Jesus Camp

Jesus Camp is a documentary about an Evangelical Kids Camp in Devil's Lake, North Dakota. It is a film that examines how the church teaches children in general and how the church seeks to influence politics specifically. The film is bookended between the resignation of Sandra Day O'Connor (generally labeled as a moderate judge) and the appointment of Justice Samuel Alito (generally labeled as a right wing judge). It deals heavily with the pro-life movement, both as a topic at the actual camp, and by following the kids to Washington D. C. as they pray for the unborn. Bill Maher--and others--have critiqued the way the camp "brainwashes" the kids and uses a lot of "war" and "christian soldier" metaphor. I decided to watch it myself ...

It was moving. I began watching with a pretty cynical disposition, but I fell in love with the two primary kids in the film: Levi and Rachel. The film strikes a balance between 1) questioning the indoctrination of young kids into a hard-core, right wing, evangelical political agenda and 2) portraying the heartfelt devotion of the kids toward God. Most of my friends will have mixed views about the adults running the camp (although they do come across as sincere), but I can't imagine anyone walking away from this film without a profound respect for these two beautiful kids. The film is directed by two young women who are not evangelical christians (to use their own words), but who are curious about the sub-culture that exists. To me, it is a classic documentary in that the directors' bias is not at the forefront (i.e. Michael Moore). The directors do a great job presenting all the people 3-dimensionally, allowing the story and characters to speak for themselves. This is a great film to watch and discuss.

It is only 84 minutes long, I would suggest watching once normally, and then watching it a second time with the director's commentary. The most profound scene is when young Levi meets Ted Haggard (a powerful megachurch evangelical pastor). The directors call the scene, "The believer and the cynic." (Hint: there is nothing cynical about Levi).

NOTE: Since the film has come out, some leaders in the Christian culture have criticized it saying that it makes Christians look bad. The main subjects of the film, however, have remained friends with the directors and feel they have been portrayed fairly. In fact, here is a response from the two directors to those critical of the film.