USA: The Evangelical Christian movement's recruitment of America's youth is observed in a new documentary

Record ID: 346047

  • Title: USA: The Evangelical Christian movement's recruitment of America's youth is observed in a new documentary
  • Date: 28th September 2006
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL GRADY, CO-DIRECTOR OF "JESUS CAMP," SAYING: "I definitely think that there is a culture war that's going on in this country and that was very very apparent to Heidi and I by the end of our filming. Although, I never really understood what that meant, now it's glaringly apparent to me that because half of the people don't realise they're engaged in this war does not mean that it is not indeed happening."
  • Embargoed: 13th October 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAA1MEE9U16IVWWPMAB5C52EI5Z
  • Story Text: The recruiting tactics of some in the Evangelical Christian movement is showcased in a new documentary that follows three children as they attend a bible-based summer camp. 'Jesus Camp,' directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, follows Levi, Rachel, and Tory to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, where kids as young as six are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's Army." The film is the second documentary for co-directors Ewing and Grady, and the first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.
    "Rachel and I, neither of us were raised born-again Christians, and I think that actually helped us because we've never actually been hurt or helped by the Evangelical movement. And so we went in with beginners' eyes and we tried to show the audiences what we saw, what we experienced, and to introduce our audiences to people and children that they've never met before, and also provoke a conversation," says 'Jesus Camp' co-director Heidi Ewing.
    A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America that requires Christian youth to assume leadership roles in advocating the causes of their religious movement. In the film, Pastor Becky Fischer acknowledges that youths are perfect candidates for the Evangelical movement because they are so impressionable, and that they are a useful tool in God's war against immorality and godless liberalism.
    "I definitely think that there is a culture war that's going on in this country and that was very very apparent to Heidi and I by the end of our filming. Although, I never really understood what that meant, now it's glaringly apparent to me that because half of the people don't realise they're engaged in this war does not mean that it is not indeed happening," says Rachel Grady, co-director of 'Jesus Camp.'
    The film is set mostly in the religious heartland of Missouri and North Dakota, and the people portrayed -- white, middle class Americans -- are part of an enormous and forceful voting bloc that was very helpful in electing George W. Bush to the presidency. Together with their children, these Evangelicals are preparing not only for Jesus to come back to Earth, but also to guide the future of morality in America.
    "I mean, he's (George W. Bush) unabashedly a born-again Christian, and I think there are hopes by a certain segment of the Evangelical population, with the more conservative element that he will, he's their man. He's they're man in the White House, and that they will have a better luck re-shaping the culture, if you will, with him as president," says Heidi Ewing, co-director of 'Jesus Camp.'
    The film made waves earlier this year when its producers requested that it be pulled from Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival line-up in an effort to distance it from Moore's polarising reputation among Christian viewers. Moore took the request as a publicity stunt, but Magnolia Pictures president Eamonn Bowles maintains that he didn't want the public to perceive 'Jesus Camp' as an "agenda-laden film." However, a true testament to the film's objectivity lies in the fact that its subjects believe they were portrayed fairly.
    "Yeah, they're totally on board and they are excited about sharing the film with their community and their churches, and they feel like it represents them very accurately, and in a positive light, and that their kids come across as bright and promising and well-behaved and loving children, and I have to be honest, that is how we found their kids as well," says Rachel Grady, co-director of 'Jesus Camp.'
    'Jesus Camp' opened in a limited release on September 22.
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