The Untold Tragedy Behind the Jesus Movement?

What I Learned During the Jesus People Movement

Featured by strategicprayercommandmin, posted in Christian Articles, Prophetic Words

And What We Need To Do Now

Shorter Version Published in Elijah List 9-19-21: https://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=26135#word-truncate

By Melissa Nordell

The Jesus People Movement was a Holy Spirit inferno that began with a spark in Orange County, California in 1965 and grew exponentially like embers blowing in the wind across America and around the world. It transformed Orange County and as it journeyed afar it rapidly brought 20 million people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, with converts who were saved in that time still bringing the Good News and discipleship to souls even today.

The Movement caused a dramatic change in Christian music as there was no contemporary Christian music before that time, nor Christian contemporary radio. In churches, guitars and drums, keyboards, bongos and singers began to provide worship instead of just the previous organs and pianos, choirs and hymnals. Jews for Jesus began. Christian television began. We learned that church could meet outside, and baptisms could happen in the ocean.

Barriers were broken down as those who had been previously uninvited began to worship in church in unity. Many new churches and denominations started at this time, and many new missionaries went around the world (including women on their own), fervent to see the lost saved. But what sparked and progressed such a movement of God during a raging political climate like the 60’s and 70’s?

This “Age of Aquarius” was an era of great stress and trepidation, not just an era of fashion and rock bands. There were dire concerns and fears including the Vietnam War and the creeping threat of communism. Every day the nightly news reported the number of casualties that had occurred in the Vietnam war and how many were missing (thousands each day) until people were numb to its reality. The United States was divided even more than it is today with one side for the war and the other against. Youth were being drafted with many defecting to Canada and some claiming exemption as conscientious objectors. Soldiers returned from the war with some suffering from PTSD, some with limbs missing, some burned, some former POWs, and others affected by Agent Orange. And if that was not enough, many soldiers were met with disdain, and some spat upon.