SOS Monthly Newsletter - July 2007

Child of the Sixties - Continued from the June Newsletter

Dear Christian friends,

I was raised in a reformed (liberal) Jewish home. Like most reformed Jews, we normally attended synagogue only twice a year, on the “high holidays.” We attended synagogue (which we called “The Temple”) and sometimes fasted on Yom Kippur in an attempt to receive forgiveness for our sins. At the synagogue, we would together recite our sins and ask God for forgiveness. “Our father, our king, we have sinned against you.” I attended Jewish religious training on Sunday morning for 10 years. I learned the Bible stories, but it seemed that my teachers viewed them as myths. At synagogue, the favorite scripture was Deut. 6:4-9, which we recited at every service. It begins with the “shema,” the statement that God is one. This statement was often used against Christians, who in the opinion of many Jews believe in "three gods.” The passage goes on to say that we “shalt talk of them [God’s commandments] when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (JPS 1917 translation). We clearly did not obey this scripture. We almost never spoke about God or His commandments.

On the surface, it might appear that American life in the 1950s was nearly perfect. This was a time of high moral standards. Divorce was extremely rare. I knew only a few children whose parents had been divorced. Premarital sex was far less common than today and almost everyone disapproved of it. Compared to today, pornography was virtually nonexistent. It wasn’t easy for a teenager even to get hold of a Playboy magazine, which limited itself to photos of topless women. Profanity was never used in my home. There was little homelessness and most men could support their families with one income. Very few people used illegal drugs such as marijuana. Still, there were seeds of an eventual moral breakdown. Adultery was common in America, though generally hidden. Child molestation, especially by priests and family members, was also common – a fact that did not get exposed for several decades.

My family placed a strong value on education. I studied hard and got good grades. In high school, I read books by atheists like Neitzsche, Sartre and Bertrand Russell. Like my father and older brother, I went to Yale. I continued my study of philosophy, along with science and social science. I viewed myself as an existentialist, either atheist or agnostic. Still, I was troubled by the implications of my beliefs. I realized that if God does not exist, life really is meaningless. And my moral standards were really no more valid than the very different standards of people in other cultures.

My senior year in college was 1967 – the year everything changed. Like millions of young people, I first started smoking marijuana, then taking a lot of LSD and other hallucinogens. My mind opened up to a spiritual realm that I had never before experienced. Following Timothy Leary’s advice, I “turned on, tuned in, and dropped out.” Actually, I managed to finish college at Yale, and attended two and a half years of graduate school, getting an M.A. in psychology from Brandeis. However, my real passion was exploring the “psychedelic experience.”

During summer break in 1967, 1968 and 1969, I went to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, the center of all the action. After I finished school in 1970, I moved to Berkeley, where I lived for six months. Like most hippies, I studied and practiced Eastern mysticism, mainly Hindu, practiced “free love” (extreme sexual promiscuity), and lived in various hippie communes.

As a hippie, I had a few contacts with “Jesus freaks.” I once visited the Christian House of Acts in Novato. Several times Christians visited a hippie commune I was staying at (Morning Star Ranch in Occidental, CA) and witnessed to us. They told me I needed to believe in Jesus and I would be saved. I told them I believed. On two occasions they prayed with me, baptized me, and got me speaking in “tongues.” In retrospect, I think I was merely imitating the Christians and speaking gibberish. When they left, I continued my sinful ways unchanged, although I carried a New Testament and often read it. I do not believe I was saved then, and I totally misunderstood the gospel message. I interpreted the Bible through my New Age (then known as “Christ consciousness”) beliefs. I reasoned that because Jesus had died for the world’s sins, sin no longer existed and everything was permissible.

I also listened to various “gurus” who claimed to know God. In the summer of 1970, I went to Seattle to live in the “Love Family.” The Love Family began in 1968 and grew to 300 members in 1983. When I was there, they had three houses and about 60 members. It was a cult whose leader Love Israel (Paul Erdman) claimed to be the way to Jesus, as Jesus was the way to God. We lived communally and read the New Testament daily. Citing Ananias and Sapphira, members were expected to give all their personal money to the group. Most people had little money, but a few had over a million dollars in inheritance money, which was given to the cult and sustained it. While I was there, I was told that the Love Family did not use drugs or engage in extramarital sex. Later, I learned that there was extensive drug use and sexual activity by Erdman and others. At the end of the summer, I was kicked out of the cult (a common practice) and found myself at a park with a group of hippies, looking for a place to start a commune. A Christian preacher invited me to stay at a Jesus people commune. Penniless and homeless, I accepted the offer. (This article began in the June newsletter. (To be continued.)

