Movie Response
Melvin Williams
Professor Hadden
Cultural Psychology
March 31, 2015
Movie Response: Jesus Camp
In the documentary Jesus Camp young children are shown in their native environment to have very close relationships with the Lord. Jesus Camp focuses on young white evangelical Christians from the heartland of America who are all being home schooled by their mothers and taught to be zealous soldiers in God’s army fighting the Devil and the morally bankrupt and godless secular culture in what is called the sick world. The importance of Jesus Camp cannot be emphasized enough for it reveals as no other film has done the breadth and depth of the culture war that is going on in America. This documentary is every bit as important for its expose of another development; the campaign to recruit the younger generation to fight for the very soul of America. Becky Fischer is a children's pastor who runs the group Kids on Fire, a summer camp for evangelical Christian children in North Dakota and believes that today's youngsters can be taught to become strong and courageous warriors in the crusade against the liberal forces that have brought America down. Fischer believes in the political and moral importance of a Christian presence in America. She uses video games, animated videos, and group activities to help put her message across; Fischer encourages the kids to pray for George W. Bush and his Supreme Court appointees while urging them to help take back America for Christ. For the most part, the children seem reasonably ordinary beyond the fact they pray with uncommon fervor and sometimes speak in tongues. We meet three of these little soldiers in this documentary. First is Levi who is from St. Robert, Missouri; his father is a preacher at their church and an employee of the U.S. Army. Levi was saved when he was five and believes that he has been called to be a preacher in a mega-church. Rachael who is from the same town and has been home schooled all her life. She loves to
Professor Hadden
Cultural Psychology
March 31, 2015
Movie Response: Jesus Camp
In the documentary Jesus Camp young children are shown in their native environment to have very close relationships with the Lord. Jesus Camp focuses on young white evangelical Christians from the heartland of America who are all being home schooled by their mothers and taught to be zealous soldiers in God’s army fighting the Devil and the morally bankrupt and godless secular culture in what is called the sick world. The importance of Jesus Camp cannot be emphasized enough for it reveals as no other film has done the breadth and depth of the culture war that is going on in America. This documentary is every bit as important for its expose of another development; the campaign to recruit the younger generation to fight for the very soul of America. Becky Fischer is a children's pastor who runs the group Kids on Fire, a summer camp for evangelical Christian children in North Dakota and believes that today's youngsters can be taught to become strong and courageous warriors in the crusade against the liberal forces that have brought America down. Fischer believes in the political and moral importance of a Christian presence in America. She uses video games, animated videos, and group activities to help put her message across; Fischer encourages the kids to pray for George W. Bush and his Supreme Court appointees while urging them to help take back America for Christ. For the most part, the children seem reasonably ordinary beyond the fact they pray with uncommon fervor and sometimes speak in tongues. We meet three of these little soldiers in this documentary. First is Levi who is from St. Robert, Missouri; his father is a preacher at their church and an employee of the U.S. Army. Levi was saved when he was five and believes that he has been called to be a preacher in a mega-church. Rachael who is from the same town and has been home schooled all her life. She loves to