“Jesus Freaks: The Rise of The Christian Counter-Culture”

“Jesus Freaks: The Rise of The Christian Counter-Culture”   For centuries America has endured hardships and times of trials and tribulations, but the year 1965 brought about a true test of America’s strength. An order had been given to deploy mass amounts of troops to a war torn country named Vietnam. The Vietnam War began in 1959 and lasted until April 1975. For many Americans the war was a hopeless cause, and many decided to take to the streets in mass protest. It was during this tumultuous time that American youth began to separate themselves from the traditional mores and expectations of their fathers and mothers. They sought individual freedom, and an unrestrained ability to express themselves; often in unorthodox ways. This generation of youth would become known as the “free-love” generation. A mass youth counterculture movement who’s effects would be felt for generations to come. It was from within this movement that a unique group of young Americans began to form. However, their ideologies and moral convictions were in stark contrast to those of the counter-culture movement. These youths became known as “The Jesus Freaks” or “The Jesus People”. The impact that this group would have on American society and culture would prove to be enormous. Their influence penetrated not only the religious community, but also popular culture and political culture as well. It is difficulty to pinpoint one main cause of the youth counter-culture in the 1960’s. Without doubt national instability, political dishonesty, and the popularization of illegal narcotics played a vital role in the movement. The movement’s main message was peace, love, and freedom. However, the means by which they brought about this message was horrifying to both their parents and most conservative Americans. One group that the counter-culture often experienced criticism from was Fundamentalist Christians. The Fundamentalist movement began in the early twentieth-century, and strongly propagated the basic tenets of the Christian faith. To most fundamentalist the idea of long hair, use of illegal drugs, promiscuous sexually activities and most forms of protest were taboo and something all American youth should abstain from. Also, many members of the counter-culture were embracing eastern mysticism and other forms of meditation in order to find the peace, both nationally and individually, they were seeking for. Some of these practices included Zen Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation, and Hinduism. Some even followed extreme religions such as Anton Szandor LaVey’s Church of Satan which was formed in 1969. Each of these practices was strictly forbidden by fundamentalists. Thus, instead of viewing these individuals as reformers per se, Fundamentalist viewed them as a danger to American and Christian values. One of the most basic tenants of the fundamentalist movement was the fact that God exists. However, the counter-culture for the most part sought to prove that he did not exist. This is best exemplified in the 1966 “pronouncement of God’s death”. It is important to understand this relationship between the counter-culture movement and the Fundamentalists because ultimately this relationship will play a vital role in the Jesus Movement. While many American Youth found solace in mysticism and the use of narcotics, some, if not most, did not. Many began to seek further for answers. The number one gathering place for this new group of seekers was established in 1967. The name of this place was “The Living Room”, located in the Haight Asbury district of San Francisco. The Living room was a mission operation which sought to propagate the gospel to the hippie crowd which frequented that area. Many members of the counter-culture accepted Christ and would become the core of the Jesus Movement. Quickly word began to spread that some people who had left the counter-culture had supposedly found an “alternative” path leading to their desired end; conversion to Christianity. However, many were cautious about this newly found faith in Christ. Most of the counter youth were skeptical of Christianity period. The idea of an organized and systematized entity was the exact model of what they were strictly against. For many the idea of becoming a Christian meant to do away with the individuality which was so precious to them, and put on a façade which in no way represented them as a person. Fundamentalism played a major part in this perception. Fundamentalist for the most part frowned upon the hippie way of life, and if one truly became a Christian they would shed the hippie lifestyle and put on a new and reformed image. However, a trend began to emerge within the newly forming Jesus People movement which allowed for both conversion to Christianity and the retention of hippie fashion style and jargon. Perhaps the most important religious leader in this new movement was a man named Chuck Smith, pastor to a small congregation in Costa Mesa California. For the most part Smith’s message aligned with the Fundamentalist; however, his philosophy concerning cultural trends was quite different. For the first time during the conter-culture movement, a pastor sought to reach American youth, specifically the hippie youth of California, on their level. Thus, he began recruiting leadership known as “evangelical liaisons to the counterculture”. These liaisons would be in charge of going out into the street and ministering to the hippie crowds most of the time wearing hippie attire and using the jargon known to hippies. This is in stark contrast to the approach of the fundamentalists who were of the conviction that in order to spread the gospel effectively you must be of a strict conservative mind when it comes to fashion style and linguistics. Another group who formed during the early Jesus People movement was a group called “Campus Crusade for Christ.” This group sought to reach college kids on college campuses with the gospel. Dr. Jack Sparks, a leader of the University of California Berkley Campus Crusade branch felt the need to form a specific and strategic evangelization program specifically designed for counter-culture or radical youth on the campus. This project became known as “Christian Liberation World Front” or