Erik Davis's SUPERSTAR: THE PSYCHEDELIC JESUS OF THE COUNTERCULTURE

Erik Davis explores psychedelic Christianity, from visions of Jesus in the counterculture to the Jesus Movement and the art of Rick Griffin.

The Philosophical Research Society is proud to welcome acclaimed author and scholar Erik Davis (High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies; TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information) for a lecture exploring Jesus Christ as imagined within the psychedelic counterculture. From acid visions, underground comics, and esoteric “freak” circles to the emergence of the Jesus Movement, Davis will trace the surprising intersections of psychedelic experience, Christianity, music, and art, including the work of legendary psychedelic Christian illustrator Rick Griffin.

Behind today’s growing conversation about psychedelic Christianity lies a largely overlooked figure: Jesus Christ as imagined within the psychedelic counterculture. From recurring appearances in acid visions and underground comics to reinterpretations within esoteric “freak" circles, Jesus was deeply entangled in the era’s spiritual experimentation. For some young people immersed in drug culture, however, Christ became more than a symbol of countercultural spirituality—he opened a path toward the emerging Jesus Movement, a form of Christianity that rejected much (though by no means all) of the psychedelic ethos of intense spiritual experience. Among them was Rick Griffin, one of the most influential illustrators of California psychedelia, whose conversion to Christianity produced a remarkable body of visual work that continues to shape the intersection of faith, art, and underground culture.

Join us for a fascinating exploration of this strange and often overlooked chapter of American spiritual and countercultural history, and the surprising ways mystical psychedelic experience helped shape new expressions of Christian faith.

Tickets: $12 (In-Person Only Event)

Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.