It was 1976. The Jesus Movement had been in full swing. Rolling Stone and NME, Go Set and Circus magazine ruled the day. Everyone watched Countdown. I went looking for something 'Christian' that didn't Bible bash me, judge me, or belittle me in anyway.

It didn't exist. So I created Keystone. A magazine that a Christian could share with their non Christian friends. Basically a giant tract, filled with articles that would capture the interest of non Christians and get them thinking about spiritual issues.

At our peak we had over 10,000 subscribers. Keystone was eventually sold a couple times over, turned into an A5 size publication that focused solely on Christian issues and died.

With the event of the Internet the magazine industry has died. Rolling Stone is nothing like it used to be. MTV has come and gone. Spotify has changed the way we listen to music.

We've consistently gotten over 15,000 hits a month. I've kept waiting for the numbers to drop off, they haven't. I often get asked for hard copy back issues.

So here we are, on line. We probably have one of the most comprehensive archives of the Jesus Movement. What to do? Do we throw it out, walk away and forget it? The Jesus Movement was a unique time.

I've had church leaders come to me and say "Donny, we're going to create another Jesus Movement."

They hate it when I tell them "That's not possible, because you're part of the established church and the Jesus Movement started outside the established church and it was the established church that killed it."

So rather than throw everything away, we'll be producing special editions that focus on key people from those days.

Churches are increasingly empty, however that doesn't mean folk have lost their faith, it means that the established church has lost it's way.

Be kind, be loving, accept folk as they are, and don't judge. It's a journey.

DON GILLESPIE
PUBLISHER

July 2022