Lately, it seems Jesus not only rocks, but He’s also a movie star too. The Jesus Music, a documentary written, directed, and produced by The Erwin Brothers (“I Can Only Imagine,” “I Still Believe,” “Woodlawn,”) traces the roots of Contemporary Christian Music back to the Jesus Movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s via archival footage and new interviews with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Kirk Franklin, Michael Sweet, Toby Mac, and scores of other Christian artists and insiders. Electric Jesus is the fictional story of a Christian heavy metal band and the young ingenue that stows away on their RV and manages to steal the show. Starring Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone of NBC’s The Office) and Judd Nelson of The Breakfast Club, Electric Jesus has billed itself as “the 80s Hair Band Music-Comedy You’ve Been Saving Yourself For,” as it has crisscrossed the US on a tour of film festivals. (True Tunes featured the cast on an earlier episode and produced an entire special podcast series on the film as well.)
True Tunes’ founder and host John J. Thompson is featured in The Jesus Music as an interview subject and historian and served Electric Jesus as Music Supervisor and as a historical consultant. On this episode of the podcast, Thompson brings Andy Erwin (Director of The Jesus Music) and Chris White (Writer and Director of Electric Jesus) together for a wide-ranging conversation about their films in particular, the subject of Jesus Music in general, and the challenges surrounding faithful art-making in the marketplace today.
And on the Jukebox, we contemplate a slew of Jesus Music that did not come from the Evangelical underground and did not stay put in the Christian marketplace. This look at “Jesus On The Mainline” seeks to expand the conversation about just how influential Jesus has been in popular culture over the last fifty years – especially as far as music is concerned. Was CCM music the only, or even most obvious path for people of faith to take?
(Don’t miss the companion article for this episode: Jesus Music Rediscovered? A Reflection by John J. Thompson at TrueTunes.com)
Full Show Notes available at TrueTunes.com/JesusMusicMovies
@45RPM - Why We Need Love Songs: A Quick Chat w Phil Madeira about ”Bliss”
Bruce Cockburn: Kicking at the Darkness for 50 Years (and counting!)
@45RPM - Cockburn Jukebox Overtime (with Chris Taylor)
@45RPM - THE PREMIERE (feat Terry Scott Taylor in 1981 and 2021)
Here’s To You! Michael Been (of The Call) From The Vault
Young Oceans, The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, & The Radical Purposes of Worship and Music
Jukebox Rewind: 30 Important Albums & 13 Worthy Singles from 2021
From The Vault: Stonehill & Keaggy‘s Mutual Highway + Randy Tribute Sneak Peek
The New Sacred Indie Underground: Beach Chapel, Lovkn, & Cross Worship Give Us A Tour
Terry Scott Taylor‘s Beautiful Mystery Part 2 (The Album)
The Beautiful Mystery of Terry Scott Taylor (Part 1)
The Gray Havens Dream of Blue Flowers & The Spirit of CS Lewis Haunts the Jukebox
Myron Butler, Andrae Crouch, & Aretha Franklin: A Gospel Music Meltdown!
The Chosen Pt 3: Dallas Jenkins
The Music of The Chosen Pt 2: Matthew S. Nelson
The Music of The Chosen Pt 1: Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay)
True Tunes Podcast Official Trailer
Singing Along with The Choir
Renaissance Man Jimmy Abegg (+ Peter Gabriel & Lowland Hum on the Jukebox)
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