Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher (2005)
Lonnie Frisbee was a young hippie seeker fully immersed in the 1960s counter culture when he claimed to have experienced an encounter with God while on an acid trip. This event so transformed him that Lonnie became an itinerant Christian evangelist, something of a John the Baptist of Southern California who compelled thousands of fellow spiritual seekers to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. During the 1970s Lonnie Frisbee became widely known as California's "hippie preacher," the quintessential "Jesus freak" whose pictures frequented such magazines as Time and Life as the media told the story of a burgeoning "Jesus movement." Lonnie Frisbee provided the charismatic spark that launched the Calvary Chapel church into a worldwide ministry and propelled many fledgling leaders into some of the most powerful movers and shakers of the evangelical movement.
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Reviews
Simply Perfect
Memorable, crazy movie
Better Late Then Never
The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.
I originally liked this movie.I am a student of Christian revival, as I am praying and working for revival myself, and this movie filled in some missing information for me regarding one of the few movements in modern times that comes close to being a revival. I watched it three times, paying very close attention to what might be useful to me and others who have a heart for bringing people to Jesus.I was grateful for this documentary, until the same writer/director came out with his next documentary film, Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman. This film cast doubt on the integrity of the filmmaker and consequently cast doubt (for me) on the credibility of his first film, Frisbee.You see, I was a close personal friend of Larry Norman and his family for the last 30 years of his life, and can personally attest to the character of David Di Sabatino's work. In his movie about Larry Norman he clearly had an agenda to convey a particular storyline about Larry and set out to manufacture support for his views. Not only did he not include diverging viewpoints (that is, anything that portrayed Larry in a favorable light), but he ignored contradictory evidence and eyewitness testimony when it was offered to him, and he even spliced together statements from those who appeared in the film to make them sound worse than they were. In short, it was a hit piece.I didn't know Lonny Frisbee, and was not around to see the historical events of that Calvary Chapel movement unfold. I am entirely dependent on the integrity of those who would tell what happened, that I might trust their words and their work. I have absolutely no confidence in this filmmaker to tell the truth. In fact, I have ample reason to think he uses his work to try to distort the truth for his personal agenda.
It is amazing that I had not heard of Lonnie Frisbee - given that I worked for a national prayer ministry during the 1970's and 1980's and had close contacts with many significant church leaders during those times. And yet as I watched his story unfold, I was struck that hindsight makes us judgmental, but how would we have responded to the "news" at the time? And yet, even today, the church is disturbed by this movie, which begs several questions that many absolutely, positively do not want to address. Church leaders have stolen money, had scandalous affairs, and surely have failed to live up to God's moral standards (gossip, favoritism, etc.) in myriad ways, and yet there is but one "sin" that, for many, is too big to be covered by God's boundless love. Jesus even hung out with lepers - but some still see one human condition as a thousand times more horrible than leprosy. I must confess I was once in that category - and so I welcome this fine film as an eye-opener for those who have failed to look with Jesus' eyes at others created in His image.
Stunning and revealing! The struggle between the flesh and the spirit has been and will continue to be a powerful motif in film, art, and humanity. Johnny Cash, Martin Scorsese, the list goes on... And now Lonnie Frisbee. Literally erased from Christian revivalist history because he struggled with homosexuality. His story is truly powerful, and quite an inspiration to the mild and weak movement that Christianity has become in comparison to the movement Frisbee started among the counterculture of the 60s. Watch this film, whether you're a Christian or not...it speaks on all levels.
This movie challenged my preconceived ideas about the man GOD uses. A comparison can be made with the likes of John the Baptist and his fire for GOD to preach the gospel message & the lure of sin and the depths it can take you similar to the life of Samson. I would recommend anyone to see this film. Lonnie's influence affected the Christian world as we know it. Great 70's Christian Rock artists featuring the talents of Larry Norman , Randy Stonehill, Mark Heard, Agape & more! If you have not heard of these artists, you will enjoy discovering the talents of these hidden gems as it compliments the era of the film based in the 70's Jesus Movement. A must see!