Jesus Camp

In the Lord we trust.

Jesus Camp is a Documentary about Kids on Fire School of Ministry, a fundamentalist Christian summer camp in North Dakota, and about three children from Christian families in Missouri who go there. It examines how the evangelical movement seeks to attain political power in the United States, and how they are seeking to convert young children in order to further their agenda.

It is also one of the single greatest sources of horror on the face of the Earth, regardless of what you believe. Even some more moderate fundamentalists, who are afraid that people will think all fundamentalists are like those in the movie, consider this film terrifying.

Shortly after the film was released, the camp closed indefinitely.

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Tropes used in Jesus Camp include:

• Armoured Closet Gay: A scandal that transpired after the film's release revealed that pastor Ted Haggard's condemnation of homosexuality apparently had quite a bit of this in the subtext.
• Because Destiny Says So: A speaker tells Levi that God chose him (Levi) to become a faithful Christian and preacher before he was born.
• Blatant Lies: "I am not going after my kids politically..."
  • This is after footage of a camp meeting where Becky instructed the kids to pray for George W. Bush, complete with a cardboard cutout of the same.
  • And after recordings of Becky telling the children that we need more "godly" people in government and after footage of the kids protesting abortion in front of the White House.
• Boomerang Bigot: Becky tells the children that there are too many "fat and lazy" Christians who don't want to "give up their evening meals" and "fast for three days." She was quite heavy when this footage was taken, and she doesn't make any exceptions for people who are heavy due to a condition.
• Brainwashed: A case can be made that this is being done to the kids in this film. When accused of doing so during an interview, the ministry's head pastor responded by saying:

"I'd like to see more churches indoctrinate."

• Chick Tracts: One of the kids is seen passing out Jack Chick's comic tracts at a bowling alley.
• The Chosen Many: What speakers at Jesus Camp tells the kids they are.
• Christian Rock: Various Christian forms of contemporary music styles are mentioned and shown.
• Critical Research Failure:
  • Levi opines that Galileo made the right decision giving up science for Christ.
  • An adult says that "science doesn't prove anything."
• Culture Police: One of the guys running the camp chides the boys for telling ghost stories because ghost stories don't further their religious goals.
• The Cutie: A lot of the kids are absolutely adorable when they're allowed to just be themselves.
• Does This Remind You of Anything? / Fridge Horror: The head pastor at the camp talks about turning the children into an "army of God," and tells the kids that they should be ready to lay down their lives in the name of God. Explicit comparisons to Muslim extremists are brought up... by the pastor, who openly acknowledges that she was inspired by the way that they indoctrinate their youth
• Drop the Hammer: Kids use a hammer to smash ceramic cups symbolizing the things they want to break down, to symbolize "breaking the power of the Devil."
• Manipulative Bastard: There are elements of this at times. The camp seems to have a method of making the kids cry and then using their emotional tumult to really cement their message.
  • Relevant or otherwise, this and similar are popular tactics for indoctrinating child soldiers; break them psychologically, then give them an out in the form of enlisting. Here, you make the kids cry, then persuade them to work for Jesus in His armies.
• Meaningful Name: The camp was held near Devil's Lake. Make of it what you will.
• Military Brat: Tory's dad is in the army.
• Music for Courage
• Noodle Implements: As Becky shows the camera crew some of her "activities" for the kids to do, such brain-shaped Jell-O molds, some weird things pop up. A scythe and fake heart come to mind, as does a small stoplight.
• Negated Moment of Awesome: Becky uses a plush lion cub to represent sin early in life, when it (supposedly) looks "cute and cuddly." Then she picks up a plush lion. Now, anyone familiar with the Bible might reasonably expect her to quote or paraphrase 1 Peter 5:8 (which likens Satan to a prowling lion), but instead she swings the lion plush around by the tail says that if you give in you'll eventually realize "you've got a tiger by the tail." Basically, Becky had the perfect chance to use actual scripture, but instead used a badly shoehorned figure of speech.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Really, who thought it was a good idea to call the camp Kids on Fire?! (And for bonus points, it was held in Devils Lake, ND.)
• Only Sane Man: Mike Papantonio, a radio host and devout Methodist who criticizes the evangelical movement, claiming that their fire-and-brimstone preaching runs counter to what Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount, and that they are trying to subvert American democracy. Clips from his show are interspersed throughout the film.
• Principles Zealot: Becky declares that Harry Potter would have been put to death for sorcery in the old testament, regardless of what kind of hero he was.
• Religious Horror: According to Fischer's doctrine, the possibility of Satan and his demons literally destroying you is a very real one.
• Science Is Bad: Levi says "personally, I think Galileo made the right choice giving up science for Christ."
• Science Is Wrong: The children are taught that science is wrong about the big bang, evolution, and global warming.
• Take That: They seem pretty fond of taking pointless potshots at pop culture. For example:
  • Tory says how much she likes Christian metal and rock (fair enough), then says that she could care less about Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan because their music is "mainly based on guys and girls."
  • Becky says "Unlike McDonald's, this is not about how fast you can go through the drive-through!"
• The Theocracy: What the kids are being trained to instate in the US, essentially. Becky even criticizes democracy because democracy means giving everyone equal freedom.
• There Are No Coincidences: Becky apparently thinks that power outages and equipment failures are the work of Satan.
• Totally Radical: The Christian rap piece heard in the film. "JC is in the house today!" "We kickin' it for Christ!"
• War Is Glorious: "Take these prophecies and do what the apostle Paul said and make war with them! THIS MEANS WAR! THIS MEANS WAR!" One hopes Becky means spiritual warfare...
• The War On Straw: The anti-evolution film the kids watch brings up the old "the Big Bang was an explosion" and "came from goo" canards.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: As the documentary goes along, it focuses much more on Levi and Racheal and much less on Tory. We're never really given any reason why either.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Many of the kids, but quite noticeably 9-year-old Rachael, who wants to open a manicure salon when she grows up so she can try to convert customers while they're getting their nails done.