bigger than the Beatles

The New York Times has a story today titled “Evangelicals Fear the Loss of their Teenagers” about how evangelical Christians are in a panic about how few of the current generation of teenagers are predicted to remain faithful as adults. But evangelicals are fighting back:

More than two million teenagers have attended [a Christian youth extravaganza and rock concert called Acquire the Fire] in the last 15 years, said Mr. Luce, a 45-year-old, mop-headed father of three with a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Business Administration at Harvard and the star power of an aging rock guitarist.

“That’s more than Paul McCartney has pulled in,” Mr. Luce asserted . . . .

From the Guardian Unlimited:

March 4, 1966
The London Evening Standard publishes an interview with John Lennon in which he claims that the Beatles are "bigger than Jesus".