God's Forever Family is a history of the Jesus People movement and its impact on the Church and the United States. As a history it is comprehensive in the deep dives it takes. For this reason, this is a needful history of the movement and important. But taken as a whole, there are a few issues with it.
For those who do not know, the Jesus People Movement was a spiritual revival among American street people that began in one of the least likely places at one of the the least likely times: among the street characters, hippies, and drug addicts of 1965-67 San Francisco, California, USA. The revival morphed into the larger and more mainstream movement of Jesus People on College and High School Campuses in the later sixties and early seventies, and eventually invaded Church youth ministries and the larger American culture via music and film well into the mid-70s. Among its innovations were Jesus Rock and Folk, Jesus festivals, Christian Communes, Christian radio, Jesus Freaks, casual church services and home-grown worship music, art, drama, newspapers, and not a few outright cults. Most importantly, it was a movement characterized by pragmatic street evangelism.
Its influence is still felt to this day in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) industry, in the Mega-church movement, and among the thousands of lesser-known independent churches, fellowships and missionary activities that were spawned by former Jesus Freaks turned mainstream evangelicals in the 80s and 90s.
This book covers the key centers, events, and personalities of Jesus People revival throughout the US and the foreign enclaves in the UK, Australia, Germany, France, and Scandinavia. Many key leaders are identified and their place in the vast network that grew out of the California epicenter is mapped out. I like that this book had a lot of historical detail. But sometimes it talks around the topic instead of getting to the point. The portion on the Children of God is one such place. We never get too much detail on the doctrinal problems of the David Moses Berg cult, only seeing the movement in the context of its conflicts with the more orthodox wings of the revival.
There are a handful of other issues:
- It would have been nice to have an appendix entitled "Where are they now?" explaining what happened to the key people who shaped this revival.
- It would have been helpful to hear more about the church movements that grew out of this revival. We get a lot on Calvary Chapel and a bit on the Vineyard but that is all. There were/are many others. Praise Chapel, Christian Fellowship Ministries, New Hope Christian Fellowship, and others all deserve their own paragraph at least. They were not just copy-cats, although many Calvary Chapel people assume otherwise. And despite a comment in the book otherwise, many Calvinist/Reformed movements turned emergent Church, took their cues from the Jesus People.
- It would have been helpful to have a chapter speak about the strengths and weaknesses of the movement that have borne fruit (both Godly and rotten) over the last 40 years since the movement "disappeared." Among the strengths I would include pragmatic, aggressive evangelism, and an emphasis on spiritual gifts. Among the weaknesses are an over-emphasis on "communal" and para-church fellowships versus the local Church, a disinterest in serious mission-ology, and an emphasis on "do-your-own-thing" antinomianism instead of solid Christian discipleship and holiness. Those are my view. Others might have different conclusions... but they would be valuable to consider.
Finally, there are a lot of nostalgic and sentimental interviews with former participants. These are nice. But I was too young to experience the Jesus People movement. As a Christian pastor, I am the recipient of both the blessings of a revival that possibly saved our nation and revived the Church... and the curses of movement that set some bad precedents that hinder a follow-on revival in this generation. It's a mixed bag.
This book is recommended. As a Church history, this is an important and vital book. If you are a former Jesus Person, this will bring back some nice memories. If you are a regular, post-modern, American Christian, you should know that the Jesus People revival really happened. May God help us to see such a revival again... only more so, LORD!
And then COME QUICKLY, LORD JESUS!
Be blessed.
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Top reviews from other countries
Fr. Lawrence Farley
An essential volume for historians of the Jesus Movement
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 1, 2017James M. Wood
A great book, a survey and history really needed about ...
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 11, 2014
