Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California and Hawaii has been preaching and sharing the word of God for years. Recently, Laurie has found himself in the spotlight because of the new film “Jesus Revolution” which has become wildly popular among believers and nonbelievers alike. Laurie originally co-wrote the book “Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today “with Ellen Vaughn which is the basis for the new film. The story covers aspects of Laurie’s life from the ’60s and ’70s.
Fox News Digital recently spoke to Laurie about the film’s recent success, which has smashed box office projections and garnered amazing reviews. “When director Jon Erwin approached me about making a film about the last great spiritual awakening in America, known as the Jesus Revolution,” said Laurie, “it was surprising to me that he wanted to build it around my life story. I was just one of many that came to faith in that time.” He continued, “Having said that, I was honored to think that my story could inspire others.”
When asked about what it means to him personally that his story has been made into a film, Laurie replied, “I was conceived out of wedlock and never knew my biological father. My mother was an alcoholic and was married and divorced seven times. That was a pretty radical story back in the early ’60s. Sadly, it is more typical today. I hope my story can inspire young people in difficult circumstances to know that God can intervene in their life and change their story. We don’t determine what hand we are dealt in life — but we do determine how we will react to it. Your mess can be turned into a message and your test into a testimony.”
Laurie was then asked what he wanted viewers to take away from the film, to which he said, “I would hope people realize that God is still in the business of changing lives. What happened to us some 50 years ago can still happen for people today. This movie tells an honest story of God working in and through flawed and ordinary people.”
Pastor Laurie then went on to discuss how our current times mirror those of the late ’60s and early ’70s and how that influenced the “Jesus Revolution”. The pastor said, “A number of years ago, I asked Chuck Smith, who is played in “Jesus Revolution” so powerfully by master actor Kelsey Grammer, a question: ‘Would we ever see another Jesus movement?’ Chuck said in response, “Greg, I’m not sure [that] we are desperate enough.’ I think we are finally desperate enough right now. We have crime out of control, drug overdoses, self-harm and suicide at an all-time high. The threat of nuclear war looms large. People are getting scared. The year 2023 is so similar to the late ‘60s and early ’70s when this story in “Jesus Revolution” happened. There is no other time in history that more closely parallels the present.”
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