Jesus Camp
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Movie Reviews of Jesus Camp
Movie Review: An Extraordinary, Deeply Disturbing Look at American Evangelicalism
Summary: 5 Stars
Midway through this remarkably disturbing documentary film, Jesus Camp founder and director Becky Fischer is shown in what is presumably her own home, studying with the intensity of a college football coach preparing for his team's next game a taped version of one of the children's prayer meetings she leads. Mouth open in thrilled amazement, head shaking gently in approving self-awe, she blurts out the most unintentionally revealing line in this movie: "They [children] are so usable in Christianity." In practically the same breath, she allows that "extreme liberals" must be "shaking in their boots" to see such intense belief in children, that the evangelical Christian indoctrination of children is morally more justified than the same actions among Muslims, Jews, and Palestinians because, "Excuse me, we have the truth," and that the same "we" must "stand up and take back the land [America]."
Although JESUS CAMP spends about half its time at Becky Fischer's Kids on Fire summer camp in (ironically) Devil's Lake, ND, it could perhaps be more aptly titled JESUS WORLD or KIDS FOR JESUS. Co-directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady center their documentary on three young children, all apparently ten years old or younger: Levi, Tory, and Rachael. These three children are followed from church prayer meetings to their homes (where they recite Christianized pledges of allegiance and are schooled by their mothers in creationism and the fallacies of global warming), and later to a Ted Haggard evangelical convention in Colorado Springs and a pro-life demonstration (complete with red duct tape inscribed LIFE fastened over their mouths) in Washington, D.C. Ewing and Grady remain strictly outside observers these events, offering neither voice-over or commentary. Rather, they offer a softened Christian response through extended excerpts from Mike Papantonio's syndicated radio talk show, Ring of Fire, as response to Becky Fischer's Kids on Fire.
In his classic 1963 book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, Dr. Robert J. Lifton identified eight conditions of thought reform as he observed them in Communist China:
1. Milieu control - control of human communication through environmental control and limiting all forms of communication with the outside world.
2. Mystical manipulation - the group has a higher purpose, experiences are attributed to spiritual causes, control through planned spontaneity.
3. The demand for purity - absolute purity can be achieved, failures must be confessed and/or punished.
4. The cult of confession - public confessions, minimized privacy, verbalizing all interior fears and anxieties.
5. Aura of sacred science - the cult's rules and regulations are absolute, their dogma is absolutely scientific and morally true.
6. Loading the language - black-and-white thinking, good words and evil words, relentlessly judging.
7. Doctrine over person - the individual is insignificant, the group is all; personal experience and judgment are irrelevant, subordinated to the doctrine.
8. Dispensed existence - an elitist worldview and a sharp division between those who are chosen or saved and those who are lost.
Intentionally or otherwise, directors Ewing and Brady demonstrate all eight of these conditions in JESUS CAMP's treatment of Tory, Levi, Rachael, and their camper peers. They leave little room for doubt that we are witnessing brainwashing pure and simple, cult formation into an intolerant religious radicalism that brooks no questioning and sees all others as enemies. Becky Fischer talks about enemies, and Ted Haggard declares "It's massive warfare every day."
JESUS CAMP will leave you alternately shaking your head and cringing over the brainwashing these impressionable young children are receiving. Ewing and Grady's film is an extraordinarily powerful depiction of innocent young minds being manipulated by adults in the name of a blind religious fervor. The process recalls by comparison other such movements, past and present: radical Islamic fundamentalism, the Taliban, China's Red Guard, North Korea, the Hitler Youth. Dante would have reserved a special circle in his Inferno for adults who rob children of their innocence and opportunity to learn, consider alternatives, and choose for themselves. Thankfully, the directors have inserted a few moments that lighten the overall atmosphere: Rachael's attempt at bowling alley proselytizing, kids praying over a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, and Ted Haggard's hysterically ironic admonitions in full-face close-up that "I think I know what you did last night; if you send me $[...], I won't tell your wife" and "You need to repent."
