True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

Jesus Camp
This film succeeds in making you afraid of Evangelical Christians. You
get an inside look at a zealous summer Bible camp, filmed with the full
participation of the eager director and very young participants. There
are a lot of things to be scared of: talking in undeciphered tongues, an
unholy mix of politics and religion, lots of blind intolerance, the brainwashing
of kids, and seriously misguided zeal. As a devout Christian I am
ashamed. However, its success rubs me the wrong way because stirring
up fear – whether justified or not – makes people stupid. We already have
a government stupefied by Fear of low risk terrorism, of Muslims, and
the like, with no attempt at understanding. This film, although honest
in its portrayal, feeds that republic of fear. I’d like it a whole lot better if
it would have revisited the kids when they were mature (as 49 Up, p.6
does) to see how this camp changed them. The film, as is, makes no attempt
to understand the strange things its sees - only to drum up fright.
But because the documentary of these common Evangelical/Pentecostal
scenes are not very common in mainstream media, and because the
glimpses are direct, intimate, unflinching, real, and honest as far as they
go, I recommend it. Christians, take heed.
By Heidi Ewing and
Rachel Grady
2006, 84 min.
Available from Amazon
Rent from Netflix
Raising arms to pray, and sobbing (left) after
an intensely emotional session. Weirdest
moment: a cardboard cut-out of President
Bush is brought up to the stage and given
veneration and prayer.
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