Christian music pioneer Keith Green helped supercharge the Jesus movement with his buoyant songs that challenged lukewarm Christians to repent of their hypocrisy.
Now, nearly three decades after Green’s tragic death in an airplane crash, his widow, Melody, believes it’s time to bring their heart-touching love story and radical spiritual journey to the big screen to inspire a new generation to live revolutionary lives.
“People are spiritually hungry right now … and are looking for something that is real, authentic and genuine,” says Melody, an author and songwriter who now leads Last Days Ministries out of Kansas City, Missouri.
Mike Leahy, whose films include The Prophecy with Christopher Walken and the critically acclaimed Infinity, directed by Matthew Broderick, says he feels compelled to make a film that speaks to a “generation longing to see the authentic.” The project is expected to open in theaters nationwide in 2011.
Green was killed July 28, 1982, at age 28 in an airplane crash that also took the lives of two of his children, 3-year-old Josiah and 2-year-old Bethany. Though his music ministry began in 1977 and lasted only five years, his impact is still being felt. Many contemporary Christian artists, including Jason Upton, Chris Tomlin, Vicky Beeching and Michael W. Smith, were inspired by Green’s heart for the lost and that he gave away his last two albums for whatever people could afford, even for free. “Growing up and reading No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green, I decided I wanted to have his standards and ideals as I entered music ministry,” Beeching says. “A movie on his life would ignite many more hearts to love Jesus with abandon.”
Last Days Ministries has released the The Live Experience DVD and CD of Green’s concerts. And Green’s articles from The Last Days Newsletter are posted at keithgreen.com. But the film is expected to reach far more people. “Keith was a fascinating mix of prophet, preacher and performer,” says Craig Detweiler, director of the Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University. “He moved audiences with his uncompromised music and message. I think this film will capture the current generation’s attention.”
By Troy Anderson
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