Jesus Camp

I should be in bed, however I just finished watching the movie "Jesus Camp". Firstly, the philosophy of the documentary's main character is absolutely true. Anyone wanting to advance a cause should do so by selling their beliefs to the younger generations. It is a strategy widely employed and not just by religious groups. Advertisers target children. The fact that a group of Christians with political beliefs and intentions is selling them kids should surprise nobody. I don't know how anybody finds this surprising.

On to the movie itself. First of all, the film makers clearly have an agenda and we can assume that the film is put together in such a way to advance that. Having said that though, people can be very naive. What did the people think when they consented to being filmed, that this secular group would portray them as the saviors of the nation? Secondly, they seem to fail to appreciate any kind of intimacy or privacy in a person's relationship with God. For example, the Bible clearly says that if you have the gift of speaking in tongues, either exercise it in private or interpret it for those around you. Instead, they allow themselves to be filmed speaking in tongues in front of a group of children, and then allowing it to be filmed for a documentary clearly seems inappropriate.

Lastly, I feel they entirely take the idea of being soldiers for God out of context. Going back to the Bible again, it talks abot love, peace and respect. Evangelism is not seizing power and forcing things upon people. The imagery of an army and of soldiers is about people being dedicated to a cause. Fighting for Christ does not involve fighting. Even debating can so often be detrimental. It is interesting to look at how Jesus preached to non-Jewish audiences. This is part of a study I am doing right now and so I won't go too much in to it, but it was very different then when he was speaking to religious crowds. Militancy and imposing of ones beliefs is simply not Jesus' way.

There is a lot more to the movie, but those were my initial reactions. If mroe comes to mind I will add it later.