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'Jesus Camp'

A A A Comments (6) By Rob Nelson Tuesday, Sep 12 2006

photo: Magnolia Pictures

Kickin' it for Christ: Jesus Camp

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Jesus Camp
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Magnolia, opens September 22

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God is in the details no matter what you believe, but this red-state-baiting doc is content to introduce its appalled exposé of evangelical Christian youth culture with shots of a fast-food- and flag-lined highway and the words "Missouri, USA." Welcome to hell, kids. Art-house horror has rarely been scarier than it is in the hands of filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, for whom a drive-through car wash illustrates the evils of American cleansing. Missouri— yikes!—is also the home of Pentecostal minister Becky Fischer, a super-size general in the army of the Lord who commands young attendees of her Kids on Fire camp to worship a cardboard Dubya, clutch tiny fetus dolls, and sing along to spiritual hip-hop ("kickin' it for Christ," y'all). The doc these kids would make with flea market camcorders couldn't possibly be as ugly as this absurdly hypocritical critique of the far right's role in escalating the culture war. The classier indoctrination to which Gap-shopping urban Democrats subject their kids might look damn spooky, too, but it probably wouldn't sell.

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brian 04/19/2011 6:01:00 PM

I finally saw Jesus Camp today, and I consider this review a breath of fresh air. Most of the other's I've read absurdly label the film "even-handed" or "compassionate." The former label is ridiculous and the latter is, at best, equivocative. Nelson is right to call the documentary an "art house horror." The film's portrayal of the rural working class is for the most part patronizing and insulting (take for example the film's irresponsible treatment of the very serious issue home-schooling). As in any good documentary, there are are flourishes sympathy with the subject (for example Rachel's scene in the bowling alley), but these moments of sincerity do more to drive home the film's point that these religious loons are serious about all this fundamentalist nonsense. Jesus Camp is a middle American freak show, and it's an incursion in the very same culture war it criticizes. The pretensions to non-partisanship, on the part of both the creators and the reviewers, are preposterous. Now, don't get me wrong. I like the film, and I agree with many aspects of its perspective. The film ads strong support to the case of those who consider religion to be child abuse. Indeed the ugly side of religion is a good (if well-worn) subject for a documentary. But to claim such a depiction as even-handed or understated is without basis. The partisanship is surely justified, who'd wanna go see a documentary about three midwestern Christians volunteering at soup kitchen? A reply to some of the comments... Jennifer: To speak crudely, the film is culture war propaganda. But one of the films clear messages is that those rednecks need to tone down the culture war. By creating culture war propaganda that tells the other side to lay off the culture war propaganda, the film tells those viewers, "do as I say not as I do." It's hypocritical. David and Robert: I think that the comparison of religious fundamentalism to materialism is quite apt. Materialistic parants and peers often DO "mold every aspect of the child's lives," as much or more so than religion. The materialist's values are more in touch with reality than the religious zealot's, but there is no question that both can be traumatizing. A documentary on materialism that was as "even handed" as Jesus Camp would be just as disturbing. The social pressures that force the secular middle school girl to strive to fit in with the cool kids are just as all pervasive and can instill in her just as much of a negative attitude about her body as the religious girl's mythological beliefs about the afterlife. Remember the scene with Rachel, when she says that she doesn't care about what the kids at school say because compared to god's opinion their opinions are worthless. Would she have been more intellectually independent if she had renounced her faith when the kids at school gave her a hard time about it?

Sam 08/11/2010 12:36:00 PM

This review is appalling. There is an utter lack of justification for every single one of its claims, and having watched the documentary, I find it a grossly inaccurate statement of a piece that I believe is understated in method and dramatic only in subject. This is the kind of review one might expect from an overeager high school newspaper shark than a professional journalist. Then again, many lines seem to be blurring these days...

Robert S. 07/27/2010 8:23:00 AM

Either this writer grew up so far removed from religion he knows nothing of its deleterious effects - or perhaps he's simply an apologist for religious indoctrination. To compare as equal adults worshiping at the alter of materialism (shopping at the Gap) against adults indoctrinating their children to believe they could spend an eternity in hell, that their bodies are something to be ashamed of, that Harry Potter would be stoned in the Old Testament and that's OK - well, that's nothing short of intellectually dishonest and absurd.

Phil 10/11/2009 4:05:00 AM

Unsubstantiated is right. Is this the standard of film reviewing in the Village Voice? This "review" certainly has a short runway. You have to actually back up statements with some kind of reasoning, analysis and evidence - these are sorely lacking in this uninformative and uninformed piece. I learned nothing about this movie from this negative, opaque drivel.

Jennifer Sweeney 08/04/2009 12:40:00 AM

What exactly makes this film hypocritical? The accusation was made, but never actually substantiated. This represents incredibly shoddy writing, at best.

David 01/22/2008 1:07:00 AM

Are you kidding me? Are you really equating shopping at the Gap with molding every aspect of your child's life to reflect your religion? And the film makers didn't even imply this was what Republicans do to their kids over democrats; the documentary is about evangelical Christians. You're an idiot, or a demagogue.

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