From Jesus Freaks to Control Freaks

In the 1970's, shortly after becoming a Christian in 1969, I became a part of the budding "Jesus movement". There were a lot of young people, in those days, who, despite the fact that we dressed like hippies and listened to rock music, loved the Lord. We were sometimes known as "Jesus freaks".

I miss those days. Some of my best friendships were developed during that time of my life. People weren't perfect, of course, but the people who were part of that movement did seem to have a genuine love for God and for all people, saved or otherwise.

These days, it seems to me, the church could use a lot more Jesus freaks, and a lot fewer control freaks. Many of our pastors (some of whom, ironically, were once part of the Jesus movement, and some of whom think that they still are) have become bullies who believe that the fact that they're in charge entitles them to run roughshod over the feelings and needs of others in their congregations. They may give lip service to the idea that ministers of the gospel ought to emulate Christ by serving others, but their actions speak more loudly than their words.

This is particularly true when it comes to the way many pastors treat musicians. Even though it would be extremely difficult to find a really successful church which had no talented musicians on its worship team, there are still pastors who treat musicians as if they are expendable, and as if their needs, material and otherwise, are utterly unimportant.

Even in cases where there is no evidence to substantiate such accusations, musicians are often presumed to be immature people who need to be "humbled" (or, to be more accurate, repeatedly denigrated and humiliated) in the name of spiritual discipline, for no better reason than the fact that they are musicians! And then people wonder why they aren't constantly bubbling over with the "joy of the Lord".

Admittedly, there are some musicians, just as there are Christians in all other walks of life, who deserve to be accused of being self-centered and immature. If and when that is the case, then it is appropriate for Christian leaders to speak the truth about such matters, provided that they are guided by love and humility when they communicate such things. But musicians have no monopoly on immaturity.

My father, for example, was once considered a "pillar of the community". He was an optometrist, and he loved the prestige which came from being called "Dr. Pettigrew". He was head of the local PTA, a well-known figure at Rotary and Toastmaster meetings, the Chairman of the Mayor's Commission on Human Rights, and (at one time) the president of the Missouri Optometric Association. He even had a photo of himself shaking hands with the Governor of Missouri, in his official capacity as the president of the MOA.

He was also a part-time minister (or what was called a "lay minister") in the Methodist church. Every Sunday morning, the people would stream out of the small country churches he led, saying things such as "What a wonderful sermon, Dr. Pettigrew!" They were right. My father had "charisma", and he could preach a magnificent sermon.

At one time in my life, I was actually very proud of him, despite his propensity for beating the living daylights out of me with his thin leather belt for the most trivial of offenses. But there came a time when I could no longer feel proud of my father. By the time he died in 1999, he had:

• Violently thrown me up against the wall because I inadvertently left my football out in the front yard.
• Committed adultery.
• Denied that Christ had risen from the dead (during a conversation which I remember vividly, despite the passage of more than 30 years).
• Divorced my mother.
• Ridiculed both me and my mother for our growing Christian faith.
• ... and gone from being a "tee-totaller" to an alcoholic who, at one point, was so drunk that he couldn't even put his own pants on.

How pathetic! But do you think he ever really apologized for anything? No, not my dad. He was, after all, a "pillar of the community".

Gosh, I guess it's a good thing he wasn't a musician, too --- then he would have been really bad!

Pastors need to get their own houses in order before they start taking musicians to task. This, by the way, includes pastors who also happen to be talented musicians.

One such person, from the Chicago area, is Glenn Kaiser, the very talented singer and guitarist who once led the Resurrection Band, which I still consider to be one of the best bands in the history of rock music. (Notice that I didn't qualify that by saying, "one of the best Christian bands". They were that good.) Glenn, who is a pastor at Jesus People U.S.A. (where I lived for several months in 1991), recently stated the following (in his Blogger.com blog): "Talent doesn't EVER equal spiritual maturity. Never. Nada." He's right, it doesn't. And that's as applicable to his talent as it is to anyone else's.

By the same token, a position of authority in a local church or national ministry should never be automatically equated with spiritual maturity, either. From Jim Jones to Jim Bakker to Jimmy Swaggart to Jesse Jackson to the Catholic priests who have been convicted of the sexual abuse of minors, there are just too many examples of incompetent, self-centered, blatantly sinful pastors and priests for anyone but the most naive to think that authority in the church is equal to spiritual maturity.

