"Jesus Camp"

Jesus Camp was directed in 2006 by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady. According to IMBD, the plot outline says that this film is a documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham. The directors do a great job in making the film easy to follow which is contributed to the numerous establishing shots. By being clear and laying out things well, the audience is able to follow the different characters throughout the films entirety. Another great feature that this film offers is its use of imagery. The images of the the Christian flag along side the American flag as well as the Bush cutout echoes the different meanings the directors are trying to portray.

In this film, there are many layers and issues that are thrown at the audience. The two main ideas are committing these young children to the cause of Jesus much like they do in Islam and President Bush along with his credibility. One of the main characters in this film is Becky Fisher, a Pentecostal minister. She claims that children are usable in Christianity. The opposing character is Mike Papantonio, a radio broadcaster. The two characters are displayed evenly with their points and views. I think that one of the strongest parts of the film is when the two characters get to talk to each other at the end of the film. This leads the audience to believe that the directors were unbiased to the film.

I thought the topic was very interesting. I also felt a little bit uneducated due to the fact that I did not even know that this was taking place in the U.S. The film served its' purpose because it opened my eyes and got me to thinking about how this can and does relate to me as well as what do I think about this topic. I have not completely made up my mind on how I feel about the whole issue. Most people would think that I would automatically swing towards Becky Fisher and her group being that I am Christian and my faith is very important to me. I can see both sides and where they are each coming from. I did enjoy the film immensely and wanted to leave you with some facts that the film through out at the audience that I thought were neat and thought provoking. So enjoy!!

- 43% of Evangelic Christians are saved before age 13

- 75% homeschoolers are Evangelical Christians

- If the Evangelicals vote, they have the power to sway the election.