Movie Review on “Jesus Camp”: Preaching sin-consciousness extremely
My comment at Flixster got so lengthy I decided to blog about it. Jesus Camps is a documentary movie focusing on a Evangelical Church in Missouri and then highlighting the events at their church kid’s camp.
I wanted to watch this because I was a baby christian. Turns out this movie scared the hell out of me. If I was asked to be reborn from the message in the movie, I would rather kill myself. There was a scene where Pastor Becky Fischer welcome her group of campkids with a condemning message and the next day, put up powerpoint slides like “SIN” in uppercase Arial red font, and “THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN IS DEATH”. She said to the camera, “There is a font that is bloody and red… ” She found that font and was so pleased with her “work”! Seriously, if anyone wants to know Jesus better, “Joseph Prince” would be the person to look up. Seeing the scenes in the movie was just like attending a service in America all over again, except the message was like glaring down at me. It’s so horrid.
It was after many days that i heard from my pastor’s video, “In many places, it seems like it is the purpose of the preacher to put as many people under condemnation or sin condemnation consciousness so that they cry, they wail before God, and they are really (feeling) condemned, and he (the preacher) feels good to affect people like that. He feels like, to help people be conscious of sin is to help them be conscious of God. Nothing could be further from the truth!”
When I heard this, my thoughts went to Jesus Camp immediately. My pastor was describing the scene exactly as it was. To Non-Christians, the sobbing and wailing of church members may be puzzling or even terrifyingly abusive, but to Christians of that church, it was perfectly normal, and they were perfectly willing to undergo it. No wonder the string of non-Christian commentators on Flixster got so afraid and even called us (Christians) lunatics or similar.
In the movie, a young boy named Levi who had such an outstanding character and maturity and possibly his appearance stood out too (long-tailed hair), was called to guest-preach in one of the evenings of the kids camp. He preached Jesus! He preached Jesus as a protector…as a savior. The crowd cheered and clapped. I wonder if Becky Fischer saw the contrast in her audience’s reactions.
I remembered a very disturbing scene when Becky Fischer took the camera crew into her office and showed them some plastic toys. “This is Adam, this is Eve,” she pointed to 2 Barbie dolls, Ken and Barbie). She said the kids these days are very visual and impressionable, and that these Barbie dolls, naked and covered with some plastic green leaves were used to reenact the fall of mankind when “Ken” (as Adam) ate the forbidden fruit. Oh My God! How sad can that be! Instead of telling us how Jesus had saved the world with one death, she chooses to tell to her kids, over and over again, how the fall of Adam had cursed the whole world. Cursing especially the Christians. (Because now that they know…) More–she took out one of those stretchy rubber toys, this particular one shaped in a hand with a very long arm. She then flicked the rubber toy to a plastic brain mold sitting on a shelf nearby. She flicked a few times before it was successfully caught on the brain mold. She said, “See how dirty ideas stick to your brain like nasty stickies” and said this is for demonstrating to the kids that a dirty thought can persist in your mind very easily, so it should not be left to fester. I think this is just pure sick.
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painterwannabe said,
June 18, 2008 at 3:59 pm
hey hey I watched Jesus Camp a while back and I became a little confused. ‘Cos I’ve been an evangelical Christian and the documentary kind of made the whole thing look “stupid”. Heh. Had a lot to ponder about after I watched it. And I don’t know if you caught this bit in the beginning when the mother was home schooling the boy and was asking him about global warming, kinda in a leading way that global warming is nothing or we should not really be bothered about it. I felt that part was a little weird. Think she was trying to say “heck the earth! we are going to heaven, we can forget about this whole global warming bullsh*t” haha what do you think? was that part weird for you???
yflcsandi said,
June 18, 2008 at 6:40 pm
yeah! i remember that part, although i didn’t really get it, but there was another part a man said, why bother about global warming. God made us here to enjoy, so lets just use up all the Earth’s resources and enjoy, why care about tomorrow? — WHAT? Was that the DJ “translating” what the mom said? I think if they think that way, they might as well go to Heaven first. I still wanna preserve the “heaven” i live in at the moment.
I think, luckily Levi and the other kids aren’t raised to think they are all condemned and below blessings, i think they did get the part that Jesus has done all for them.
hey anyway wad happened to ur blog? i can’t access it anymore. will u add me?
painterwannabe said,
June 19, 2008 at 4:57 pm
ooh i switched back to blogger but it’s more for myself now
painterwannabe said,
June 20, 2008 at 2:37 pm
hey hey i invited you
Check your mail! 
xoxo said,
July 8, 2008 at 4:28 pm
hey really am glad that youre now listening to pastor joseph prince’s messages. It is used by God to be the releasing power of faith in Jesus amen =) remember ! Jesus loves you. therefore, He always see the GOOD in you
amen!
Geri said,
July 17, 2008 at 12:07 am
Firstly, Praise God for anointing Pastor Prince and his sermons.
It saddens me that some people might watch Jesus Camp and come to a very wrong conclusion about Christianity because of the Legalistic Christianity portrayed on screen.
Thank you Jesus for your message of Grace and your love… I hope the Grace message continues to change lives and bring hearts closer to Christ. Amen!
Geri said,
July 17, 2008 at 12:28 am
What is the google video URL for the above Pastor Prince sermon btw? =)
Maggie said,
March 15, 2009 at 2:19 am
What has happened to the little Boy Levi in that movied Jesus camp? I just saw the movie, and was saddened to see Kids crying almost like THEYT were being punished , and to be made to feel bad for dancing? Enen the little girl who wanted just to stand out in the rain and get 10 raindrops for her 10 years of age her mother scoffed and made her go in while she sat there on her porch making sure her face and words were smathered as it pourned down rain and thunder htis poor little girl was left to juts look OUT the window Like a lost innocence.
Andrea said,
March 16, 2009 at 1:11 pm
What do you mean what has happened to the boy Levi? To name himself after a tribe that killed after God’s command he must be a great follower of the Law. Yeah those kids were taught rules in every way they can. Its ok to each rules to young kids, but where the father’s love?