Pastor Greg Laurie speaks out on the success of 'Jesus Revolution'
Pastor Greg Laurie reacts to the success of 'Jesus Revolution' and shares why he believes the film is resonating with so many people on 'Fox News Tonight.'
Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie reacted to the success of the film "Jesus Revolution" that chronicles a real-life spiritual awakening during the hippie era in America and shares why the story is resonating with so many people.
Laurie says the faith-based film tells a "real story" about hope during a period in American history when it appeared that culture was collapsing and people were turning away from religion.
"Many thought that it was perhaps the demise of our country, but people were talking about a sexual revolution, they were talking about a political revolution — and God sent a Jesus Revolution," Laurie told "Fox News Tonight" host Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday.
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The movie centers around how Laurie and his wife Cathe found themselves a part of the Jesus movement in Southern California during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Laurie eventually meets Pastor Chuck Smith and a hippie street preacher named Lonnie Frisbee. Smith welcomed the hippies into his church, which sparked a "counterculture movement" resulting in what many consider one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in American history.
Jonathan Roumie as Lonnie Frisbee and Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Smith in "Jesus Revolution." (Dan Anderson/Lionsgate)
"Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer plays Smith, the real-life pastor of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus on "The Chosen," plays Lonnie Frisbee.
Laurie credited TIME magazine for originally coining the phrase "Jesus Revolution" after the rapidly expanding movement landed on its cover in a 1971 issue. This came after the magazine showcased a cover story, "Is God Dead?" in 1966.
Laurie said TIME's two historic cover stories show how "bleak" things were and what happens when a spiritual awakening occurs.
He told McEnany that he believes the church has an opportunity "right now" to bring hope to today's culture.
"Our job is to bring hope. Our job is to bring help. Our job is to bring people to the Lord. That's what I do," Laurie said. "I'm an evangelist."
For the last 30 years, Laurie and Harvest Christian Fellowship have held large-scale public evangelistic events known as Harvest Crusades. Since its inception, Harvest has garnered more than 6 million people in attendance and more than 500,000 people have professed their faith in Jesus Christ, according to its site.
2023's SOCAL Harvest Crusade will be held July 1 and 2 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
"Generation Z is very interested in spiritual things," Laurie continued. "I just read an article recently where it said that over 50% are very interested in Jesus, knowing more about Jesus, and this is the key: This was not a religious revolution, it was a Jesus Revolution where people were turning to God and having an encounter with them."
He added: "That's what happened to me. My life was changed. I was going the wrong way fast, but my life was turned around because of a relationship with Jesus Christ, and he's still in the life-changing business."
Smith and Frisbee baptized Laurie and his wife at Pirates Cove in Newport Beach, Calif., in the midst of the revolution. Laurie recently announced on his social platforms that Harvest is planning on holding a "Jesus Revolution Baptism" there on July 9.
"Jesus Revolution" hit No. 1 on the Amazon Best Sellers chart on April 24 and amassed over $50 million at the box office for Lionsgate during its record-setting theatrical run. It stood at No. 2 on Amazon as of press time.
With a budget of around $15 million, the film was the major motion picture company's highest-grossing domestic release since "Knives Out" in 2019, according to Movieguide.
‘JESUS REVOLUTION’ PERFORMS MIRACLES AT THE BOX OFFICE, RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS FROM AUDIENCE
Laurie told McEnany it wasn't a big-budget film like "Avatar" or "Top Gun," but still managed to outperform expectations ever since it hit theaters in February. The film has a 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore.