"Jesus Revolution" Needed Today

There is so much hate in the world today. For proof of this statement, you need go no further than social media. When politics became really divided, it seems that every issue took on the immature nature of this divisiveness. Remember the days when we respected each others' opinion and celebrated our differences? Now, the world wants us to all be the same and if we think differently, negative comments are hurled back at us.

In the late 1960s until the early 1970s, a Jesus Movement was taking place. This is the basis for "Jesus Revolution," which finally made it into movie theaters by me this past weekend. First off, the film is not preachy. It is an honest story about a true event that happened while the hippies were telling everyone to "Make Love Not War!" The hippies not only listened and played great music but they were also searching for some sense of truth. A large group of them began listening to Lonnie Frisbee, portrayed by Jonathan Roumie, when he would speak and quote the Bible. He even spoke right after a Satanist one afternoon in a nearby park.

Being very charismatic, it would take no time at all before people wanted to hear more from Frisbee. Kelsey Grammer plays Chuck Smith, a Pastor who is having trouble filling the pews of his church. At first, Smith demonstrates the same amount of prejudice that his congregants possess against the hippies. It is only when Smith's daughter brings Frisbee home that Smith actually gets a chance to really feel what Frisbee had to say.

Like most of the hippies that have gathered in this quaint town, Frisbee had traveled on the road to nowhere with drugs before reaching out to Jesus. Touching Smith's heart, the Pastor opens the doors of his church to these lonesome souls, much to the dismay of some of the congregants. God eventually begins to speak through Frisbee in a different way as he begins to feel the pain of those souls that have come to hear the sermon. It is when Frisbee's humanity begins to show that things start to fall apart for him.

The movie is told from the perspective of Greg Laurie, who is listed with others among the writing credits. Played by Joel Courtney, Laurie is first seen attending some gatherings with his video camera in hand. His real-life love story is also told within this story. Also starring in the film is Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Charlene and Anna Grace Barlow as Cathe. Roumie is known for his amazing portrayal of Jesus Christ in "The Chosen." Paras Patel, who plays Matthew in "The Chosen" has a funny cameo in this story.

Because this is a true story, the pain is just as real as the joy. My takeaway from the film is the word "acceptance." Everyone needs to find their own truth within their soul. If nothing else, it would be nice to have more peace and love in the world.