The Jesus People and the Electric Guitar
In the late 1960s, no one expected a revival to break out among America’s hippies. They were supposed to be lost to drugs, protests, and free love. Instead, they found Jesus, on beaches, in coffeehouses, and through songs strummed on battered guitars.
This is the story of the Jesus People movement: baptisms in the Pacific surf, barefoot worship circles, and music that rewired the soundtrack of Christianity. From Larry Norman’s rock anthems to the rise of Calvary Chapel and Vineyard, the Jesus People reshaped the church in ways still felt today.
It’s a tale of rebellion and renewal, wildfire passion and messy fallout, irony and legacy. A countercultural revival that became the very establishment it resisted.
If you’ve ever sung worship with a guitar, joined a seeker-friendly church, or streamed Hillsong, Bethel, or Elevation, you’re living in the world the Jesus People built.
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