Photoessay #2096 - Mega-church out of the counter-culture?

For my class, we are reading Luhrmann's "When God Talks Back,".  The professor is really interested in the development of mega-churches along with their advanced organization, charisma and large evangelical congregations.

He's conflicted about this book, about how some evangelical Christians experience specific experience of God in their life.  I took exception to a part near the beginning where the author traces the development of mega-churches to the "Jesus people" movement in the counterculture.

No., I don't buy that at all.  I talked to the professor, he's probably some years younger than me and has no reason to dispute it.

But I do.  I went to high school in Sacramento from 1966-1970 in Sacramento CA and college at University of California, Santa Cruz from 1970-1974.  Pretty close to ground zero of the counter-culture.  It was everywhere around me.  I remember some bands of "Jesus Freaks" who identified themselves as part of the counter-culture who followed Jesus.  Then again, there were plenty of other groups following spiritual leaders.  Though UCSC was small when I attended (3600 students?), the campus included groups and followers of all types, nothing was too strange.

The Jesus-Freaks usually were a ragtag bunch and they didn't have much influence or money.  During my high school years in California, quite a few mainline congregations (Jewish and Christian) modified some of the services to include the counter-culture inspired youth.  Church coffee-houses.  Young people leading services playing the guitar.  Actual Kumbaya singing.  Shlomo Carlebach and Camp Swig, whew!

I know that a long-haired guy named Lonnie Frisbee was involved with Calvary Chapel in southern California and he claimed to speak for the hippies and other disaffected youth.

The counter-culture was about 'doing your own thing' and questioning the status quo.  Finding new paths to a new society.  Lonnie Frisbie was talking about finding Jesus and following the scripture to salvation.  Claiming that accepting the lord took him out of unholy state he had experienced and now he saw the path.

That was the path of evangelical protestantism.

In 1975, Dennis and I decided to attend a service at Bethel Temple, the first mega-church in Sacramento, just to see what they were doing over there.  Even then, big money.  Big beautiful building, huge sanctuary with big balconies.  What we heard there was NOT the counterculture, not about finding your own way, it was about following the WAY, which was Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible.  Music and charismatic speaking, the altar call.  Whew, we could not get out of there fast enough.

Shortly after, the mega-churches (and even since)have attracted many young people.  Even young people who dressed or looked like the followers of the counter-culture.  But the teachings followed a new orthodoxy of authority and fundamentalism.  Lots of dollars followed.  These churches and their huge campuses dot the outskirts of many American towns and cities.

But their roots were not in the counterculture; so shallow to buy Lonnie Frisbie's line as gospel (so to speak).

Picture of a typical Jesus-Freak artifact. Don't remember where I took it from, my apologies.