Amazingly, despite many decades in which contemporary Christian music has had the opportunity to demonstrate its compatibility with the goals of the church, there are still pastors (usually theologically conservative pastors) who believe, despite the absence of any scriptures to support their views, that rock music is "of the Devil". When asked to cite the applicable scriptures, chapter and verse, they are unable to do so, of course, because no such scriptures exist in any known translation of the holy scriptures. Yet, rather than seeing Christian rock musicians as allies in the fight against the Devil's lies, they see such musicians as enemies to be opposed. Sometimes this opposition is very blatant, other times it's much more subtle, but in all instances, it can be a source of real spiritual stress for those who are doing their best to serve the Lord with the musical talents and extremely limited material resources given to them.

CCM, also known as Contemporary Christian Music, was a genre of music started by "Jesus freaks" who believed that it was irrational for Christians who claimed to be guided by the word of God to invent prohibitions (such as the prohibition against rock music) which had no basis in scripture. They saw no reason not to play or enjoy such music, and they saw it as a potent tool which could be used for evangelistic purposes.

Indeed, it was, as I saw firsthand when I promoted a Sweet Comfort Band concert when I was in college. Numerous people accepted Christ as Savior at that concert. That was hardly an isolated event. Many Christian rock concerts have led to conversions to the faith.

Yet, right from the start, Christian rock musicians faced an uphill battle. They were too Christian for the secular music market, and too radical for many of the older people who shared their Christian beliefs.

Eventually, after several decades of struggle, the vast majority of the church acknowledged that pop and rock music could be legitimate expressions of the faith. (Walk through any Bible bookstore today, if you don't believe me.) Unfortunately, it now seems legitimate to ask if it matters anymore. Somewhere along the way, people involved in the Christian music industry lost sight of why the pioneers (such as Larry Norman and Barry McGuire) had played and recorded contemporary Christian music in the first place.

The vision for changing the world with such music was lost. Instead of seeing CCM as a potent evangelistic tool, Christians started seeing such music as a "safe alternative" to worldly rock music. Instead of wanting to storm the gates of Hell, they wanted to retreat to a nice, warm castle which would protect them from the influence of the enemy.

I'm not completely unsympathetic. In any war, it's sometimes necessary to go on the defensive if you want to survive to see another day. But you'll never win any major wars if you stay on the defensive forever. To win wars, it's necessary to leave your comfort zone and take risks. These days, far too few Christians are willing to do that. There are a few Christian musicians who continue to try to bridge the gap between the church subculture and the larger culture which surrounds them, without compromising their faith or their commitment to musical excellence, but they seem to be the exception, not the rule.

As a result, American culture is on a downward path in terms of the collective moral values of our nation. While Christians hide behind stained glass doors and play church, people are dying outside.

Nostalgia can be a bad thing, of course. Even if we wanted to do so, it's highly doubtful that we could ever return to the glory days of the Jesus movement. But that doesn't mean that it's a bad idea to look at what we've lost, why we lost it, and what we could do and ought to do in order to recover that which was lost.

First of all, pastors need to stop selectively choosing to focus on only those scriptures which support their personal ambitions. They need to remind themselves that God is no respecter of persons. Every person in the Body of Christ is valuable. Therefore it is a disservice to the church and to Christ to run one's church in such a way that most people have no real voice with regard to the policies and practices within their own churches. In particular, Christians who seek to use the arts as a means of reconnecting the church to disenfranchised people ought to be encouraged and supported in those efforts.

Likewise, pastors need to recommit themselves to the principal that only the scriptures constitute God's word. Imposing their own personal preferences and prejudices on others, without any real scriptural justification for doing so, is simply unacceptable.

Second, Christians need to do some soul-searching with regard to their attitudes towards the lost. Do we really care about the masses of people who don't know the Lord? If so, why aren't we willing to reach out to them and communicate the gospel in a manner which will transcend the superficial cultural barriers which have prevented them from taking our message seriously? And why do we endlessly snipe at each other, when the only purpose that serves is to distract us from the task of fulfilling the Great Commission?

Ultimately, the Jesus Movement was not about superficial styles of clothing or music. It was about an attitude, one which transcends time and space, and that's the attitude that people matter. No one is expendable. Just because people dress differently or like different styles of music, that's no reason to treat them as if they are unimportant.

When the church becomes insular, when its focus is primarily on preserving the status quo rather than transforming it, it betrays the Lord, who came and died in order to seek and save all who were lost.

In Need of a Good Coffeehouse

In the early 1970's, Christian coffeehouses became extremely common throughout the country, as a way to communicate the gospel of Christ with street people and others who would never set foot inside the doors of a traditional church. This was at the beginning of the era in church history known as the Jesus Movement. That term entered the consciousness of mainstream America when Look magazine published an extensive cover story on the phenomenon in 1970.

