Got Jesus? Part I

Nothing is impossible for the
man who will not listen to reason.
- John Belushi (Animal House) -


We see phrases on Christian t-shirts and posters that say Christ the King with the Calvin Kline® logo in a New York graphic print. Others display a popular youth club logo taken from O'Neil® Surfboards. We have seen Got Jesus in place of Got Milk. The ever-popular red ball cap that says Jesus Christ in the Cola logo across it. The worst seen to date is the Calvin cartoon character we have seen urinating on the Ford or Chevy logo is now doing the same on the name Satan.

So as the world goes, the Christian follows close behind. We have no way of seeing that the world is fresh out of ideas for it's culture to consume. Bell bottom pants, hair split down the middle and peace signs lost to a generation almost 40 years ago. Spiked hair, body piercing, black leather with an attitude lost to yet another generation 30 years ago. We have been classified as a sub culture without design. Christianity in itself has become a huge sub culture that mixes in the world of free choice. Do I like this or that, yes or no, take it or leave it. We did that, we don't want to do that etc. We are located in a huge bucket of sub culture choices for people to choose from. We have yet to turn society away from current trends in government, art, or lifestyle.

The last great influence was in the Jesus movement in the late sixties. This also, as large as it was, lost momentum over time as the times dissolved into the "Summer of Love", and the "hippies" went on to carve out a new society. The main reason that the "hippy" movement succeeded was that they had a new vision and a determination to go against what the world had to offer. They joined in mass and changed the world forever. Music, fashion, politics, art, and lifestyle. Free sex, free drugs, food stamps, government support, black rights, black lights, women rights, animal rights and more. The SLA was born and came head to head with the status quo of the current government as well as stepping up the political thermometer along with the likes of Jerry Ruben, Tim Leary, Huey Newton, Joan Baez, John Sinclair and others.

This is not said to glorify the movement, but simply putting into perspective the mechanics of social, and spiritual change. We can thank this changing trend in part, for the establishment of liberal politics, that is one of the players in helping to goad the suppression of Christianity today in media, with eyes open wide like an old painting by Margaret Keane, the innocents of flower power and an “all you need is love” attitude. The Republican Party is attempting to no longer reflect the likes of Richard Nixon, by stumbling forward with creating a kinder, gentler old party. On the same hand the Democrats no longer reflect the likes of John Kennedy and seem to be growing into more of an agitated terrier. All in all there seems to be a struggle for role reversal.

However since the times provoked revolution on the society at large in the sixties, Christianity was a valuable alternative. In fact this was the time of the last big Jesus movement. The Jesus movement itself was a revival. Some say it failed because of the lack of leadership and direction needed to hold it together. When revival comes we can’t let it slip through our fingers again. (to be continued...)