Back in the Summer of '72

I'm willing to bet that you weren't at Explo '72, the "Christian Woodstock," which received an encomium in today's Journal by John Turner:

In 1972, Mike Huckabee -- still in high school -- followed the example of thousands of other young Americans. He went to a weeklong festival, waded through mud and listened to rock music. But the throng of students he was a part of was different from the youthful gatherings more often associated with the late 1960s and early 1970s. These young people were in Dallas for Campus Crusade for Christ's "Explo '72" -- at "Godstock" rather than Woodstock.

It was the perfect trip for a young, conservative Christian like Mr. Huckabee, as Explo '72 foreshadowed the subsequent emergence of evangelicals as a powerful voting bloc. The assembled students applauded a large contingent of military personnel and cheered the South Vietnamese flag. The Rev. Billy Graham read a telegram from Richard Nixon, and a survey conducted by a local newspaper reported that the students favored Nixon over George McGovern in the coming election by a ratio of more than 5 to 1. They also favored stronger penalties for marijuana possession and overwhelmingly believed that American attitudes toward sex were "too permissive."

Wow, what a sucky party! I thought young Christians got together at these things and remained technically intact!

More like this

...maybe it's time for Martin Luther King's promised land. Maha explains what I mean: Much of white America was still simmering with resentment over court-ordered school desegregation. Also, Lyndon Johnson had initiated New Deal-style programs aimed primarily at relieving poverty among African…
Julian Sanchez has a new column that is so devestatingly on the mark concerning the myth of Christian persecution that it makes me want to create an award to balance off the Robert O'Brien Trophy. In particular, he beautifully nails this bit of pure demagoguery: Even when genuine cases of…
tags: Iowa caucus news, politics, Huckabee, Republican Is this an indication of the deep chasm that separates Americans today? With 86% of precincts reporting; Mike Huckabee 34% Mitt Romney 25% Apparently, his former prochoice and "don't ask, don't tell" positions really hurt him. Fred Thompson…
I have survived the first week of classes (my schedule leaves Fridays free of lecturing), as have my students — one down, sixteen to go. I've got a fairly heavy load this term, with a brand new introductory biology course (with 84 freshman students!) and a neurobiology course for more advanced…

Well how the hell is anyone supposed to resist clicking on a link embedded in the words "ass sex"? :-)

By Dean Austin (not verified) on 18 Jan 2008 #permalink

By Jingo! She just might have something there. But, dammit, I'm too old to change my ways.

By Crudely Wrott (not verified) on 18 Jan 2008 #permalink

Billy Graham was there! Goddamn, Explo 72 had to just rocked. I can remember his immortal words;"Don't use the brown god! It is bad!"

I wonder how many babies were conceived to the music.