Jesus People USA (JPUSA) is a Christian intentional community. JPUSA self-described in 2012 as having emerged in 1972 from Jesus People Milwaukee; In 2005, it was one of only a few communes with an eclectic cultural mix of hippies, punks, "crusties" and other members from various subcultures.

JPUSA's social significance has been described as stemming from the group's continued presence in Chicago and its historic roots in the 1960s, according to sociologist Shawn David Young, and as one of the most significant of contemporary groups from the Jesus movement era:<blockquote>Founded in 1972, this community is one of the most significant surviving expressions of the original Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies and represents a radical expression of contemporary countercultural evangelicalism. JPUSA's blend of Christian Socialism, theological orthodoxy, postmodern theory and ethos of edgy artistic expression (as demonstrated at their annual music festival) prove what some scholars have longed suspected: evangelicalism is a diverse, complex movement, which simply does not yield to any attempt at categorization.</blockquote>

The JPUSA community produced Cornerstone magazine.

Controversy

Enroth controversy

As described by the Chicago Tribune in a 2001 longform article, JPUSA elders learned that Ronald Enroth was researching a sequel to his book Churches That Abuse, which was said to mention issues of abuse within JPUSA.</blockquote>

Ronald Enroth responded to JPUSA's attempt, through their earlier correspondence, to influence his work, stating in the book:<blockquote>There has been much correspondence between leaders of the Covenant Church and JPUSA and me since I began to do the research for this book. They have questioned the integrity of my reports, the reliability of my respondents, and my sociological methodology, but I have conducted more than seventy hours of in-depth interviews and telephone conversations with more than forty former members of JPUSA. They have also largely discounted the reports of abusive conditions past and present in the JPUSA community. ... Unwilling to admit serious deficiencies and insensitivity in their pastoral style, the leaders of JPUSA have instead sought to discredit the former members who have cooperated with my research efforts.</blockquote>

As the Chicago Tribune notes in the same article, the leaders of JPUSA "would come to believe the book was 'poison in the well.'"

Chicago Tribune criticism

In 2001, the Chicago Tribune published a two-part article primarily critical of the movement, with quotes from several ex-members accusing the group of authoritarian practices.

References

  • Religious Movements profile of JPUSA (hosted by the University of Virginia)
  • Christianity Today's coverage of JPUSA and controversies
  • The Apologetics Index's profile of JPUSA (critical, links to many Enroth saga documents)
  • A journalist living at JPUSA discusses the Enroth saga
  • My Year At JPUSA (An anthropology student's report)
  • Christian Radicalism in Chicago’s Inner-City (Academic article on JPUSA)
  • A 1990 MA Thesis on JPUSA