THEY’RE long-haired or short-hair, they wear neat dresses or scruffy jeans- and they all ”go hunting” in the streets of Hillbrow on Friday and Saturday nights.
Know as “Jesus Freaks” by the drug addicts and problem teenagers they seek out, these young men and women have themselves been “stoned on pot” and “bombed on pills”
They belong to no established church, their enthusiasm is tremendous and they claim their number of converts is increasing day by day.
Slogan
A year ago the “Jesus Freaks” were hardly notices in Johannesburg and their slogan “One Way” with the sign of a clenched fist and index finger pointing upwards was seen only on the walls of the Christian run Narnia coffee bar. Then the Narnia was forced to close.
But within a few months the young Christians took to the streets, determined to bring their faith to youngsters in need, as they themselves had once been.
The new movement spread rapidly in Johannesburg and today there are four major groups here, all working independently to reform drug addicts and to get young people “back to Christ”
In Stellenbosch and Cape town other bands are active, while a small movement is gathering strength in Durban.
The immense enthusiasm of the converted youngsters has been noticed by clergymen in established churches everywhere.
And the question is being asked: Is this the start of the Jesus Revolution in South Africa?
Will a religious revival among youth sweep across this country as it has been doing in the United Sates?
At the moment there is no real link between the “Jesus Freaks” in south Africa, who operate with a great del of independent endeavour and nay of the established churches.
Although many clergymen support the youngsters in their new religious experience and feel some sort of contact between the two groups, they are dubious that a “Jesus Revolution” of any depth will emerge.
SPONTANEOUS
And they maintain it is still too premature to decide what action to take to help the young groups in finding their identity.
But other Clergymen warn that long-awaited revolution is coming soon.
“I believe the Jesus Revolution’ is indeed about to break out in South Africa, which is ripe for it now,” the Reverand Tony Louch an evangelist recently returned from the United States, said.
“More than 70 young people attend Teen Challenge services on Sundays in Johannesburg now and about 8o people go to meetings at Miracle Centre,” he said.
Alan Hardie
“Soon the new ‘Invisible Church’ for freaks only will be opening. And at the church in Norwood, about 600 people recently attended two services.
“The Jesus Revolution in Amerca was a spontaneous thing that suddenly became disillusioned in their search for truth and identity.”
They had turned to Christ when drugs failed them, only to find that established churches wouldn’t accept them unless they conformed, cut their hair and dressed in suits.
Being unwelcome in most churches, the young people moved out and had their own gatherings.
CONTACT CALL
“But that is where the problems arose –
problems which must be avoided here.” He said.
“Tens of thousands in America converted and ‘turned on’ for Christ. They realised the need for communion, to worship together and to study the word of God, but there was no maturity in their movement.
“Ministers here have got to be prepared for this. Those who open their church doors to young will have revival on their hands. Those who close their doors will die by themselves.”
Another evangelist, the Reverend Peter Church, and the Reverend Carl Cronje, who started Teen Challenge and who regards himself as a “straight” clergyman, also called for contact with the youth movements.
“The Jesus Movement was born outside the church, but now it must be challenged back into it,” Mr Cronje said.
VITALITY
“I think the church as a whole throughout the world will appreciate this movement, but we should not accept it without scrutiny.
“A large part of it is most sincere and very encouraging, but there is also a spurious element that borders on neo mysticism.”
Mr Cronje said that uncontrolled, the Jesus Movement could lead to a million splinter sects and that was where established churches could ensure doctrinal purity and stability.
“The Jesus Movement will kill itself, in spite of its members, without the form of the established churches. But without the vitality exhibited by these young people, the established churches will continue to exist without living.
“All churches here today are aware of the movement to some degree. But some of the historic churches will have to sift tradition from the basic Bible teaching.
“If the two groups do unite, success will hasten the climax of God’s plan for the world. But failure will push young people back into the cul-de-sacs of dugs and despair,” he said.
Spokesman for several established churches were not so sure the new movement among youth could be called a genuine “Jesus Revolution”
Father Theo Derkx f the Roman Catholic Church, said he did think the new movement would catch on in South Africa as it had in the United States, because of the strong hold of traditional churches here over young people.
The Rev Peter Storey, of Clifton Methodist Church in Braamfontein, said he thought the new converts had very deep religious convictions, but the movement was strongly linked with their liberation from drug dependence.
But clergymen of the established churches agrees some attempts should be made to contact the new preachers and to begin some form of dialogue with them.
The eager converts won a major battle las week when the Management Committee of the Johannesburg City Council gave them permission to continue their evangelising missions at Hillbrow’s Highpoint Centre as long as they ended by 10:30 pm and on condition no electrical music instruments are used.
“Freak out on Jesus, He’s a much greater ‘high’ than drugs will ever be,” is there constant message.
And more and more teenagers seem to be “turning on to Christ.”
