacher called Lonnie Frisbee. For those of you younger than me, who think that these guys are strange and the plot line unlikely, let me assure you that it is not far from the truth. Not to reveal too much of the twists and turns of the movie, I will tell you that I really liked how the script probes beneath the surface of the success story of Calvary Chapel and uncovers some of the complexity of the people involved. I especially enjoyed Kelsey Grammar’s portrayal of Pastor Chuck Smith and it was interesting seeing Jonathan Roumie (who is Jesus in The Chosen) as the controversial Lonnie Frisbee. So, what are my take-away’s? First, the impact of this story will affect you differently depending on which of those major characters you identify with. I was definitely more like Greg Laurie and I briefly lived in Los Angeles right about the time of this film. My fellow blogger, Mitch Teemley probably remembers that besides those Calvary Chapel folks, there were all kinds of strange Jesus people groups like, The Children of God and the followers of Tony and Sue Alamo traipsing up and down Hollywood Boulevard every night. To me the miracle is that despite all the craziness and confusion, God was working above it all and in those who truly received the unchanging message of Jesus Christ. While I have my doubts that this particular movie will spark a revival, I do love the questions that it stirs in us. It gives me hope because it reminds me that just as Jesus didn’t give up on my generation, He also hasn’t written off the Gen-Z crowd today. If you have seen the film, I’d love to hear your perspective too.