Hippies brought electric guitars into church and some Christians thought they were bringing the devil with them.
Trailer for “The Jesus Music”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- In 1967, 17-year-old runaway Lonnie Frisbee took LSD near California’s Tahquitz Falls and said he had a vision from God. Within a year, the long-haired hippie was helping turn a small Costa Mesa church into the center of a huge Christian movement.
- In the 1970s, some pastors called Christian rock “devil music” because musicians used electric guitars and drums—even though they were singing about Jesus.
- In 1972, more than 200,000 young people packed into Dallas for Explo ’72, a massive Christian gathering featuring Billy Graham and musicians including Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. It helped take Jesus Music from the hippie fringe toward the mainstream.
Watch “The Jesus Music”
You can find the latest streaming options for “The Jesus Music” on JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 92/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 97/100 (Users); 67/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Andrew and Jon Erwin directed this 109-minute doc. The brothers are also behind faith-based films including “I Can Only Imagine,” “I Still Believe,” and “American Underdog.”
Release Date: October 1, 2021
Other Unique Stuff
- Amy Grant becomes one of the biggest stars in Christian music and then crosses into mainstream pop. That success creates its own backlash. Even her clothes, makeup and stage presence drew criticism from conservative Christians.
- The doc also deals with race inside Christian music. Gospel legend Andraé Crouch’s experience is used to show how separated the white CCM and Black gospel worlds could be.
Wrap Up:
“The Jesus Music” shows the strange fights inside Christian music—hippies versus churches, rock versus tradition, crossover fame versus faith, and forgiveness versus judgment. Even if you never bought a Christian album, the story of how “devil music” became church music is the watch.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc