This week in Christian history: ‘Jesus Revolution’ leader dies, Jan Hus excommunicated
Lonnie Frisbee dies – March 12, 1993
This week marks the anniversary of when Lonnie Frisbee, a key figure in the revival that hit California in the 1960s and '70s, known as the Jesus Revolution, died at the age of 43.
Frisbee first started preaching at age 16 in San Francisco, California, getting the nickname “the hippie preacher” for, among other things, his long hair and informal clothing.
Frisbee is credited with helping to start a revival in Southern California commonly known as the Jesus Revolution, which was recently made into a film starring Jonathan Roumie and Kelsey Grammer.
Along with his revival preaching, Frisbee also reportedly helped to found churches in South Africa, oversaw a commune for several years in California and launched an orphanage in Brazil.
Frisbee, however, also struggled with drug use and same-sex attraction. Although an obituary from the time listed his cause of death as a “brain tumor,” Frisbee actually died from complications arising from AIDS.