People who belonged to and identified with the Jesus Movement were Christians who embraced certain cultural elements characteristic of the hippie movement (such as the rock music, the clothing and hair styles, and in a few cases, the communal lifestyles), while rejecting elements (such as the use of illegal drugs) which were deemed incompatible with their Christian beliefs. In a sense, they were more revolutionary than the hippies, since they took a radical stand which embraced neither progress nor tradition for their own sakes. Instead, they believed in a third way, based on the idea the people had a moral responsibility to exercise discernment. Different groups experimented with this idea with varying degrees of success. In a few cases (such as the well-known group The Children of God), unbiblical and cultish characteristics arose among certain groups, but that was the exception, not the rule. Often, the people who were at the center of the Jesus Movement went on to become spiritual leaders in their local churches.

The members of the Jesus Movement were sometimes known as "Jesus people" or "Jesus freaks". The latter term was sometimes used derisively by non-Christians (just as the term "Christian" was used derisively during the first century). It was embraced, nevertheless, by those who understood its potent appeal to the outcasts of conventional society.

The decor at Christian coffeehouses was often typical of what one might find in a hippie hangout, with blacklight posters, crudely constructed furniture (such as recycled telephone cable spools), drippy candles and so forth. Music (which was usually live) was usually in a folk-rock style, dominated by acoustic guitars, but Christian rock bands occasionally made an appearance as well. Sometimes, traditional gospel music groups would also perform, but they had limited appeal to the demographic group which dominated in such coffeehouses. Those who attended such coffeehouses were primarily students in high school and college. They were the generation which supported the first musical performers (such as Larry Norman, the Children of The Day, Love Song, Randy Stonehill, Barry McGuire, Nancy Honeytree and others) who were the pioneers in what eventually became known as contemporary Christian music.

Members of the Jesus Movement had to deal with resistance, both from ultraconservative Christians who regarded the music and attire as inherently un-Christian, and also from members of the secular counterculture, who felt justified in excluding Christian rock music on the grounds that it was "inauthentic", since they defined "authentic" rock music as music which thumbed its nose at traditional beliefs such as Christianity. To be a "Jesus freak" was to understand firsthand what it meant to be persecuted (or, at the very least, ridiculed) for one's beliefs.

Christian coffeehouses were sometimes the focal point of evangelistic activities which would spread out into the surrounding streets and neighborhoods, with Christians periodically coming and going throughout the night, in-between excursions during which they would approach strangers on the street, engage them in conversations about the Lord, and hand them gospel tracts (which were miniature printed sermons designed to appeal to the unsaved). Often, an encounter on the street would lead the Christian to invite the unsaved person back to the coffeehouse, and many people accepted Christ as Savior as a result of such personal attention.

When properly conceived and administered, Christian coffeehouses served other purposes, too. They served as meeting places for like-minded Christians throughout the cities and towns in which they were located. Baptists, Assemblies of God, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans and many other Christians found common ground, as well as opportunities to exchange ideas about their doctrinal and political differences in an environment of mutual respect, friendship and Agape love.

Socially, Christian coffeehouses met the needs of numerous Christians. Many friendships were forged, and more than a few marriages resulted from encounters which took place in Christian coffeehouses.

Today, there are still a few good Christian coffeehouses in the country, but there are also large regions of the country where there is a real void in terms of such ministries. In some cases, there are no Christian coffeehouses at all. In other cases, the people who run what they describe as Christian coffeehouses don't really understand what it takes to create a successful coffeehouse ministry. Instead of running ministries which are making a major impact on their communities, they limp along year after lonely year, eventually coming to believe that second-best is the most they can ever hope for. Often, such ministries are little more than an exercise in nostalgia.

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What are my criteria for a successful Christian coffeehouse ministry?

First, in order to be really successful, a Christian coffeehouse should be supported by numerous churches, as well as other Christian institutions in the area, such as Christian colleges. A coffeehouse which is just an extension of a single local church (or which is just a church in disguise) fails to meet this standard, because other churches tend to see that coffeehouse as "the competition", when they ought to see it as a resource.

Second, a really successful Christian coffeehouse should be in a neutral location, such as a storefront, so as to attract non-Christians who might be averse to the idea of entering a traditional church. For the same reason, the name of the endeavor should be subtle in terms of its references to Christianity. By definition, a coffeehouse with a name which is blatantly Christian will attract very few non-Christians.

Third, a successful Christian coffeehouse must be built on a solid business model so that its continued existence will not be at the constant mercy of the benevolence of others. Even though it may be a non-profit endeavor which accepts donations, a successful coffeehouse ministry needs to have other substantial sources of legitimate income to supplement the money from donations, since the attendance at most Christian coffeehouses can ebb and flow with the seasons (especially in cases where large percentages of those in attendance are college students). Numerous non-profit groups and church groups sell products and/or services in order to supplement the money from donations. These days, there is an amazing variety of legitimate fundraising options from which to choose. For people willing to consider such options, and to clearly communicate their vision and their needs with Christians who are in a position to help, there is no reason to be hamstrung by financial limitations.