Ewing and Grady save their best for last. DON'T TURN OFF YOUR DVD THE MOMENT THE CREDITS START TO ROLL or you'll miss out on the film's best moments when Rachael and Levi reach out to three elderly black men sitting in a shaded park. Rachael's simple response to one old man's confident assurance that he will go to heaven when he dies is priceless and neatly illustrates everything that is wrong about radical evangelicalism. Plopped contentedly in her living room armchair, Becky Fischer sums it all up in an earlier part of the movie. Remarking on the trance-like religious intensity of her charges, she ponders admiringly, "What are these kids going to be like when they grow up?" What indeed?
Movie Review: Charismatic Evangelicals, in their own words
Summary: 5 Stars
"Jesus Camp" lets Pentecostal Christians speak for themselves, as it follows children through Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" Bible camp, where they are trained to be members of God's army of the politically righteous.
We see Pastor Fischer assuring the kids that under Biblical law, Harry Potter should be put to death for being a warlock. We see the children crying about their sinfulness, speaking in tongues, and rolling on the floor possessed by the Holy Spirit. And, of course, we see Pastor Fischer's Bible-camp crew haul out a life-size cardboard cut-out of George W. Bush, these little Christian warriors' leader in their "war" against secular liberals.
All of this is chilling, to be sure. But there are moments of genuine hilarity, as when the Pastor Ted Haggard - then President of the National Association of Evangelicals - makes a cameo appearance. Preaching before his Colorado Springs New Life Church, he glares ominously into the camera to warn: "God knows what you did last night."
Well, we certainly know what Pastor Haggard did! He was riding the crest of political and financial success at the time, raking in the cash by bashing homosexuals and denouncing gay marriage - but since has had to resign in disgrace on disclosures concerning his own acquisiton of recreational drugs from his preferred consort, a male prostitute. What a guy!
The children in this documentary movie, on the other hand, are genuinely nice kids - scared out of their wits by the adults' preaching about hell and damnation, and made to go out and proselytize passers-by on the streets and in bowling allies. The adults who do the scaring appear to be - with the possible exception of Pastor Ted Haggard - sincere about their work.
That makes their mission all the more tragic, I suppose, as they recruit little children for the religious right's "culture war" against the American mainstream's cultural values of social tolerance and religious pluralism.
The movie is by no means perfect. It speaks broadly of "Evangelical Christians" in describing its subjects. In fact, these are Charismatic Evangelicals - Pentecostals, to be precise. Most Baptists regard themselves as Evangelicals too, but you won't find Baptists speaking in tongues like the Pentecostals in "Jesus Camp" do. More important, many Evangelicals are more concerned about inward piety, and their personal relationship with Christ, than they are with imposing Biblical law on fellow citizens by political means. Baptists, in particular, were for centuries strong proponents for separation of church and state. The Pentecostal Evangelicals on which "Jesus Camp" focuses have no similar tradition of distinguishing between the realms of God and Caesar.
With the administration of George W. Bush, these Charismatic Evangelicals undeniably made significant inroads into American government - with John Ashcroft's appointment as Attorney General, for example, opening the way for the hiring of waves of graduates from Regent University to staff the Department of Justice, whose Civil Rights Division has lately taken to filing briefs defending government support for discrimination on the basis of religious viewpoint. See, e.g., Barnes-Wallace v. BSA, 9th Cir. Nos. 04-55732, 04-56167 (Civil Rights Division brief filed February 2005).
But when "Jesus Camp" suggests that its subjects are holy warriors bent on taking over the government, with George W. Bush as their leader, it focuses in particular on the appointment of Joseph Alito to take Sandra Day O'Connor's place on the Supreme Court. The movie fails even to acknowledge the underlying complexities. It never mentions, for example, that neither George W. Bush nor Joseph Alito is a Charismatic Evangelical. To the contrary, George W. Bush is a Methodist and Joseph Alito - a conservative Catholic.
