Jesus Revolution movie review

 I went to see the Jesus Revolution movie on opening night. The film was being touted as a great evangelism tool and a potential way to spark the next revival in our culture. Christians today almost instantly latch onto things where Jesus is portrayed positively, so I wanted to see for myself. I've been reading The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer with a Bible study group and wanted to see how closely it aligned with how the book describes the Gospel. 

The short answer is, it didn't. There are varied reactions to this movie. Amongst Christians, many are praising it, while others are calling it a completely false message. Amongst unbelievers, it's gaining traction through big-time talk show interviews with cast members, while others are just dismissing it as nonsense. 

So what happens in the actual film? The film follows Pastor Chuck Smith's newfound friendship with a nomadic-type individual named Lonnie Frisbee. Frisbee, played in the film by Jonathan Roumie (who plays Jesus in the controversial series, The Chosen) is a charismatic leader trying to lead the hippies of the 1960's to Christ after having apparently gotten saved and overcame drug addiction. Smith says his church is a "safe place" for the hippies who feel like outcasts. The film also follows young Greg Laurie and his romance with his future wife, Cathe. Both of them were saved in this movement, and the film depicts that. 

Greg Laurie is someone I listen to. I know some may consider him a false teacher, but he does preach about sin, salvation through Christ alone, Hell, etc. My mom was listening to him recently and noticed he dropped the ball by failing to mention repentance in his gospel call. That being said, it seems apparent he is a true convert, even though I don't entirely agree with all of his theological views. 

Smith was a charismatic, but he wasn't as charismatic as Frisbee. Frisbee believed in Word of Faith healings, and there is a scene in which Smith curbs Frisbee's WOF beliefs, by reprimanding him and telling him to sit down when he wants to heal random people in the listening audience. 

Even John MacArthur, a staunch cessationist, commends Smith in his book, Charismatic Chaos:

“The most thorough critiques of the Word of Faith movement, for example, have come from a handful of charismatic authors. Chuck Smith, charismatic pastor of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California has written a very straightforward critique of charismatic extremism.” 

So is the movie bad? False teaching? Should it be avoided by Christians? I would say that while it doesn’t present the clearest picture of the biblical Gospel, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s false teaching. It seemed to at least present salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It certainly was a movement that spawned many true converts. The main problem was the message seemed to be "Come to Jesus for a better life, for belonging, meaning etc." instead of "Come to Jesus because you are dead in your sin and under the wrath of God and need to be reconciled to Him, and Jesus is the only one who provided the means for that to happen at the cross by taking on the punishment you deserved for sin on Himself. Repent and believe the Gospel." Does it mean that everyone who hears a "Come to Jesus for meaning" message and professes faith in Christ is a false convert? No, but that message leaves room for false converts, and it's not what we find being proclaimed within the Bible, either.  All that to say, there is still some encouragement that has come out as a result of this movie. A friend of mine, Dylan, self-styled “celebrity evangelist” recounts an encounter he recently had with Kelsey Grammer (who played Chuck Smith in the film), who was raised in the Christian Science cult.  When Dylan asked Grammer who Jesus was to him, he replied:

“I was raised with a certain belief of Jesus, and then later in life I tried to make God out to be who I wanted, and that didn’t work either. Through this movie and its message, Jesus has taken a permanent residency in my heart as my Lord and Savior.”

I praise God that God used this movie and the role of Pastor Chuck to bring Kelsey Grammer to saving faith. Despite historical or theological inaccuracies, this movie can still be used for God’s glory. I still think it’s also important to note how some viewers could walk away with a false or confused understanding about God at the same time though. Christians shouldn’t be viewing this movie as an idealistic means of proclaiming the Gospel, but that doesn’t mean that people can’t be changed by the Lord through it either. 




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