Fourth, a successful Christian coffeehouse must be in tune with the times. Things considered "hip" in the early 70's are not necessarily considered to be hip anymore. People's expectations have changed. This is not to say that every aspect of the old coffeehouses should be rejected by someone wishing to start a modern Christian coffeehouse ministry, but it is to say that the coffeehouse should be updated in such a way that it is appealing to people living in this century and this decade.

For example, a single drip coffeemaker might have sufficed in the early days, but people are now accustomed to fancy coffee from places such as Starbucks, Julius Meinl, Caribou Coffee and Seattles' Best Coffee. Expecting to draw huge crowds consisting of a healthy percentage on non-Christians, with little more than drip coffee, lemonade and a few storebought cookies, is irrational.

Fifth, the music at a modern coffeehouse should be eclectic. It should cater to people with a variety of stylistic preferences, including soft and hard rock, folk, jazz, new age, electronic music, country, bluegrass, Latin, R&B, soul music, blues, hip-hop and even classical. (NOTE: By "new age", I mean music, usually instrumental, which fits that description stylistically. The term "new age" can also refer to a set of specific religious beliefs which are contrary to the teachings of Christianity. Obviously, music promoting such beliefs would be inappropriate in the context of a Christian ministry!) Other types of performance art and related events (such as Christian "poetry slams", dramatic presentations, and more) should also be considered.

While I'm on the subject of music, let me say that there need to be some minimal standards in terms of the talent. If a place gets a reputation for featuring substandard acts, that can greatly dilute its effectiveness, especially in a large city where unbelievers have their choice of hundreds of professional music acts on any given night. This is not to negate the value a Christian coffeehouse can have in terms of giving stage experience to musicians who are just starting out. There is a time and place for such performances, and the time and place is "Open Mic Night". (Many secular nightclubs devote one night a week to such an event.) People who attend "open mic" events do so with the expectation that high quality is not guaranteed. "Open Mic Night" can also serve as an audition, for musicians and other performers who don't yet have good demo recordings and/or videos.

Sixth on my list (but first in terms of its importance), the underlying motive must be a passion and a deep love for lost souls. A coffeehouse which is not regularly bringing in "new blood" by means of evangelism will ultimately fail, regardless of whether or not it continues to exist as an entity. That passion for evangelism must be built on a solid rock consisting of scriptural teaching, fervent prayer, and intelligent planning.

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Is the Christian coffeehouse a relic of the past? The answer, in my opinion, is a resounding NO! Yes, the implementation should be revised in order to keep up with the times, but Christian coffeehouses once met certain needs which, even today, are difficult to meet in any other way. In my opinion, it's a crying shame that many of those who started the original Christian coffeehouses lost the vision or just plain gave up.

I want to start a new Christian coffeehouse, preferably in a location (such as downtown Chicago) which is desperately in need of such a place. However, I would not want the ministry to be limited to the coffeehouse. Rather, that would be just one aspect of an extremely ambitious ministry which would have the larger goal of helping to reverse the moral decay so prevalent in modern popular culture.

Such a ministry would tentatively go by the name of the Christian Artists' Resource Center. The ministry would focus on all of the arts, not just one or two art forms. The ministry would include a coffeehouse, a bookstore, a multitrack recording studio, numerous soundproof music practice rooms and rehearsal spaces, a radio station (focusing primarily on satellite radio, "podcasts" and digital broadcasting), a record company, a concert hall, an art gallery, an art "colony" (with residential facilities for those wishing to access the numerous material and spiritual resources of the organization), an international web-based artists' community (including e-commerce capabilities for members), a graphic design studio, a book publishing company, a movie studio, a Christian botanical garden with sculpture and topiary (a/k/a God's Glorious Gospel Garden), and much, much more.

The objective of such an organization would be to eliminate the impediments which currently result in the relegation of faith-based art to a fringe subculture which has minimal impact on mainstream society. In short, I want to initiate what I like to call a "righteous renaissance". In addition to the very worthwhile goal of winning individual souls to Christ, I want to play a role in transforming society for the better. I am not naive. I know that there will always be an element of society (especially in the "last days") which will rebel against God. Nevertheless, using that as an excuse for a failure to do everything one can do to create a better world is unacceptable.

I plan to create additional blog posts in the near future in order to more fully communicate my vision, hopefully in such a way as to elicit participation and support from other Christians who recognize the validity of that vision. Such support will be essential (since my own personal resources are currently very limited) in order for any of these ideas to get off the ground.

Stay tuned! Good things are sure to follow.