![]() A television addict (his fame kept him from going out in the streets), he watched many of America’s best-known televangelists in the early 1970s. “One of Christ’s biggest fans”? That’s quite an admission.īut he went further-from being a big fan to a “born-again” follower. And if I can turn the focus on the Beatles on to Christ’s message, then that’s what we’re here to do.” ![]() In 1969, when asked about his Jesus comment, Lennon said that it was “just an expression meaning the Beatles seem to me to have more influence over youth than Christ.” And he added: “Now I wasn’t saying that was a good idea, ’cos I’m one of Christ’s biggest fans. They denounced him later, but transcendental meditation became a part of their lives to some extent. The most famous of them was an extended stay with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. It’s no secret that the four Beatles attempted to find a meaning for life or enlightenment in various ways. He reckoned that “if I had said television was more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it.” It wasn’t enough to stop the protests, however. Lennon apologised for his Jesus comment at a press conference in Chicago while on the US tour. On the number of Christians, Jenkins predicts that by 2050, there will be three Christians for every two Muslims, and Christians will account for 34 per cent of the global population, which is about what it was in 1900. the centre of gravity in the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward to Africa, Asia and Latin America.” Most Christians are now found in these areas. Academic Philip Jenkins, in The Next Christendom, puts it this way: “Over the past century. No sooner have the intelligentsia of one generation confirmed the Almighty to the history books than popular opinion rises against them.” Christianity refuses to go away.Īlso, Christianity is a global religion that may see decline in some areas, but be quite vibrant and growing in others. However, as A N Wilson, in God’s Funeral, notes: “The God-question does not go away. It did, indeed, appear that Christianity was dying. More importantly, church attendance in the United Kingdom in the 1960s was in major decline, with Christian leaders struggling to work out how to stop it. Many of the books in his library challenged Christianity. The “Christianity will go” comment probably came about because, at the time, Lennon was reading widely. Lennon and manager Brian Epstein tried to quiet the conflict, but to no avail. The protests meant press conferences were cancelled, tour events were disrupted and threats were made. The publication coincided with their US tour. There was open condemnation of the Beatles other radio stations banned Beatles songs their records were publicly burned and there were large protests. ![]() I am not going to play the Beatles any more.” That became a front-page news story in the New York Times. When Tommy Charles, DJ on Birmingham Alabama’s WAQY heard about the quote, he said, “That does it for me. ![]() Suddenly there was anger and controversy. However, this time around, the designer decided to put the “We’re more popular than Jesus. In August 1966, the interview was run in Datebook, a US teen magazine. He was wrong about Christianity and we’ll come back to that, but it’s what happened next that caused the Beatles to fear for their safety when they toured the USA. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” Jesus was all right but His disciples were thick and ordinary. We’re more popular than Jesus now I don’t know which will go first-rock ’n’ roll or Christianity. I needn’t argue about that I’m right and I will be proved right. To be fair to Lennon, what he had said in context was, “Christianity will go.
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