Results: The Jesus Hippies And Their Cultural Impact
Published on 06/26/2019
Whether it was a genuine spiritual revival, merely a cultural phenomenon or a mixture of the two, teens and young adults in the late late 1960's-early '70's came to expressions of Christianity (and some quasi-Chrstian cults) influenced by the contemporaneous hippie youth culture. Popularly called the Jesus Movement or Jesus Revolution, its aftereffects have resonated through churches about four dwecades after the fact, and, at least briefly, hit a nerve in broader pop culture. It was to be a subject of my master's thesis, but, now here's a survey about it.
QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
Before happening upon this survey, were you aware of the phenomenon of many hippies in North Ameican and Europe embracing Christianity in North Ameirca, Europe and Australia in the above-mentioned time frame?
Yes, but I wasn't a part of it
23%
501 votes
Yes, and I was a part of it.
5%
100 votes
No
54%
1179 votes
Unsure/Maybe/Strikes a vague bell at best
18%
384 votes
2.
2.
As the movement was an outgrowth of or response to hippie culture which had developed earlier in the 1960's, the Jesus revolutionaries' culture mirrored many aspects of that out of which it had come, with unique wrinkles of its own.Which of these aspects of the Jesus hippies' subculture were you aware of, or even had experience or contact with?
Underground newspapers
10%
206 votes
Communes
21%
445 votes
Coffeehouses
17%
369 votes
The "one way" (as in there being only one way to heaven) hand gesture, which's like a peace sign only requiring one's index finger
9%
193 votes
Hand-tooled leather Bible covers festooned with decorative engraving
5%
110 votes
Music reflecting the tastes of many young people of the time, such as folk rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock and metal.
20%
424 votes
Festivals for Christocentric bands in contemporary styles to play, analogous to Woodstock or the Monterey Pop Festival
12%
255 votes
All
4%
76 votes
None
59%
1271 votes
3.
3.
For however few ior many true converts the movement produced, there's no doubt that its aftereffects are felt to this day in many Christian church denominations. Whether you believe yourself to be Christian or not, which of these do you believe to be positive moves in terms of church-going/wiorship experience?
Less formal church service and pastors'/preachers' attire
23%
502 votes
A greater focus on serving the needs-and, perhaps preferences-of youth and young adults
22%
481 votes
The introduction of of more contemporary music, either expanding the range hymnals or eliminating them altogether, including shorter songs that can be structured like what one may hear on pop radio
22%
472 votes
Ecclesiology (or the theology of doing church) that makes experiential phenomena important as or more important than dontrinal preaching
7%
154 votes
Other(s) I may mention in a comment
4%
77 votes
Unsure/fFeeling unqualified to answer
56%
1219 votes
4.
4.
For all the attention given the movement in the news media and mainstream magazines and the numerous books written about and documentaries made about it, no singer nor band organically originatring from the movement was able to score a pop radio hit in the US (same for Canada?). But from 1968-76, numerous songs that rode its cultural moment garnered significant radio play. Which of these sorta/maybe/kinda Jesus revolution-related songs from that time do you like or are familiar with?
Jesus Is A Soul Man-Lawrence Reynolds
6%
124 votes
Get Together-The Youngbloods
16%
350 votes
Spirit In The Sky-Norman Greenbaum
30%
645 votes
Singles released from Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's original Jesus Christ Superstar concept album (Yvonne Elliman's [and/or Helen Reddy's remake of] "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and Murray Head & The Trinity Singers' "Superstar")
21%
448 votes
God, Love and Rock And Roll-Teegarden And Van Winkle
5%
102 votes
Speak To The Sky-Rick Springfield (yes, "Jessie's Girl" Rick Springfield)
9%
188 votes
Convoy-C.W. McCall ("...eleven long-haired friends of Jesus in a charteuse Microbus...")
11%
246 votes
Jesus Is Just Alright-The Doobie Brothers, The Byrds, and, originally, The Art Reynolds Singers (no relation to Lawrence, methinks)
18%
391 votes
Put Your Hand In The Hand-Ocean
22%
473 votes
Hallelujah-Sweathog
9%
187 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
14 votes
Not Applicable
49%
1056 votes
5.
5.
Though no authentic Christian hippies became pop stars nor one-hit wonders, at least four former such folks joined the movement upon their convsion or after the movement gained steam. They were but a portion of what became a bustling independent recording cottage industry, though it also caught up to some established Christian record companies, too;there would likely be no contemporary Christian music nowadays without the Jesus hippies. Which of the following prominent acts in this brief list of "Jesus music" pioneers have you heard, heard of or, at least. may intrigue you enough to check them out?
Larry Norman (sang lead with People, who made the Top 20 wth their 1968 remake of the Zombies' "I Love You," would become the arguably Christian rock's granddad)
5%
107 votes
Love Song (soft rockers featuring Chuck Girard, formerly of The Hondells of "Little Honda" fame; had a genuine pop hit in, of all places, the Phillippines)
5%
113 votes
The All Saved Freak Band (featured Glenn Schwartz, former guitarist for Joe Walsh's pre-Eagles band, the James Gang; also recorded an album based on J.R.R. Tolkein's Hobbt stories and, to my ears, are an unheralded link between psychedelic and progressive rock styles)
6%
120 votes
Second Chapter of Acts (brother/sister/cousin harmonizing trio whose "Easter Song" apparently got general market radio play in the '70's and recorded an album based on C,S. Lewis' Narnia stories) .
4%
92 votes
Randy Stonehill (Larry Norman protege who could be hilarious one momement, tear-jerkingt the next; his "American Fast Food" gets occasional play on Dr. Demento's comedy music radio show , and he almost had mainstream record deals a couple times)
3%
70 votes
Andrae Crouch & The Disciples (African-American soul gospel group who crossed over to Jesus hippies' acceptance by dressing the part some and incorporating light rock textures into their music)
6%
137 votes
Fraction (their lone album, Moon Blood, is a monstrous dose of Steppenwolf/Doors-styled heaviness)
2%
37 votes
Resurrection Band (later known as Rez Band, then Rez;husband&-wife led folkies-turned bluesy metal act, known for addressing issues such as divorce, South African apatheis and other topics atypical for their scene)
3%
57 votes
The Sheep (co-ed Midwestern psych' rockers whose missionary work led them to recording their first album partially in Danish and starring in Lomdon stage musical Lonesome Stone)
1%
23 votes
Randy Matthews (folk rocker whose "going electric" at an early Jesus music fest was commensurately shocking as Bob Dylan's doing so at the 1965 Newport Folk Ferstival)
2%
53 votes
Phil Keaggy (former guitarist for progressive rockers Glass Harp talented enough for his renown to trascend Christian subculture, though many enjoy his Paul McCartney-sounding singing, too)
3%
57 votes
Wilson-McKinley (Pacific Northwesterners who started out as secular rock band before all getting converted and recording some highly collectible hard psychedelic rock albums, the first being a concert set mastered at a slightly incorrect speed)
2%
39 votes
All
2%
49 votes
None
77%
1669 votes
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