‘Jesus Revolution’: Greg Laurie says spiritual awakening may be underway in America 

One of the nation’s leading pastors believes America may be on the verge of another Jesus Movement – and he sees signs of it in a state often written off by the rest of the country: California.

Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship says he sees signs of revival after 45,000 people packed a professional baseball stadium in Anaheim, California, on July 19 for the annual Harvest Crusade – where 5,500 made professions of faith, prompting the fire marshal to close the field due to the overwhelming response.

Another 1,000 accepted Christ during the crusade’s broadcast and streaming.

Laurie came to Christ during the first Jesus Movement, which began in California and swept across the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as told in the biopic about him, Jesus Revolution.

He believes he may be witnessing another.

“Are we on the edge of another Jesus Revolution? I believe we just might be,” he said on his X account. “All around us, I see signs of revival – hearts opening, prayers being answered, and lives being changed. This could be the start of something only God can do.”

The venue, Angel Stadium, is typically filled with fans cheering on the home team, the Los Angeles Angels. But on that night, it echoed with worship, prayer and the sound of thousands responding to the gospel – many of them young people.

The fire marshal’s decision to shut down field access at the end of Laurie’s sermon was just the second extraordinary moment of the evening. Even before the event began, stadium officials had closed the gates as the venue hit capacity, leaving countless individuals outside unable to enter.

There were no empty seats.

Laurie said one man was so determined to attend that he scaled a fence after the gates closed – and that night, he made a profession of faith.

“Now that is a man who wants a relationship with God,” Laurie said.

Laurie sees a growing hunger for the gospel in a young generation that has found the digital age lacking in meaning and fulfillment. He even cites data to prove it: More than 7 in 10 teens (72%) have used AI companion apps that simulate a conversation with a real person (source: Common Sense Media). Additionally, 42% of teens say they experience persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness (CDC data), and 22% have seriously considered attempting suicide (CDC).

“Something is happening with Gen Z, and they are really hungry for spiritual truth,” Laurie said, noting young people have “been raised with social media.”

“You can get everything on demand. You can order a car with your phone. You can have dinner delivered by drone and break up with someone via emoji.”

Gen Z, he said, is “drowning in entertainment and starving for meaning.”

“The good news is this generation of young people are reaching out to God,” he said.

The percentage of U.S. adults who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today rose from 54% in 2021 to 66% in 2025, according to Barna’s State of the Church study, with Gen Z men seeing a 15-point increase since 2019 and millennial men experiencing a similar 19-point jump.

Barna said its data might be the “clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States.”

“This is happening, not in the Bible Belt, not in the South – this is happening in Southern California, the state that everyone is so quick to write off, the state that has so many people leaving it every single day,” Laurie said of the Harvest Crusade.

He pointed to other signs of a spiritual awakening, including mass baptism events across California and the unexpected crossover success of two Christian songs – Forrest Frank’s Your Way’s Better and Hardfought Hallelujah, a collaboration between Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll – both of which landed in the Billboard Top 100.

“This is the message Gen Z needs to hear,” he says. “This is the message every generation needs to hear – the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Feature image: Greg Laurie (X.com)