It's true that many far-right Evangelicals have united behind the appointment of conservative Catholics, such as John Roberts and Joseph Alito, to serve on the Supreme Court. And there's an interesting back story here, for a large segment of these Protestant Evangelicals intensely dislike Catholics. Remember the controversy, in Evangelical circles, surrounding John F. Kennedy's Catholicism? I've even heard an Evangelical preacher or two calling the Pope an agent of the Devil. How is it, then, that we now find some of the same Evangelicals strongly supporting conservative Catholics for the Supreme Court?
"Jesus Camp" never even raises the question. Its focus is on a boot camp for child warriors. And it provides a vivid portrayal of people of fervent faith, allowing them to speak for themselves, and to frame issues in their own terms. The documentary's presentation is even-handed and fair, and the camera does not lie. "Jesus Camp" is a real eye opener.
Eric Alan Isaacson
P.S. Those who are interested in the underlying political currents and Republican Party elites' long-term strategy of riding on the backs of Evangelical Christians might want to check out Kevin Phillips' American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century.
Movie Review: A Damning - and Saddening - Exposé of "Evangelicalism"
Summary: 5 Stars
In my opinion, "Jesus Camp" exposes the Evangelical obsession with brainwashing impressionable children even more effectively than "One Nation Under God" lays bare some of the insanities inherent in the equally obsessional Evangelical "ex-gay" movement. To a greater degree than ONUG, "Jesus Camp" allows the Evangelical worldview to speak for itself. And what it speaks, in its own words and actions, is both self-damning and infinitely saddening.
Although there are no "stars" in any conventional sense, the documentary continually comes back to three pre-pubescent attendees of Jesus Camp in particular as its story develops: an in-your-face young girl who is frequently "moved by the Spirit" to convert people on the street, or ladies in a bowling alley; a young fellow with an over-developed slave-lock who seems to think himself destined by God to become the next Elijah, Isaiah or Jeremiah (or, perhaps, Ted Haggard whom he has the [mixed] blessing of meeting in person); and a truly engaging little blond boy, not more than eight or nine years old, who confesses to sometimes having doubts about God or the "Holy" Scriptures - and feels the guilt of this healthy reaction to nonsense with an intensity that brought tears to his eyes ... and to mine as well. Like W.C. Fields, children aren't something I'd want to keep around the house, but the psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse that is showered on these children made me wish that some compassionate Peter Pan would swoop down in the night and snatch them away to a rational Neverland where they could complete the job (and experience the joy) of being children rather than being used as obedient living tools to reinforce the political views and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night fears of the "born-again" adults who are so brazenly manipulating, brainwashing and exploiting them during their most formative and impressionable years.
It becomes easy to understand how an absolutist religious viewpoint and practice could have brought the Western World the 1000-year wonder that we now call the Dark Ages. Anti-science, anti-rationalism, anti-doubt, and ultimately anti-human guilt, fear and superstition are the "gifts" bestowed by this particular "Spirit." "Jesus Camp" makes this and more abundantly clear, through the simple and effective means of allowing the "believers" to speak and act for themselves. As the adult "actors" display their own personal degrees of mental and emotional instability, self-loathing and doubt compensated for by limitless "spiritual" hubris, and often with a mind-blowing display of blatant and transparent (to all save themselves) internal inconsistency, the "Evangelical" world is seen for what it is. Worse, a side of it is shown that few of us have seen or even think about: the exploitation of children to ensure that they "share in the blessing" of ignorance, arrogance and a life of assertive and intrusive self-delusion that would drag everyone else down to its own level of incompetence at, impotence with, and fear of reality and Real World. At one moment, an unhealthily hefty female preacher - if a Christian's body is the "temple of the Holy Spirit," this lady may well be his version of the entire Angkor Wat complex - is saying that if Harry Potter had lived in "Old Testament Times," he would have been put to death; shortly thereafter, the whole ensemble is performing a ritual of sympathetic magic by smashing crockery which supposedly represents the "godless" secular government of the U.S. And if the fevered and frenetic "veneration" of the life-size cut-out of George Bush doesn't come to within a fraction of a Biblical cubit from out-and-out idol (or Fuehrer) worship, then I don't know my Golden Calves ... or my Fuehrers.
