Review of Jesus Camp (2006) by Emerson B — 12 Aug 2013

This documentary is a distilled image of the evangelical community in the United States. The documentary follows a bible camp in North Dakota, focusing on a couple of the children in the camp and the camp's organizer. The film also has interviews from some of the leading evangelicals in the country and the picture opens and closes with a radio talk show's opinion of the movement at large. Having been a former part of this community, (I am in no way saying my experience was as extreme in the film) I can say that I am not surprised by the film and its story is an accurate account of religion's obsession with children. I still hold the belief that there is no such thing as a Christian child or a Muslim child because children are not of the mental functioning to fully accept such doctrine. Likewise there is no such thing an existential child or a Post-Structuralist child.

Some of the sequences are rather disturbing with children having convulsions on the floor and putting on a stage production in which they are god's warriors for Zion. Much to the discontent of lower class white christians in America, they are becoming increasingly irrelevant and they shut themselves in and hold tighter to their religion as a source of guidance. This film serves to create a window into this world and by simply doing so gives a response to the evangelical community.