Friday, June 13, 2014
God's Forever Family
by Larry Eskridge
I didn't intend to read about Christian hippies, but my daughter brought this book home to read and then got my wife interested in reading it and then my wife read it and then talked me into reading it. And so it goes. Anyway, this is a look at the Jesus People movement of the late 1960s-early 1970s. Most people tend to look upon it as a fad, but Mr. Eskridge contends that it was influential in transforming the nature of evangelical Christianity in the United States. He doesn't dwell too much on that thesis, but rather tells the tale of the "Jesus people". Amidst the cultural and social unrest of the late 60s, some young men and women discovered Christianity and came to believe in Jesus. Rather than cutting their hair, donning suits and ties or dresses and conforming to the culture of their local church, however, they sought to express the truth and faith they found with their own music and language. It was a learning experience for them and for the churches they encountered. By the late 70s, the fad was over, but the Jesus people remained--moving on with churches and ministries that were more mainstream, but now leavened with their beliefs and experiences. The book was quite interesting to read. I really never experienced the movement while it was happening, but I did certainly feel its effects in the 80s and beyond.
I'm very glad my daughter, and my wife, and I checked it out.
LibraryThing link
I didn't intend to read about Christian hippies, but my daughter brought this book home to read and then got my wife interested in reading it and then my wife read it and then talked me into reading it. And so it goes. Anyway, this is a look at the Jesus People movement of the late 1960s-early 1970s. Most people tend to look upon it as a fad, but Mr. Eskridge contends that it was influential in transforming the nature of evangelical Christianity in the United States. He doesn't dwell too much on that thesis, but rather tells the tale of the "Jesus people". Amidst the cultural and social unrest of the late 60s, some young men and women discovered Christianity and came to believe in Jesus. Rather than cutting their hair, donning suits and ties or dresses and conforming to the culture of their local church, however, they sought to express the truth and faith they found with their own music and language. It was a learning experience for them and for the churches they encountered. By the late 70s, the fad was over, but the Jesus people remained--moving on with churches and ministries that were more mainstream, but now leavened with their beliefs and experiences. The book was quite interesting to read. I really never experienced the movement while it was happening, but I did certainly feel its effects in the 80s and beyond.
I'm very glad my daughter, and my wife, and I checked it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
// posted by John @ 2:16 PM 
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