Irreverence and disgust for the "piety" and "sincerity" of the deluded "born-again" players in this drama aside, I must say that the documentary saddened me profoundly. I have a profound distaste for child abuse, whether physical, psychological, emotional or "spiritual." The makers of the documentary offer no solution to the troubling state of affairs that exists when a whatever-goes sense of "freedom of religion" not only permits but condones, empowers and even encourages such abuse. Perhaps, like purchasing tobacco or alcohol, the day will come will "religion" will not be available to anyone under the age of majority. In my opinion, such is both highly desirable and long overdue, especially from the perspective of those who think the children of the "next generation" are important not for our purposes but for their own. Unfortunately, I sincerely doubt I'll ever live to see such a leveling up for our species. Children, I fear, will remain possessions to be used as compliant tools to extend the personal agendas of their elders long after my generation - and the one after it - are forgotten. If Evangelical Christianity (or any fundamentalist, absolutist anti-rational "religion") gains the supremacy it demands, that fear is likely to be a guaranteed and infinitely tragic certainty.
Movie Review: WWJD?
Summary: 5 Stars
As a former participant in several milder versions of these "Jesus Camps", I feel I hold a unique perspective on the issues that arise within this documentary. I can state with all certainty that that the images depicted in this movie do happen, but must be watched with an objective point of view. Jesus Camp presents a fair and unbiased look at an intense evangelical movement to "take back America for God." However, the responses to this movie are neither fair nor unbiased. My goal is to present an impartial analysis of this movie representing both sides of this controversial issue in hopes that both sides will be better informed and compelled to see this very important movie.
Let me start by addressing the Evangelicals that may be wondering if they should see this movie or not. I feel that this is an extremely important movie for all Evangelicals to see in order to provide them with an objective view of what they may be involved. Being able to view yourself from a distance is an essential part of understanding a proper life for you to lead. By viewing this movie, you will be an outsider, and you won't be as attached to the characters within it as you would be to your own children. By being nothing more than an observer, you will be able to see, maybe for the first time, the dangers and disadvantages that indoctrinating your children might have on them. It will allow you to take a step back, see the results and consequences that occur by being too fervent in your beliefs and expectations of your children. Please understand, there is nothing in this movie that overtly attacks your beliefs; rather, it exposes the reality that surrounds many of these Evangelical movements to which you may or may not be aware. It exposes several dangerous ideas that I hope you, as an Evangelical, can resist in your own life. These include:
1. Instead of working together as Americans towards a brighter future, these movements preach divisiveness by stating that we are in a "Culture WAR" with an "us vs. them" mentality.
2. These movements are much less about Christianity, and much more about political power and a desire to see a Christian Theocracy (although not stated as such)
3. Instead of allowing your children to learn and observe the world around them relatively free of anxiety to perform, these adults, at times, push their children towards activism in areas that they are much too young to comprehend.
To the non-evangelical or non-Christian, let me state that this movie only gives a glimpse into what happens at these camps and within home schooling communities. This movie by no means is an "all inclusive", and intentionally selects only the more controversial elements of these peoples beliefs and lives for the sake of time and interest. These camps, in reality, include many more elements than what was shown, such as fun, games, teachings of love and non-violence (even though the lingo seems violent at times, violence is taught to be sinful). This movie also doesn't show the involvement, love, and concern these adults/parents have for their children and their desire for them to be productive and honest citizens. Many of these home schooling parents and children ministers are the most kind-hearted people and best role models for these children. I encourage each of you, before you pass too harsh a judgment on these adults, to visit the blog of those portrayed in the movie (jesus campers dot com). You will find them to be much more reasonable, well studied, and open-minded than you originally suspected and the movie depicted. I, like you, may not agree with everything these parents are doing with their children, but it isn't as shocking, in most cases, as it would appear once you get to know them better.
