The Creation of a Church Community out of the 1960s Counterculture and Jesus People Movement: Exploring the Formation of Covenant Life Church out of Two Significant Movements

Abstract

The Evangelical Right that is present in the United States today was born out of the Jesus People Movement (JPM) of the 1970s. Understanding how the JPM came about and the effect that it had on a particular population will be the focus of this thesis. Connecting the events that happened in California, with a local church that sprouted in Maryland, will provide a new understanding of the JPM and its growth across the United States. Understanding this small community’s relationship with the much larger JPM and the Evangelical Right will present new understandings of how local churches were affected and effected (respectively). Connecting the historical underpinnings of the Jesus People Movement with the resulting Covenant Life Church and how that church, as part of the broader Religious Right, has affected its community will result in new research in an evolving historical space. Working with Covenant Life Church to bring this lecture to life will bring together interested community members along with members of the church who are interested in the subject. It will build upon a strong historical understanding of the 1960s but add to the growing literature on the Jesus People Movement and the scant research on Religious communities.