As we Americans start the transition from a tarnished administration to one filled with the potential of hope and change, it’s interesting to reflect back on some of the fundamental tenets that former President George W. Bush held during his eight-year reign. The legacy that Bush leaves behind is one marred by a tumultuous, seemingly endless war and marked by perceived failures in dealing with Hurricane Katrina, as well as a budget deficit that is now hovering around $500 billion — among other highlights. But Bush also is one of the most openly religious presidents in our nation’s history. A daily Bible reader, he has talked to the press openly about following God’s path. In fact, his devout Methodism helped him win the 2000 election — many Americans, reeling with disgust concerning the Monica Lewinsky scandal, welcomed Bush’s outward faith with open arms. And in the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp, directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing introduce us to some of those Christians who support Bush for intertwining religion with the upper echelons of the government.
Jesus Camp, which was nominated for an Academy Award, is a tell-all about evangelical sects of Christianity — specifically their younger generation. The film focuses on three kids — Levi, Tori and Rachael — who attend the summer camp “Kids on Fire School of Ministry” in North Dakota, which was started by children’s pastor Becky Fischer. The film opens with a soft score and scenes of rolling countryside, then with a jolt flashes to an interview with Fischer, who preaches to the camera about her respect for Bush and how she wants Christians to become as religiously zealous as Muslims. She continues, explaining how, through her summer camp, she is in the process of building God’s army. Flash to more scenic shots, where images like McDonald’s logos, flags and billboards (such as: “Let’s meet at my house Sunday before the game” —God) are mixed with some startling on-screen statistics (such as: 43 percent of evangelicals are “born again” before the age of 13). But this is just the lull before the storm.
Just wait until you’re introduced to the kids.
We meet Levi, a curious 12-year-old who is home-schooled and wants to become a preacher. Like flies on the wall, we see how he is taught about the “hoax” that is global warming and how he reconciles creationist theory with physical science. Tori, who is 10, loves to dance to Christian heavy metal and disses the likes of Britney Spears. She also voices her dismay with “dancing for the flesh,” claiming that all of her dancing is done in the name of Jesus. Rachael is the youngest of the three at age 9, but she’s certainly the most precocious. In the midst of a game of bowling, she walks up to a cute blond in the next lane and offers the complete stranger a pamphlet, stuttering along about how God has a special message for her. Rachael openly discusses with the camera about being picked on by other kids, but says that, in the end, it won’t be them judging whether she gets into heaven — it will be the Lord. The three sound like an eclectic bunch, but they all have two things in common. First, they love Christianity. And secondly, they all sound like 35-year-olds, trained to say what they’ve been taught to say into the camera without missing a beat.
Really, though, Jesus Camp is less about the masses of young born-agains than it is an overall portrait of the power evangelicalism holds in America. As a liberal who is pretty non-religious, Jesus Camp was eye-opening, remarkable and at times both frightening and maddening (although I must say I got a kick out of Ted Haggard preaching at the top of his lungs against homosexuality . . . when only months after this film was released, he got kicked out of his leadership position in the church on charges of soliciting a male prostitute for sex and drugs).
Mike Papantonio, a renowned American talk show host, is one of the voices of reason in the film. While adding commentary on various fallacies seen in the church, he also acknowledges the way evangelicals have elbowed their way into the U.S. government (maybe even into much of our prior administration?) and have contributed to the slow chipping away of the separation between church and state. And if Jesus Camp is to be taken as any indication of the past administration’s agenda, I’m happy — just a few days after the inauguration heard around the world — to say that change is here. And I hope it’s here to stay.
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