Finally, I find it interesting that the subjects in this movie are very satisfied with the way in which their church, their ministries and they themselves were portrayed in this movie (with the exception of Ted Haggard, for whatever his opinion is worth these days). Yet most non Christians I have spoken to about this movie state that they were disturbed by it. I guess it goes to show you that both sides need to take a step back, gather more information, and objectively approach each other with openness, not with judgment.
Movie Review: A fair portrayal of some troubling trends
Summary: 5 Stars
I thought this film was very fair in its treatment of its subjects - Pentecostal Christians, and in particular, Pentecostal Christian children. At no point during the documentary do the film's makers step in to editorialize. Instead, they just train their camera on their subjects and let them do the talking. Of course, you can also watch the film with the commentary track on. However, even then the makers are talking more about why they included certain scenes and why they had to cut others than of their opinion about what is going on.
In spite of the title, most of the film is not spent documenting what goes on at camp. It does focus on the activities and beliefs of just a few main subjects - two Pentecostal children Rachel and Levi, and also the woman who runs the Christian summer camp, Becky Fischer. It shows scenes of worship services, interaction among the children at camp, what goes on in their homes, and the children taking part in such typical activities as bowling. Prior to seeing this film I had heard some people say that the children were being coerced into witnessing and preaching, but I found that not to be the case. In particular the two children that the film focused on - Levi and Rachel - seemed to have an enthusiasm for their faith that was independent of whether an adult was around. Of course, taking the opposite viewpoint, children are always eager to please, and since these children have been immersed in this particular culture from birth, it is probably only natural they would have the world view that they do. The parents and Christian counselors involved also seem very sincere in their beliefs. You get the feeling that they are not trying to manipulate the children, they just want to save them from what they perceive to be an evil sinful world and get them involved in "the good fight" from an early age. What stood out as particularly alarming to me is that none of these Christian counselors, parents, or speakers ever seem to quote a Bible verse or encourage the children to learn the Bible itself, and that the adults seem to admire the kind of fanaticism that is present in the Middle East and think it is worth emulating that kind of indoctrination in their own children.
The only person in this film that has a real Ick Factor is Ted Haggard. He winds up on screen because Levi is visiting Haggard's megachurch in Colorado Springs, obviously pre-controversy. Haggard is constantly making sarcastic comments to the cameraperson who is filming this movie, and you get the feeling he would throw the whole camera crew out in a second if he thought he could get away with it, politically speaking. What comes across as particularly slimy is when Levi goes up to meet Haggard and Haggard is giving Levi advice on how to play his "cute kid angle" to his advantage in his preaching. You can see from Levi's facial expression that he is not expecting this guy to be the disingenuous politician he turns out to be, but he is just too polite of a kid to be anything but respectful.
This film is about Pentecostal Christians, not evangelical Christians in general. Evangelical Christian groups such as the Southern Baptists have a much more conventional form of worship than is displayed in this documentary. However, as the commentary track points out, most evangelical Christians, both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal, do have most of the other viewpoints held in the film - most notably the intertwining of political and religious beliefs, the feeling that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, that it is both their religious and patriotic duty to bring America back to that standpoint, and that the children are the future of this fight. This gives a partial explanation as to why evangelical Christians continue to be a reliable voting bloc for people who are systematically at odds with their own best interests. For the ordinary and very genuine people portrayed in this film, their own earthly futures are unimportant, for they are constantly looking heavenward. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the politicians they vote into office and the deep corporate pockets to which these politicians are really in servitude.