Jesus Revolution is an inspiring film that depicts a true story so incredible that it is almost stranger than fiction.
Jesus Revolution is resurfacing on Netflix US after becoming a surprising box office hit earlier this year. It earned $53m against a 15m budget.
Jesus Revolution Release Date and Plot Preview
Jesus Revolution hit theaters on 24 February 2023 and is now available on Netflix US. The streaming service will be available on 31 July.
The movie stars Kelsey Grammer as well as Jonathan Roumie, of The Chosen fame, and Joel Courtney. It tells about California pastor Chuck Smith who is struggling to keep his congregation while trying to reconnect with youths of the 1960s.
The fate of Smith’s church is turned on its head in 1968, however, when he crosses paths with a hippie preacher named Lonnie Frisbee who travels the country to spread the teachings of the ministry of Jesus.
Smith initially is wary of Lonnie’s methods, but eventually comes to like him. He invites him to his church and to his hippie buddies, leading to the birth of the religious movement which would sweep America in the 1960s and 70s.
Jesus Revolution: The real story
Jesus Revolution was based in fact on a real story.
Chuck Smith’s story, Lonnie Friesbie’s tale, and the new convert Greg Laurie are just three of many similar stories which formed the Jesus Movement, later called the Jesus Revolution in 1971 by Time magazine.
The Jesus Movement began in California and spread to other countries. Its followers blended the hippie-like beliefs with evangelical Christianity.
This sharp increase in born-again churches has inspired traditional churches to adapt their message to reach a more youthful audience. Christian rock music was also inspired by this movement.
As the 1980s approached, after a rapid rise in popularity during the 1960s & 70s the movement started to fade.
The film contains a number of strange elements that may appear to be fiction, but in reality are true. One of these is the real life Jesus Movement followers who were baptized into the Pacific Ocean.
A producer of Jesus Revolution revealed A real movement pastor baptized actual people on the set.
Greg Laurie, who founded the Harvest Christian Fellowship in 1973, is alive today and still runs the megachurch that he started in 1973. It has about 15,000 members.
The film doesn’t delve into the controversies of the movement
Jesus Revolution does a good job of showing how inspirational the religion movement is, but it also avoids tackling some of the more difficult issues, namely those relating to Lonnie and Chuck Smith.
Lonnie Frisbee, in his sermons, claimed to be both a prophet as well as to have the gift of speaking in tongues. Lonnie Frisbee was often against homosexuality and drug usage, as he considered both sins.
But it is not the only one. revealed Frisbee, who was a closed-mouthed gay man and used illicit substances occasionally, died of AIDS at just the age of 43.
Pastor Chuck Smith also shared some controversial views, notably predicting that the world would end by 1981 – which saw his Calvary Chapel congregation gather in anticipation of the apocalypse, only for them to return home alive and well.
Smith, in addition to being a renowned author and musician. reported According to this statement, the 9/11 terror attack may be a punishment by God for allowing abortions.
Jesus Revolution Streaming is available Netflix, after its arrival on streaming services on July 31, 2020.