Warning: Spoilers for Jesus Revolution!Jesus Revolution centers around Greg Laurie, the Evangelical author and pastor whose eventful life was as colorful as the 2023 Christian drama. Set in the politically turbulent decade of the 1960s, the unconventional biopic movie follows the journey of Greg, the easygoing Christian hippie Lonnie Frisbee and the stern but good-natured pastor Chuck Smith as they immerse themselves in the Jesus Movement in California. Spanning across the late 1960s and early 1970s, this evangelical movement was revolutionary at its time for opening the church doors to even hippies willing to become people of faith (or "Jesus freaks," as some of them called themselves).
Frasier star Kelsey Grammer portrays Smith while Jonathan Roumie plays Frisbee as they discuss and debate how to make the average 60s-era Church more open to people across all age groups. Jesus Revolution ultimately spreads a message of universal love but with none of the formulaic preachiness that other faith-based films usually subscribe to. The movie garnered mixed reviews from critics, but its inspiring themes resonated with audiences, and Jesus Revolution managed to be a box office hit, earning more than three times its production budget. As for the real-life Greg Laurie, the pastor went on to lead quite an amusing life even after the movie's events.
Jesus Revolution Is Based On Greg Laurie's Life
From racism to the Vietnam War, civil unrest was evident in the 1960s, as evident from the rise of the hippie movement and the iconic counter-culture movies that followed in the 1970s. Amidst this social and cultural change, Jesus Revolution's protagonist Greg Laurie struggled to find his identity. The movie covers this coming-of-age arc in his life as he finally found his purpose with the then-emerging Jesus Movement. After the events of Jesus Revolution, Laurie established his own LA-based Evangelical organization Harvest Crusaders, which continues to function to this day. Its widely-televised sermons and conferences (led by Laurie himself) have witnessed thousands of attendees over the years.
Why Greg Laurie Converted To Christianity
Greg Laurie was never raised in a Christian environment. A 2016 profile by Los Angeles Times describes him having a troubled childhood with an alcoholic mother. In his teenage years, Laurie ran away from school and found his calling in the hippie movement. But even within the hippies, he was concerned about uncontrolled substance abuse. Ultimately, he found solace and a sense of purpose in Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee's ministry. As the leading faces of the Jesus Movement, the unlikely duo of Smith and Frisbee appealed to the youth through feel-good Christian music—this impressed Laurie, who decided to forward their work of spreading Christianity among the youth.
How Greg Laurie Became A Face Of The "Jesus Revolution"
As Smith and Frisbee succeeded in making Jesus Christ a more approachable figure for a young crowd, a newly-converted youngster like Greg Laurie served as the perfect face of their so-called "Jesus Revolution." Even though he carved his own legacy later, Laurie still came across as a soft-spoken person in his congregations and events. This humility made him an instantly likable figure in the revisionist religious movement. Despite his former disillusionment with the hippie movement, Laurie wasn't involved in any hate-mongering against the hippies or any other social demographic. Balancing his new-age outlook on religion, Laurie still faithfully preached about the Bible at the end of the day.
Greg Laurie's Role As A Famous Pastor Explained
Turning into a devout Christian at the age of 17, Laurie was determined to spend the rest of his life toward faith. When he turned 19 in 1973, Smith handed him the responsibility of supervising a small Bible study in Riverside (as per Los Angeles Times). While the study initially involved only thirty participants, this was only the beginning for young Laurie. This experience led him to establish Riverside's Harvest Christian Fellowship. Still serving as a senior pastor within the organization, Laurie succeeded in turning it into one of America's largest churches (attracting over 15,000 people in its congregations).
While Laurie's intentions have always been to deliver the Gospel to the masses, his presentation differed from the ambitious outlook of Biblical epics. Instead, his approach was more grounded, and he invited atheists and people from other faiths to give Christianity a chance. And then, in 1990, Laurie and Chuck Smith joined forces yet again to organize the Harvest Crusade in Orange County. This free-for-all event, intended as a celebration of Christ, was a game-changer in modern evangelism as it featured sermons without any theological jargon and performances by live bands instead of a typical church choir. The event was a hit and filled its stadium venue for five nights.
After the success of this event, Laurie went on to organize many more Harvest Crusades at even bigger stadiums. The events in Jesus Revolution were just the start for him as he garnered much more positive feedback with his involvement in the Harvest Crusades. He also resorted to literature to spread his teachings. Apart from penning 70 books, he also authored Jesus Revolution, his 2018 autobiography that later obviously served as the basis of the biopic of the same name. His sermons also found traction in the half-hour daily program A New Beginning, which was played on over 1,100 radio stations worldwide (according to the official Harvest website).
What Is Greg Laurie Doing Now?
After Jesus Revolution brought Greg Laurie's inspiring journey into the cinematic mainstream, he continued living in Riverside with his wife, Cathe. When he's not busy delivering sermons or writing books as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, he also occasionally serves as a guest commentator on WorldNetDaily. It must be noted that WorldNetDaily is a far-right news website that has been alleged to spread conspiracy theories. But apart from this, Laurie's present-day activities court no controversy, and he continues to be revered for his modern outlook on spreading Christianity. His simple preaching style continues to be filled with pop culture examples and universal philosophical concepts.
The COVID-19 pandemic bears testimony to Laurie's present-day relevance. With all California churches shutting down in the pandemic's first wave, the pastor and his Fellowship resorted to online programs. The online church program "Harvest At Home" was such a viral success that its Palm Sunday webcast drew 1.3 million viewers (as reported by The Christian Post). The online event's success has allowed Laurie to embrace new-age technology. As he told The Christian Post, "I have been preaching the Gospel for 45 years. I have never seen an opportunity like this, where people are open. We have the technology to reach them now."
Sources: Los Angeles Times, Harvest, The Christian Post
