For several years, beginning back in the early 2000s, I was a frequent listener to Greg Laurie’s daily radio ministry program, “A New Beginning.” I also followed his podcasts when they became available a few years later.  I found him to be very likable and an effective evangelist. I have several of his books, The Great Compromise, Worldview, Run to Win, and Lost Boy, with my favorite being The Great Compromise.

In his book, The Great Compromise, Greg Laurie outlines the many ways people compromise in their faith. He offers examples of great men of faith in the Bible who stood on God’s Word during times of testing and trials. He points out that if we are to fight the good fight of faith and complete the race to the finish, we too must rely on God’s Word. He reminds us that God has provided us with everything we need to equip us in the Scriptures.

On a January 2006 visit to California, I visited Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California with two of my daughters, for a Sunday morning service.

In 2009, my oldest daughter Michelle and I went to hear Greg Laurie preach at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas. This is a large Southern Baptist church in Plano, Texas, where Dr. Jack Graham is the senior pastor. Michelle just so happened to bring her stepson, Ethan, along with her that night. Ethan sat through the entire program and heard the gospel presented by Greg Laurie. He went forward to profess his faith in Christ that very evening. This photo of Greg Laurie and Ethan was taken out in the church lobby after the service was over and as we were on our way out of the front door.

A few years later, I went to his 2016 Harvest America Crusade in Dallas, also with my daughter Michelle, and then again to his 2018 Harvest America Crusade in Dallas, where I sang in the choir.

So, it’s fair to say I’m very familiar with Greg Laurie’s ministry, although I have to say I have not followed his ministry recently like I used to. For the past several years I have shifted more toward Reformed Bible teachers. I have also developed a dislike of popular contemporary Christian music being used in church worship services, but perhaps that is a story for another day.

When I heard late in 2022 that Greg Laurie was involved in a new movie, Jesus Revolution, and that it was going to be on a limited release schedule in February 2023, I was hopeful that it would be shown in a theatre near me. I’m old enough to remember the June 1971 Time magazine cover photo, “The Jesus Revolution” and I also remember hearing people talking about the “Jesus Movement.” I was 16 years old at the time.

So in February 2023, I bought two tickets for the February 24th 6:10 p.m. showing, which was actually the first time in a long while, that I’d bought movie tickets. Most of the movies that Hollywood has been producing the past few years have been very disappointing. We rarely go to the movie theater anymore—perhaps another story for another day as well.

So I was very hopeful about going to this movie, but my hope subsided after actually seeing it. It was quite a bit different from what I was expecting. As I watched it and as soon as it was over several questions popped up in my mind:

1. I was a little surprised the movie didn’t clearly present the gospel. Did I miss it?

2. The words spoken at Greg’s baptism were minimal. It was like he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing there or that he just happened to be there and was caught up in the moment with the crowd. Why so vague?

3. The underwater portion of the baptism scene seemed overly dramatic: Baptism is a first step in obedience; an outward sign of an inward change in a believer’s life. Why such an exaggerated emphasis on the water?

4. I also don’t recall hearing anything about repentance in the movie. Did I miss that too?

Now, I know Greg Laurie’s ministry. Although I no longer actively follow his ministry, I’ve heard him present the gospel many times in the past. His gospel presentation is biblical. I even checked his current statement of faith on his church website and other than the fact that he is now associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, his statement of faith is still biblical. On a side note, while I agree in principle with the Baptist Faith and Message, I do take issue with the Southern Baptist Convention in practice due to the liberal left-leaning drift in both their leadership and in their majority since 2019. Nonetheless, I decided to look a little more into the making of the movie.

After just a little research, I learned that while the story is based on Greg’s autobiography, the co-directors and screenwriter, together with the producer, production company, etc., had artistic license to present the movie as written by the screenwriter. The artistic license allows deviations from the original story as written in the autobiography. Although I haven’t read the book, I understand that the Jesus Revolution movie is not the same as the book. But of course, this wouldn’t be the first time we find a movie differs from the book.

Actually, seeing this movie raised more than a couple of other concerns with me.

To begin with, there are potential problems whenever the gospel is combined with entertainment. Movies, no matter the genre or the intent, are still a form of entertainment. So, the conveyance of the gospel in a movie is quite a delicate task, if not outright difficult, especially when artistic license is added to the mix. Basically they combined that which is holy, the gospel, with that which is not, the movie industry.

Regardless, and thankfully…

The gospel stands alone. God’s purposes and plan of salvation were achieved perfectly in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. No movie, or anything else for that matter, will ever negate the gospel of Christ. If God allows this movie to help point people to repentance and faith in Him, so be it.

Secondly, Lonnie Frisbee, I take issue with both the actor who played his part in the movie and with Lonnie Frisbee himself.

I believe the casting director, or whoever was in charge of hiring Jonathan Roumie to play the part of Lonnie Frisbee, made a poor choice. Jonathan Roumie’s theology is a train wreck to put it nicely. He was reportedly involved in a practice called “grave soaking” or “grave sucking,” in preparation for this movie. He’s on record as stating that on more than one occasion he visited Lonnie Frisbee’s gravesite and laid down next to his grave in an effort to “connect in some way with Lonnie” and “to pray with him.” That is in no way biblical. In fact, it’s way creepy and is actually akin to demonic or occult practices. The Bible strictly forbids and warns us against the practice of communicating with the dead, also known as necromancy:

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:27

So while Greg Laurie went on to have a successful Christian ministry, Lonnie Frisbee, I’m sorry to say, did not. I found several disparaging articles, comments, and videos on the internet about Lonnie Frisbee. Toward the end of his approximately one-and-a-half years’ involvement with the Jesus Movement at Calvary Chapel, Lonnie grew increasingly erratic, self-centered, and overly focused on faith healing. After he left Calvary Chapel, Lonnie got involved with several questionable ministries, including the Vineyard Church, which focused on “signs and wonders” and “faith healings.” Lonnie, who referred to himself as a “seeing prophet,” struggled with drugs and homosexuality for many years and died at age 43. The movie did touch on some of his erratic behavior but that was about the extent of it.

Greg Laurie, in a February 2023 interview, briefly explained that although he was not in contact with Lonnie Frisbee after Lonnie left Calvary Chapel, he did visit him shortly before his death in 1993. Greg stated that Lonnie was, in fact, repentant of his sins. Greg then eloquently reminded us that we are all flawed in one way or another, and that God often uses flawed people to accomplish His purposes.

To be clear, salvation grants us forgiveness of our sins and gives us not only a renewed life in Christ, but also eternal life in Him. As Christians, we all struggle against the flesh and the negative influence of our former sin nature, but ideally, we sin less and less as we grow in Christ. This is called the process of sanctification. However, there should be a noticeable difference in a believer’s life before salvation and after salvation.

I’ll leave it at that.

Now, I wonder if Greg Laurie had also been the screenwriter, perhaps this movie wouldn’t have raised so many questions and concerns. Maybe, or maybe not. I really don’t know.

Despite all my questions and concerns, I still give the movie a thumbs up; it has some flaws, but the message is still inspirational. In retrospect, I think the overall theme of this movie is that Jesus still seeks and saves the lost, and still sets the captives free. In addition, both Greg Laurie and the Jesus Revolution movie remind us that God can, and does, use flawed people to accomplish His purposes.