Outcry Tour brings preacher, message
Pastor Levi Lusko has a clear reason for being on the Outcry Spring Tour. Featuring Christian rock acts Jesus Culture, Elevation Worship and Lauren Daigle, the sold-out concert happening Friday at First Baptist Orlando will attract thousands of young followers. “Any movement is failing if it’s not focusing on the youth,” says the Colorado native.
Sporting visible tattoos and holding events such as his occasional spiritual festival Skull Church, his attention to young believers comes from what he sees as mounting challenges for the next generation. “Things are harder for kids now,” says Lusko. “When I was a child, I don’t remember turning on the news and hearing about school shootings or these other things.”
In its second year, Outcry is distinct from similar festivals, he said, because of the focus on the speakers between the bands. Whatever disagreements the church had at rock music’s dawn, Christianity and rock ‘n’ roll are old pals now.
So a Christian rock tour at this point is less radical for featuring a preacher covered in tattoos, says Lusko, than for making a preacher part of the entertainment at all.
“It’s not about seeing these great bands crush it,” says Lusko, 34. “It’s about hearing some Scripture and really connecting with Christ’s message.”
This is very much in keeping with the mission of Fresh Life Church, which Lusko founded. With locations in Utah and Lusko’s current home of Montana, Fresh Life offers this message on its website: “It’s not about us. We’re here to make Jesus famous.”
Lusko is also an author. “Swipe Right: The Lifeand-Death Power of Sex and Romance,” released in February, focuses on the dating scene and blossoming relationships. Its title is a reference to the mobile dating app Tinder.
Lusko’s first book, “Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power,” gave a Christ-centered approach to accepting loss.
Even with a rise in popularity for Christian pop and rock, he sees adverse pressure on faithful youth.
“Sometimes you feel like the only Christian at school,” Lusko says. “Sometimes it feels like all these other beliefs are crashing down on you.”
The cure, he says, is celebrations such as Outcry.
“When you get in one place and gather with thousands of other people who believe in what you do,” says Lusko, “it has the power to uplift.”