Jesus Camp (2006)

A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.

Directors:

Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Stars:

Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lou Engle	...	Himself
Becky Fischer	...	Herself
Ted Haggard	...	Himself
Mike Papantonio	...	Himself - Commentator

Storyline

Jesus Camp follows several young children as they prepare to attend a summer camp where the kids will get their daily dose of evangelical Christianity. Becky Fischer works at the camp, which is named Kids on Fire. Through interviews with Fischer, the children, and others, Jesus Camp illustrates the unswerving belief of the faithful. A housewife and homeschooling mother tells her son that creationism has all the answers. Footage from inside the camp shows young children weeping and wailing as they promise to stop their sinning. Child after child is driven to tears. Juxtapose these scenes with clips from a more moderate Christian radio host (who is appalled by such tactics), and Jesus Camp seems to pose a clear question: are these children being brainwashed?

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Plot Keywords:

evangelical | bible belt | pentecostalism | watching tv | cardboard cutout | 

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Taglines:

America is being born again

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some discussions of mature subject matter

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

Campamento Jesús

Filming Locations:

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,659, 17 September 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$902,544

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E IndieFilms, Loki Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 58 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since the making of the film, Becky Fischer, children's pastor for Kids on Fire, announced that due to negative reactions to the camp after the film, including telephone calls and vandalism, the camp, which was held once a year for three weeks, has been discontinued indefinitely and will be replaced by other events.

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Goofs

Becky Fisher swings a stuffed Lion and says "You've got a Tiger by the tail".

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Quotes

Rachel: [preaching to a group of guys sitting in a park] If you were to die right now in this moment, where do you think you'd go?
guy in the park: Heaven
Rachel: [subdued] Really?
guy in the park: Yeah. Sure.
Rachel: Oh... okay. Have a nice day!
[runs back to her friends]
Rachel: I think they were Muslims!

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Connections

Referenced in God Bless America (2011)

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Soundtracks

Spirit In the Sky
Music and lyrics by Norman Greenbaum
Courtesy of Great Honesty Music & Trans Tone Productions

User Reviews

Unusual documentary; people at polar extremes like it

This is a very unusual movie. It's likely to be LOVED by many Christian fundamentalists as well as valued by many who strongly oppose that movement, each side feeling it gives ample evidence for their positions.

Its low rating (at the time this is written) is at first puzzling; its most frequent rating (28%) given is a "10". This gets offset by the next most frequent rating (22%) given -- "1". But considering that (at the time this is written) 56% rated this film a 10, 9, or 8, the majority of people view this as a very valuable, worthwhile to see film -- a view I share. Many of those who rated it a "1" did so in opposition to the movement while still saying it's a worthwhile film to see.

It's most valuable to see by those who are NOT fundamentalists to understand a growing and already substantial movement of which most are not aware exists.

I strongly urge those people to also read Michelle Goldberg's recent book "Kingdom Coming" about this movement. Very readable, very enlightening, it details the scope of this that those who are not directly involved otherwise would not be aware of.

Francis F (a Japanese name; the IMDb anti-obscenity editing program will automatically "bleep" it if I typed it) wrote "The End of History & the Last Man" maybe 15-20 years ago and he's recently updated it with an Epilogue. I found it a hard book to read so scanned much of it. But he did predict the rise of fundamentalist, conservative, reactionary religious movements such as we see in both fundamentalist Islam and fundamentalist Chrisitianity.

One thesis he advances is that the world is changing so fast it's threatening the adjustment of many cultures and sub-cultures. Their core beliefs are not being given opportunity to slowly evolve but are threatened with being breached like the New Orleans levees (my metaphor, not his). Their reaction is to substitute Sharia (Islamic) law or "Christian" Biblical law instead of western secular law.

My friend who accompanied me was not worried about these kids in the movie. She felt that when they became teens, most would leave behind these beliefs because of the pressure from other teens as well as emerging hormones.

I'm not as sanguine. While that will be an effect on a few, these kids are being as indoctrinated just as much as (or more than) the Hitler Youth. Peer pressure works both ways -- when they're mainly around others with the same background, that will serve to keep most in line.

Scary AND a very informative movie.

PS -- Whether or not you're a member of the Christian Funadamentalist/Evangelical Right OR those who oppose them, you may be interested in this out-take from the film the link to which was posted on the IMDb "Message Board" View it AFTER you've seen the movie. ONLY then will it make sense.:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6B9GlayKS_0&mode=related&search=