Electric Jesus

In the summer of 1986, I ran sound

for a Christian heavy metal band.

- You guys suck! - You suck!

- Go home! - Ah!

Get off the stage!

Jesus loves you.

And he can forgive you no matter what you've done!

- What are you doing? - Can he forgive you

for playing so many shitty songs?

- -

I know, I know, Christian heavy metal...

people think it's a joke.

- - You suck! Go home!

And it wasn't a joke to me.

I loved it.

Until Christian heavy metal...

Well... -

...it went and broke my heart.

Tell y'all what.

It's been an amazing talent show tonight.

Check, check, check.

Now, we've got one more act for you.

But before we do that, we've got

- a couple of announcements... - Erik!

...before we pack up and head home tomorrow.

If you are on the blue bus on the way to camp,

you're gonna be on the red bus on the way home.

Uh, it's only fair, okay?

We need to take turns with the air conditioned coach.

I'm dying up here, Erik!

Y'all ready to rock?

Awesome.

First up, if you are allergic to bees,

and were in cabin four when the attack happened

on Thursday afternoon, if you are still experiencing symptoms

like itchiness, tightness in the throat, soreness at the sight

or sights of the stings or if you are still

unable to hold your food down,

you need to see the camp nurse tonight after the show.

Alright, she's got calamine lotion

and gator gum to keep you hydrated.

Puppetine rehearsals start next Sunday night right before

the special baptism service.

Now, if you've ever been touched by a puppet...

do yourselves a favor,

get involved with this incredible ministry team.

Yo, Erik!

So, who's ready to rock?

I can't hear you.

God can't hear you!

- Y'all dudes ready? - Waiting on you, cat daddy.

- Are you serious?

These guys like to call themselves 316.

But you and I, we know them as Michael, Jamie,

Cliff, and Scotty.

- Dear Father... Playing the song

by the band Stryper, and closing out this year's

Camp Harmony talent show, 316!

The '80s: now that's when Christian rock

really started to roll.

What started as sweet Jesus folk songs

on a beach in California had grown into record labels,

tour buses, Christian rock stars.

Everybody's heard of Amy Grant.

She was the most famous.

But Stryper?

A Christian hair metal band from L.A.,

they were my favorite.

The youth of America have welcomed them

with open arms and ears to their messages.

They're known to break tradition with a hammer.

As they perform, they distribute Bibles to all their audiences.

Millions of American kids love their music

that loud and that frantic.

And they're either gonna go see Motley Crew

or The Rolling Stones, or maybe Stryper.

Guess who I'd rather them see?

We had at least one Christian band for

every three dozen or so regular bands.

Righteous rock and rollers singing about sin and salvation

instead of parties and sex.

Christian rock's answer to the sleazy excess

of the devil's music was simple.

Jesus Christ will love the hell out of you.

This summer, your father took us to Washington, DC.

Do you remember?

You liked the cemetery.

You didn't wanna leave.

You just... ran and ran back and forth

through those rows of white crosses.

You didn't realize there were soldiers buried there.

You just carried on like it was a playground.

I went to church three times a week.

You going on the mission trip?

Studied my Bible.

Pretty much ODed on Christian music.

Think so.

Harry says there's lots of people need to get

saved in Niagara Falls.

Sounds about right.

I didn't play or sing,

but I knew how to make music sound good.

So I got on with a group of guys from my church

who'd started a metal band called 3"16.

Can you share your testimony with us?

How you came to know Jesus Christ

as your personal Lord and Savior?

Well, I went to a youth retreat last fall.

And I rededicated my life.

I mean, I walked an aisle in second grade,

got baptized, but it wasn't really real

until a few months ago.

Mm, I hear you, bro.

When Jesus gets ahold of you, man,

it just changes things.

Amen.

Yeah.

I rededicated my life two years ago at camp...

again.

I mean, I got saved when I was six.

First rededication at ten, but...

I was way off.

Did my own thing all through middle school.

My history teacher caught me stealing tater tots

out of the cafeteria.

I hit the ground pretty hard, rock bottom kind of stuff,

you know?

Eventually, the Holy Spirit...

grabbed me by my high-tops and said, "Hey...

are a child of God or aren't you?"

Got back on track.

After a couple of shows,

our youth minister connected us to an old friend of his,

who managed Christian bands.

Skip.

Well, folks, I work for a company in Chicago

called Harvest Concert Ministries.