Earlier this year, Lionsgate Entertainment released Jesus Revolution,which took theaters by storm. Based on the real-life story of pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, it followed the hippie-led spiritual revival that changed the world in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
This summer, Laurie and other pastors held a massive baptism at Pirate’s Cove in Corona Del Mar, California, a critical location for many involved in the Jesus Movement. Nearly five decades ago, thousands were baptized there and proclaimed their faith and trust in Jesus. Recently, in an interview with The Stand, Laurie shared insights regarding the film, the massive baptism, and hopes for the future of America.
TS: Can you tell me a little bit about the massive baptism that took place this summer and how it connected to the film?
GL: We just had a historic baptism on the heels of this year’s Harvest Crusade in Southern California. We prayed for the people who were coming here. We assembled a small army of pastors to help us so that everyone could be effectively ministered to. We put the word out on social media, and people came from around the nation – and the world.
When the day came, 20,000 people showed up. They stood in a line that was estimated to be a half-mile long to be baptized. We had 3,800 RSVPs, and we baptized 4,500 people, making it the largest baptism in American history.
It was beautiful to see young and old come down into the ocean and take this important step of obedience in following Jesus Christ. One of the people who made his way down the steps was an 85-year-old man. He had just seen the Jesus Revolution film, and he made a commitment to believe in Jesus as a result. There are some key scenes in the movie of people being baptized – and he, too, wanted to take this step. His family said they never thought they would see him become a Christian. It just shows it’s never too late for a person to believe.
Fifty years ago, during the “Jesus Revolution” days, we did baptisms in this same spot. As wonderful as they were, they were not anywhere near the size of this event. This spot, Pirate’s Cove, is also the place where my wife Cathe and I were baptized 50 years ago. I remember that day as though it were yesterday. You never forget the day you were baptized.
TS: How are you seeing the Lord work through young people (high school-college age)? Does it remind you of the movement in the 60s?
GL: I think there is a sense of desperation among many, especially the young. Our young people are hurting like never before. Social media is like gasoline poured on an already out-of-control fire. Depression and feelings of hopelessness have skyrocketed among teens. Teen suicide and teen depression are on the rise. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among young Americans. Our young people need help. They need God. We all do.
I find encouragement when I read stories from someone who would say, “I came to Christ listening to you preach back in the 70s, and we just watched the [Jesus Revolution] film with our whole family, and my children loved it. My grandchildren loved it.” It is incredible to see children as young as ten, being deeply moved to follow Jesus in such a similar way as my generation was during the Jesus Movement of the ’60s and ’70s.
In fact, I can’t think of any two decades that are more alike than the late ’60s and early ’70s and this moment in American history. The increasing percentage of drug use among young people makes it easy to see the parallels between then and now. My generation also experimented with drugs like marijuana and LSD, myself included, searching for answers, and, of course, not finding them. And now, it is great to see young people giving their lives to Christ in massive numbers that have not been seen since the Jesus Movement. I see such hope for the future in these young believers.
TS: What would you say to the revivals that have taken place in the past year? How is the Lord working in California (and the U.S.) in ways that we may not see in the mainstream news?
GL: It’s a funny thing, but people want to write California off. It seems like our largest export in this state recently has been Californians moving to other states like Idaho, Texas, and Florida. But the fact remains that God chose California as one of the epicenters of the last great spiritual awakening in America. I pray it happens again, and I personally would be thrilled if it happened in our state again. I do see hopeful signs as well.
We thank God for our past. There is so much to celebrate. But we thank God for our present because God is at work, and we’re having really the most productive days of ministry right now with many new doors opening up. And we thank God for the future because there are many other opportunities we have plans for.
The Gospel is for everyone. Our objective is to reach unexpected people in unexpected places with an unexpected message. So that’s why we engaged with the Jesus Revolution film that has gone far beyond any church walls. Revival starts in the hearts of individual believers, so we will do everything we can to share the Good News in any way we can.
* The film is rated PG-13 due to mild drug and alcohol usage, partying, and mild sequences of violence.
