Jesus made the cover of Time Magazine in June 1971.
The Jesus Revolution had begun in the United States’ west coast in the late 60s, spreading worldwide through the 80s, led by hippies and movement leaders called Jesus Freaks.
Time wrote, “There are signs that the movement is something…more lasting than a religious Woodstock. It cuts across nearly all the social dividing lines, from crew cut to long hair, right to left, rich to poor. It shows considerable staying power: many who were in its faint beginnings in 1967 are still leading it. The movement has been powerful enough to divert many young people from serious drug addiction.”
The Revolution and Music
Another important legacy of this movement in modern culture was the beginning of Jesus music or contemporary Christian music.
Time explains, “Music, the lingua franca of the young, has become the special medium of the Jesus movement. Godspell, a bright, moving musical written by students and based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew, is a sellout hit off-Broadway. The rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, bound for Broadway next fall, is already a bestselling record album…Amazing Grace, Put Your Hand in the Hand and My Sweet Lord are top-40 hits, and Jesus-rock groups, most of them converts, roam the country under such names as Hope, Dove and The Joyful Noise.”
The revolution had a big influence on music artists. The article explains, “A growing number of musical stars, including Johnny Cash and Eric Clapton, are among the Jesus movement converts. Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary has preached on the steps of Berkeley’s Sproul Hall; Jeremy Spencer of Britain’s Fleetwood Mac has joined the ultra-rigid Children of God. Few are more zealous than Pat Boone; he has baptized more than 200 converts in his own swimming pool during the past year.”
Fifty years later, the cultural impact is still being felt. Christianity Today writes, “The Christian music industry has seen record-setting revenues in recent years. In 2022, the touring industry brought in $6.28 billion, and recording revenues in the US reached $15.9 billion.” According to Billboard, Contemporary Christian music has twice the overall industry growth of any other genre.
The Revolution and Me
My experience with the revolution was brief, and I didn’t realize its importance for years. In the summer of ’72, as a friend and I spent an afternoon at the mall, we encountered a group of Jesus Freaks. A barefoot young man with long hair and strands of colorful beads asked if he could pray with me. At 13 years old, I thought that sounded like a good idea. I often think back to that day and wonder if that prayer planted the seed of God’s love in my life.
The next summer, my fellow camp counselors and I would perform Godspell and I sang “Day by Day.” I write about some of my fond music memories and Contemporary Christian song influences in my Soul Music series: Soul Music Beginnings, Soul Music Changes, Soul Music Comfort, and Soul Music Promises.
Here is a playlist (with YouTube links) of my favorite Jesus songs from back in the day.
- The Doobie Brothers, “Jesus Is Just Alright” (1972)
- ZZ Top, “Jesus Just Left Chicago” (1973)
- Norman Greenbaum, “Spirit In The Sky” (1970)
- The Edwin Hawkins Singers, “Oh Happy Day” (1969)
- Bob Dylan, “Gotta Serve Somebody” (1979)
- Godspell Original Cast, “Day by Day” (1972)
- The Byrds, “Turn, Turn, Turn” (1965) and “The Christian Life” (1968)
- Kris Kristofferson, “Why Me Lord” (1972)
Share your favorite Jesus song in the comments below!
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