Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries (by dc talk & The Voice of the Martyrs)

"Lord Show Me the Truth"

By 1967 it was as if a whole generation had detached itself from the conventional values of their society and converged on the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco looking for answers. Yet what was touted as a haven for free thinking and countercultural renewal had instead become a viper's pit of hard drugs, rape, abuse of innocence, organized crime, and the recruiting ground for every religious persuasion imaginable.

Into this walked a young man named Kent Philpott, who felt compelled of God to go there with the Gospel. In April of 1967, he met another young man, David Hoyt, who had devoted himself to Hinduism and preached the world of Krishna Consciousness. They began months of debating back and forth the nature of truth and spirituality that brought in many friends and supporters on both sides.

Kent's open-minded dialogue and David's sincere search for truth soon had David reeling in doubt about what he had previously held as true. Then one night in desperation, he called out to God: "Lord, show me the Truth. Jesus Christ, if you are the Son of God, come into my life! Forgive and heal me!"

In what was to David a blinding burst of light like what Paul experienced on the road to Damascus came the realization that Jesus was God's Son, sent to the world to free him. Jesus was alive and the true Savior of humanity! Jesus was the only one who could truly set people free! David became a Christian on the spot.

Soon after this, Kent and David teamed up to become among the first to establish a mission in the Haight-Ashbury district and reach out to those coming there for new answers. From their efforts and others that sprang up around the same time began the revival that became known as the Jesus Movement. They were among the first revolutionaries to be called "Jesus Freaks."

Copyright © 2002 by Bethany House Publishers. Used with permission.