The Sixties

During the 60's, America languished beneath the clash of two divergent cultures dividing generations and once closely knit families.  Free love, the Vietnam War, rock 'n roll and long hair became common battle grounds as families splintered into divisive factions disrupting virtually every home. Amidst the chaos and conflict, God did not remain silent.  Quietly, almost imperceptibly, the Prince of Peace began a new work within a counter culture desperately seeking relevant answers.  By 1969, "Oh Happy Day," a bold and blatant presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, was topping the Top 40 radio charts, as the Jesus Movement was sweeping not only the United States, but the entire globe. 

Asleep in the Light

While the church was sleeping, the Holy Spirit was actively changing lives.  A whole new generation experienced the gospel of peace and love.  Many churches rejected the Jesus people and tragically alienated young believers desperately in need of a stable and mature church family.  These new believers were essentially ostracized for their appearance (primarily clothing and hair), rather than their child like faith in Jesus. Seeking ways to share their new found faith, this new generation of believers began writing songs and reaching out to their friends with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, the established church bristled and often attacked them with scathing extra-biblical sermons and harsh Pharisaical condemnation. 

The revival could not be silenced by national celebrity preachers or churches preaching man-made rules rather than God's word. The Jesus Movement swept the globe, and new believers picked up their guitars and began writing songs about a new life, a new heart and a new relationship with Jesus.  They sang songs about the rapture, and the soon return of Jesus Christ, and they sang about the eternal hope of all people.  In a world of chaos, the message resonated in spite of those who preferred to strain at gnats, while swallowing camels whole.  The gospel spread and a new generation began to sing a new song. Filled with the Holy Spirit, these young believers laid down their old lives and began "singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among [themselves] and making music to the Lord in [their] hearts" Ephesians 5:18-19.

The Jesus Movement spawned a new genre of music - Jesus Music.  Fresh and sincere, the music offered personal testimonies and honest observations about God's word. For some, Jesus became the "first" hippy, or some mystical guru from the far East, but for most, Jesus became their Lord and Savior. They expressed their new found love, peace, and joy in the musical language of their generation. Jesus Music offered music for a change - a change of heart, a change of perspective and the evidence of a changed life. Those days were special, and the music remains an historical chronicle of the lives touched by a special movement of the Spirit of God.