REAL SUMMER OF LOVE July 27 - Aug 18

As most of you know, this is the fortieth anniversary of what has been called the Summer of Love in 1967. The Summer of Love was the launching point of a social revolution that has released many new and mostly harmful movements into our culture, Yet in the midst of this upheaval, God began to move across North America and the world in an awesome revival that has become known as the Jesus Movement. Most of us are either a direct product of that movement or have been significantly affected by it, whether we know it or not. We are proposing several events to mark the fortieth year since the Summer of Love and the Launch of the Jesus Movement. The Real Summer of Love-Releasing a Revolution of the Love of Christ

THREE WEEKS OF PRAYER AND OUTREACH - July 27 - August 18

The word is getting out and we are receiving interest from around the nation from different ministries and churches who want to come to San Francisco during this time Among them is a group called The Red Riders, led by Chuck Mervin who is one of Lou Engle's chief associates. He will be rallying hundreds of young people at THE CALL NASHVILLE and forming a caravan of prayer and outreach that will travel across the nation and arrive in San Francisco on the third week of July. Those coming in from around the nation will be joined by hundreds of local believers for daily sessions of prayer and outreach.

"JESUS MOVEMENT NOW" CONFERENCE - August 8 - 10

Several leaders have been envisioning a reunion of key leaders from the Jesus Movement gathering with young emerging leaders for a time of prayer, evaluation and preparation for "the Coming Jesus Movement." It is widely believed that we are on the verge of a major world-wide harvest that could reach as many as a billion souls. The lessons learned from the Jesus Movement combined with a strong intergenerational mentoring dynamic could make the difference in not repeating some of the mistakes of the previous generation.

SOS-San Francisco August 10-18

SOS-San Francisco will be the final week of this three-week “Summer of Love” outreach. We have scheduled daily outdoor worship rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley during this time. On Sat. August 11, 12-5 PM there will be a large rally at Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park. We have obtained permits for Haight and Masonic St. from 12-4 PM on Fri. August 17 and UN Plaza from 12-5 PM on Sat. August 18. We are seeking to get permits throughout the week. Please pray that we will be granted these permits. This year we will be meeting at Voice of Pentecost, 1970 Ocean Ave., SF. They have a large facility (a former movie theater) with two parking lots.

Registration begins on Fri. August 10 at 6 PM. Meetings will be held daily (except Sunday) from Aug. 11-18 at 8 AM. I hope many of you will join us as much as possible during this time. We will be serving breakfast and lunch from Aug. 13-18. Youth under 18 need adult supervision. This outreach is an opportunity to bring the love of Jesus Christ to people who desperately need to know Him. It is truly a life-changing experience.

ON THE STREETS

	Victory Assembly of God (Ceres) youth drama group ministers at Powell & Market
	Last Days Harvest ministers at Union Square
	Hannah (13) preaches for first time
	Eric prays with man at Union Square

Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 531-5325 or 541-9903 (cell phone) to confirm outreaches or for more information.

Friday July 6, 13, 27 7:30 - 10 PM Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods.

Sat. July 7 San Francisco Evangelism Outreach. 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Market & Embarcadero. 3:30-5:30 PM Union Square (Powell & Geary St.) Machaira.

Sat. July 14 Berkeley Outreach. 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM Telegraph and Haste St.

Sat. July 28 Summer of Love Outreach. 1-5 PM Dolores Park (20th St. and Dolores)

Sun. July 29 Summer of Love Outreach 2-7 PM UN Plaza (7th St. and Market)

August 10-18 SOS-San Francisco (year 28)

Ministry News and Needs

During the summer, we are able to get permits in several busy parks, but most of our permits are for only two hours. So we decided to get two permits at these locations. This means that we must set up our sound system at one location, minister for 2 hours, move to another location, and do the same. It is a lot of work, but it does give us a chance to reach a lot of people. We are also planning two special Sunday Summer of Love outreaches on July 29 at UN Plaza from 2-7 PM and on August 5 at Dolores Park from 2-6 PM.

Thank you again for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. Please pray for that the 9th Circuit would reverse its ruling in our legal case. We need to print 120,000 tracts for the Summer of Love/SOS outreaches. They will cost us $2900. This is 50% higher than last year! We have submitted a request for quotes from over 100 printers over the internet in an attempt to find a less expensive printer. .

Our Tape of the Month is Using Drama on the Streets by Kirk Henneberry.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum