Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today

184 Pages·2018·3.13 MB·English

by  Greg Laurie

© 2018 by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior
written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1534-2
Harvest special edition: 978-0-8010-7593-3 (paper) Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission
of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The authors are represented by the
literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.
“For those who were eyewitnesses to the Jesus Movement, this book will be a welcome reminder of what
made that time of our lives so special. For those who know nothing about it, this book will be an
entertaining crash course on events that defined the Christian church in America for generations. For
everyone, it will be a compelling testimony about the power of God to save.”
Dr. Jack Graham, pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church
“The Jesus Revolution has tuned my heart to a higher level of praise for a loving God who has the proven
power to break through to a lost, godless, self-destructing generation and redeem it, one person at a time. If
He could rescue and reset Greg Laurie—and He did—then there is no one and no generation beyond His
reach. Reading this book will rekindle your prayer for revival.”
Anne Graham Lotz, speaker; author, The Daniel Prayer; www.annegrahamlotz.org
“Back in the ’60s, when I first came to Christ, you could sense a stirring out on the West Coast. God was on
the move, and I was about to be swept up in the powerful flooding of the Holy Spirit that was spilling and
splashing into the hearts of a million young people across America. I heard stories of how God was rescuing
wayward wanderers through the Jesus Movement, sparking a revival that rocked our country and beyond.
It’s why Greg and Ellen’s new book, Jesus Revolution, is so important, so needed—it documents the
testimonies and events that made that period in time so unique. You, too, will be inspired and refreshed as
you read the historic account of one of the most remarkable seasons of revival in the history of
Christianity!”
Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends International Disability Center
“In the 1960s and ’70s, God moved in a unique way, sweeping across America and transforming the lives
of countless people. In their new book, Jesus Revolution, Pastor Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn take a
closer look at this incredible time of evangelism and revival. This fast-paced, grace-filled, Bible-centered
book will show you how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”
Craig Groeschel, pastor, Life.Church; New York Times bestselling author
“Revival is a mile-marker that is seen throughout the centuries, with the Jesus Movement being no
exception. Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn have given us a riveting account of a time in our nation’s history
where God uniquely captivated millions of hearts. This book will stir up a fresh gratitude for what God has
done and a renewed hunger to see Him do even more in the years to come!”
Levi Lusko, bestselling author, Swipe Right: The Life—and-Death Power of Sex and
Romance
“So few even realize today that many of the best things happening in our churches amount only to ripples
from the 1970s revival wave called the Jesus Revolution. Greg Laurie was an eyewitness to what most have
only heard about. His meaningful firsthand accounts flow through Ellen Vaughn’s gripping narrative,
prompting every reader to cry out ‘Do it again, Lord.’ Read and join those already praying to see God move
afresh in such powerful ways.”
Dr. James MacDonald, founder, Harvest Bible Chapel; author, Vertical Church
“If there was ever a time that a book like this was needed, it is now. The story of the Jesus Revolution is a
compelling witness of God’s power to redeem and restore human souls in the most surprising of ways, in
the most chaotic of times. Brilliant work, Greg and Ellen!”
Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas; teacher, Pathway to
Victory
“Stories inspire people to believe God. This is why I am so excited about this powerful book about the Jesus
Revolution, because I know it will create the spiritual appetite to experience the next great move of God in
our generation. There is no greater need today than for the church to be revived spiritually and for the next
great spiritual awakening to occur nationally. Now is the time for the next Jesus Revolution in America!”
Dr. Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor, Cross Church; president, National Day of Prayer; past
president, Southern Baptist Convention
To Greg’s grandchildren, Stella, Rylie, Lucy,
Alexandra, and Christopher, and Ellen’s
grandchildren, Brielle and Daniel: may they all
experience their own, personal Jesus Revolution.
Break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his
righteousness on you.
Hosea 10:12
CONTENTS
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Epigraph 8
Prologue: Plunging In 11
1. What Was It and Why Does It Matter? 13
2. A Black-and-White Decade 26
3. The Wonderful World of Color 36
4. The Pastor Who Downscaled 48
5. The Be-In, the Summer of Love, and a Nudist Vegetarian Hippie 58
6. Miracle in the Middle East 67
7. 1968: And the Wind Began to Howl 73
8. When Nitro Met Glycerin 86
9. Meanwhile, in Malaysia 93
10. Magnificent Desolation 99
11. The Long and Winding Road 107
12. The Adult in the Room 113
13. Jesus Music 120
14. Life as Usual, inside the Revolution 135
15. No Bare Feet Allowed! 145
16. “Yes, That Jesus!” 149
17. Love Story 154
18. Billy Graham’s Good Vibrations 163
19. The Church of Stone 170
20. If You Can Explain It, Then God Didn’t Do It 176
21. Hippie Preachers 184
22. Malaise and the Me Decade 191
23. Tea or Revolution? 199
24. Burning It Down 208
25. Muscle Memory 215
26. Desperate Enough? 226
27. Cultural Christianity Is Dead: Rest in Peace 236
28. Mere Revival 241
Epilogue: Plunging In, All Over Again 249
Acknowledgments 251
Notes 257
About the Author 266
Back Ads 271
Back Cover 272
PROLOGUE
Plunging In
It’s 1970.
Google Earth doesn’t yet exist, but imagine that it does. You are in outer
space. The earth is a round blue marble. Then you zoom in, in real time, on the
map of the United States, the West Coast, Southern California. You see the dark
blue waters of the Pacific Ocean . . . and as you get closer, you see the long
ribbon of the Pacific Coast Highway, the beach towns south of Los Angeles, the
furrows of the waves. You see the slender strip of land called the Balboa
Peninsula, and you draw close to Corona del Mar. There is the beach, dotted
with fire pits. There is an outcropping of cliffs that form a natural amphitheater
near the mouth of the harbor. The rocks look wrinkled at this height. The sun is
setting.
As you get closer, you see that there is a huge crowd massing the area. At first
the people look like ants. They’re perched on the rocks, sitting on the sand,
standing in the shallows of the rolling water. They have their arms around each
other. They seem to be singing.
Beyond the scene on the beach, the world is a chaotic, confused place in 1970.
The Vietnam War is raging. Richard Nixon is president of the United States. The
nation is convulsing with divisions between young and old, black and white, and
hippies and “straights,” meaning conservatives. Young women are burning their
bras in the streets; young men are burning their draft cards. Janis Joplin, Jimi
Hendrix, and Jim Morrison rule the airwaves, though drugs will take their lives
within a year. The hippie movement, born of drugs, sex, and rock and roll, has
been turned inside out by disillusionment, bad trips, cynicism, and pain. For
many of the flower children, their kaleidoscope colors have faded to shades of
gray.
Now you are close enough to the beach to hear the music. There are simple
choruses and haunting, melodic harmonies. Something about “one in the Spirit,
one in the Lord.” The setting looks like a baptismal scene from the New
Testament except for the cutoff shorts of the slender teenaged girls. Most have