Jesus Revolution, Calvinism, and the Seeds of Revival
If you are active in the Christian community, chances are that you have heard the term "revival" a time or two. You have likely heard people quickly affirming or warning against calling what happened at Asbury College a revival; and in God's perfect timing, the movie that you have possibly heard as being another catalyst for revival, "Jesus Revolution," came out in theaters.
As someone who has watched countless hours of John MacArthur, Paul Washer, Voddie Baucham, and other Bible teachers who are considered Calvinists or extremely reformed, I was immediately hesitant about spending money on this movie when I first heard about it, and actually dismissed the movie as another "seeker-sensitive" attempt to water down the Gospel. However, my wife read a positive review from one of her friends who I have observed to be mindful of the true Gospel. After considering the review and doing additional research, we decided to go see the movie.
The clip above represents some phrases from early in the movie, which struck a chord with me. Those phrases are listed below:
"You'll see a bunch of kids who are looking for all of the right things, just in the wrong places."
"(My people) are sheep without a shepherd, chasing hard after lies."
"How can they believe for the wonder they have not heard."
"We can only walk through doors that are open to us."
As I began to reflect on these phrases, I watched attentively for how Chuck Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer, would lead his church with these points in mind.
Would he water down the Gospel to open up a door to these sheep looking for a shepherd?
Would he compromise the principles laid out in Scripture to make the Church look like some of these wrong places?
Would he add a little synthetic wonder into the worship experience, or keep it authentic by letting the Holy Spirit move organically?
These are things that much of the Calvin-influenced Bible teachers teachers I listen to allude to and warn against, when they are assessing churches that have a more relaxed dress code, have more production-infused or entertainment driven music, etc. Another accusation that I often hear Calvin-influenced Bible teachers make about these churches is that they let culture dictate how they run their church. One example of this statement being made is found in the video below.
The above video shows how John MacArthur had different perspectives on the church represented in the Jesus Revolution movie at two different points in his life. It is true that people grow or evolve in their understanding of the world around them, but I think this is a good illustration of how we can get trapped between judging others and reaping the same judgement on ourselves (see Matthew 7:1-5)
Another important reflection point that I got from the video above is the distinction between high church and low church. It speaks to the conflict that I know I have experienced, and am sure several others have experienced as well. That is a conflict between seeking the reverence for God and His Word that is typically shown through ritual disciplines in things like how we worship or how we present ourselves (high church), while also seeking to promote an accessible environment that serves as a refuge for those who do not know God or His Word, so they can come to know Him and His Word (low Church).
I found the following video to be a great illustration of the conflict between "high church" and "low church." (especially starting at 6:26).
As I watched the video above for the first time, I thought about how I have been so quick to dismiss my own bitterness, dismiss my own lack of intentionality of spending time with God, and have been so quick to condemn the sins of others who are still navigating the escape route from sin. I had forgotten my own journey, escaping the same sins that I was in deep with 3 years ago, 5 years ago, 9 years ago, and 11 years ago, and was judging others for the same sin.
Before I conclude with some lessons that I have learned through this process, I want to note that I am aware that it may seem that I am being more critical of Calvinism and letting non-reverence to the holiness of God and His Word off the hook. While it is true that I make specific mention of Calvin-influenced teachers and do not mention teachers that water down the Gospel, I do want to acknowledge that those who twist the Gospel to accommodate culture and to minimize sin are wrong. Moreover, my personal review of Scripture has been heavily supplemented with MacArthur, Washer, and Baucham videos for years, and anything I would know about any other influence would either be through what I have heard about them from Calvin-influenced or reformed teachers, or based on a limited number of times watching their videos. In doing that, I feel like I would risk bearing false testimony against others.
MacArthur, Washer, and Baucham are unmatched in their ability to inspire love and reverence for a personal devotion to God, through dedication to Scripture and prayer, There is no more authentic joy in my mind, then sitting around doing a deep research of God's Word, and coming to know my Father better, and these brothers in Christ know how to lead someone through that. With that said, I feel like taking such a deep dive into their teaching has shifted my perspective on the world to be hyper-critical of fellow Church members and society at large. This has made me bitter at times, and wanting to avoid anything that is not right in line with Christ. Is this a familiar feeling to anyone? What kind of example can we be, and how can we fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20 , if we are isolating ourselves from the world around us? Why are we still here after we get saved, if we are not supposed to be going into the world around us to spread the Gospel?
As you may have seen, I have experienced a "revival" of sorts, since seeing this movie. From hearing about my mom's phone outreach to others who were hurting while she was navigating cancer, to my Pastor suggesting that maybe I need to temper my heavy dosage of MacArthur and Washer videos, to my fellowship with my Bible Study group, to this Jesus Revolution movie, there have been seeds of revival planted along the way, and the Holy Spirit has been watering them. Please allow me to share the fruits of those seeds, in the form of the lessons that have helped me find more joy in the world around me, while maintaining reverence for God and His Word, the best I can.
The more you maintain a personal relationship with Christ, through routine review of Scripture and prayer, the more you can discern and focus on spiritual lessons we can learn from the world around us, rather than focusing on physical deficiencies or frustrations that can often make us experience bitterness or other emotions that direct our attention away from Christ, and onto the world.
While we are responsible for maintaining a one-on-one relationship with Christ, as described in the previous point, we run the risk of becoming our own arbiters of Truth and our own god, if we do not maintain fellowship with fellow believers and maintain a structure that holds us accountable in our study of Scripture and our overall walk with Christ. Please find a Gospel-preaching Pastor to sit under and find a Bible study group that fellowships around Scripture and tools that walk believers through a deeper understanding of their faith.
We can't be a passive part of our Church body, and we can't impose our preferences or expectations on our Church community. I have done this on multiple occasions before, and looking back, the less I was active in the life of the Church or the more expectations I harbored in my mind regarding how the Church should operate, the quicker I started looking for another Church. Yes, there are going to be times that you disagree with others in your Church community. Yes, you will find more things wrong, the more you get involved. This is what intimacy is. We are supposed to let our guards down, as those who are holding on to Christ as we flee from the sin of this world. It is going to get messy! But unlike the world around you, those who are active parts of the body of believers that you are connected with will not leave you, but hold onto you more tightly, as you are fleeing sin.
Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. Except for Christ....we can never have too much of Christ. For example, Lonnie Fristbee's assertiveness and common ground with those traditionally disconnected from the church played a significant role in a movement that produced a lot of fruit. The movie shows how this same assertiveness became too prideful and he was removed from the church. And as I mentioned with my own experience, too much focus on the discipline side of God's love can often overshadow the grace side of God's love that calls sinners to Himself.
When we ignore our own sin, and place a hyper focus on condemning others or avoiding others who are committing sin, we have become like the Pharisees, creating a works-based salvation, whether we realize it or not.
I have found that if you are firmly rooted in your personal relationship with God and His Word, and you model the same discipline and repentance that you are calling others to, there will be opportunities to rebuke someone through compassionate words or through the convicting example of your actions, both of which maintain the integrity of the Gospel, and re-enforce to those who are looking for freedom, purpose, hope, love, respect, or truth, that the most authentic version of all that can be found in Jesus Christ.
Thank you for taking the time to read through this reflection. If you have not gone to see this movie, and are still wondering if you should go see it. I say you should. Check out for yourself how you would answer the reflection questions above, and let me know what you think. God bless you!
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