Jesus & Popular Culture in the 1960s: Godspell

  • The Jesus Movement represented in Godspell resembles the Old Quest in that it rejected the traditional church Jesus and adopted a Jesus that fit better in their time
  • The sixties’ Jesus movement made Jesus more relatable
    • Jesus was a friend to his followers, not a higher authoritative figure
  • Church and religion should be happy and fun
  • Other than the resurrection scene in which the disciples refer to Jesus as God, Jesus in Godspell is much more human than divine
    • Through parables in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches his disciples how to act morally/righteously in order to enter the Kingdom of God
    • This Jesus does not perform miracles