Jesus Camp

Last night Helen and I watched Jesus Camp, a new documentary about a Pentecostal summer camp located in--ironically enough--Devil's Lake, North Dakota.  Youth minister Becky Fischer is fervently training children to be soldiers of the Lord; several segments showed young males in camouflage  and war paint.  Fischer argues that, since some Muslims radicalize their young, Christians have no choice but to do the same. 

I grew up attending a conservative church, Cypress Wesleyan, in Galloway, Ohio.  I was curious to see how much of the movie reflected my childhood experience, and how much was different. 

Kids in war paint and speaking in tongues was unlike anything I ever experienced. But I did pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and the Bible as well as the American flag. On the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade every year, an inset in the church bulletin chronicled how many "babies" had perished. The minister's wife ridiculed the theory of evolution; how ridiculous could it be that we descended from monkeys, since God had a plan for our lives?  When I was 11 I wondered how to approach "un-saved" friends at middle school and share the good news about the redeeming love of Jesus Christ, and the necessity of "asking Christ into your heart" to avoid an eternity in hell.

All of these themes and activities appear in Jesus Camp.

I even attended a youth group called the Christian Youth Crusaders until sixth grade, which seemed innocuous then but feels far more sinister after September 11, 2001.   We met every Wednesday evening, and enjoyed some recreational activities and a Bible lesson.

In high school I edited the newsletter of the church youth group for a while. I also participated in "Bible Bowl"--the Christian kids version of Jeopardy--for two years.  When I arrived at Northwestern, my first strategy for dealing with the culture shock was to shield myself within the comforts of conservative Christianity.  So pretty soon I was a regular attendee at the meetings of the Campus Crusade for Christ.

Finally, in the summer after my freshman year of college, a conversation with my Aunt Linda caused me to begin wondering about everything that had seemed so certain.  Perhaps that freshman year had stimulated sufficient open-mindedness for me to start thinking differently; if so, my old church pals would attribute this to the corrupting influence of "the world."  But I'm grateful that I found another path.  Looking back, it seems unreal that I used to sing songs about the healing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My past, strange though it now seems, explains why I have a soft spot for proponents of intelligent design.  I have no doubt that the theory of evolution is correct, and that intelligent design is pseudo-science at best.  But I understand the social context that gives this theory such power, and I believe that its proponents are good people. 

Whenever secular intellectuals rail against the idiocy of those rubes in the heartland, I know that they have absolutely no understanding at all of how conservative Christians see the world.

Two New Yorkers directed Jesus Camp, so I was expecting some city snobbery in their approach. I was pleasantly surprised; it was a fair portrayal.  I also wondered about how the oh-so-sophisticated Manhattan audience would take it.  Again, not too bad.  Nobody laughed out loud until Pastor Fischer asked God to bless her Power Point slides and electrical system. And at that point, the Lord knows she deserved it.

Comments

[Helen]

Amen!

As an atheist, I was proud of myself for not being too judgemental during the movie, thanks to my Catholic school education and all the Christians with whom I've crossed path.

[Eric]

I really want to see this movie. And it's good to hear feedback from you and Helen that approaches it fairly and with balanced criticism. There's an article in the "Comment is Free" section of today's Guardian by a certain Lionel Shriver that more or less represents the sort of sneering attitude held by certain atheists (or, as I call them in my response, "seculo-fascists") that only helps further affirm the beliefs of the fundamentalist Christians. No doubt that watching these kids in "Jesus Camp" is going to be rather alarming, but the idea that they are completely brainwashed is unfair because it suggests they cannot or will not think for themselves as they grow up. And you, Marcus, have testified on your own how your belief systems changed. I hope this pic gets a wider release.