Jesus Camp

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of this documentary, but "Jesus Camp" (2006) is certainly worth seeing and discussing for interfaith and intrafaith reasons. The film features a charismatic Christian summer camp located in North Dakota called "Kids On Fire School of Ministry" run by a Pentecostal youth pastor, Becky Fischer. (The camp is closed indefinitely due to a whole host of negative reactions after the release of "Jesus Camp.") But the documentary's poignant glimpses and true to life profiles of a faction of the evangelical Christian community are not limited within the confines of the camp. We are shown Pastor Becky Fischer in action at her church in Lee's Summit, Missouri, the lives and convictions of three camp-bound evangelical kids and their familial traditions, anti-abortion protests in Washington D.C., and Pastor Ted Haggard, former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs and leader of the National Association of Evangelicals. (Haggard has since resigned due to scandal, a downright disgraceful situation.)

There are several noteworthy scenes exhibited in this documentary, some of which are nothing short of disquieting. However, I am inclined to believe that the film was executed in an honest manner, not particularly slanted or disingenuous in nature. I do not think that directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing were agenda-pushing, though at the same time there's a lot I don't know about this movie's enterprise.

One thing that I'm sure struck many viewers was the speaking in tongues that both kids and adults alike practice in the film. Considered a fundamental prophetic gift in the Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions, it consists of what objectively sounds like incoherent babble in a trance state and is thought of as religious ecstasy, the workings of the Holy Spirit. Although this practice is not part of my tradition and I personally do not recognize its religious legitimacy or meaning (the account of Pentecost in the book of Acts, from which the phenomenon originates, is of a distinguishable nature because the different "tongues" were foreign languages that outsiders could understand), I try to be respectful of it as a sincere religious ritual.

There were other practices and dogma featured in the film for which I cannot even attempt to show reverence, however.

Many components of Pastor Fischer's style of ministry leave much to be desired. One example is her emphasis on spiritual warfare. Fischer portrays good and evil in such stark, disturbing, violent terms, juxtaposing evangelical Christians against everyone else in the world. (Note: "evangelical" in its purest sense means "of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian Gospel." When and why did this become such a loaded word?) Fischer's preaching method hurts me all the more considering that she's dealing with vulnerable children. Poor kids! Many are crying, wailing, compelled to take on what they perceive as the sins of the world and to confess tearfully to their own spiritual shortcomings. Some literally look in agony. And meanwhile Pastor Becky seems to think of this scene as a healthy cleansing ritual, a spiritual catharsis of sorts. Furthermore, she expresses her aggressive opinions so forcefully that it isn't a far stretch to call it indoctrination. She even semi-confesses to this in a radio interview later in the film, claiming that it's better to indoctrinate the "right" beliefs in children than not to at all. Here's a simple question for Pastor Becky to ruminate over before instilling her convictions in the minds of trusting children: "what truly is right and what is wrong?"

Another unsettling element of the film is the heavily encouraged amalgamation of church and state. There are at least two evocative instances of this. One is when an evangelical family recites the pledge of allegiance "to the Christian flag of the United States of America." (The recitation continues...) Another all too memorable occasion is the appearance of George W. Bush at the camp in cardboard cut-out form. Not only do the children pray for him and give him their blessing, but they engage in a laying of hands over the cardboard president and even speak in tongues for good measure. In the beginning of the film, Becky Fischer calls Bush a "holy man," and her visible deference towards the smirking cut-out certainly confirms her previously-expressed presidential assessment.

There are many more facets to this film, and it's nothing short of an education. I don't deem it necessary at this point to further lambaste the sad reality of some misguided Christians' beliefs as revealed in the documentary, but I do hope that they would consider a more open-minded, loving approach in their faith and towards the rest of the world. See it and let me know what you think!