Jesus Camp

As I sit back and think about the documentary Jesus Camp, my mind keeps being drawn to one specific part of it. Never mind the way these kids find it so necessary to share their faith with total strangers or the charismatic tendencies of those being documented. My problem deals with the woman who led the youth camps shown throughout the film.

This woman had one of the strongest passions for youth that I have seen in a long time and I do not doubt that her intentions are good. However, I watched her address these kids in the general assemblies they had. I could tell she was trying to motivate them, but it was the way she did it that bothered me. It seemed that guilt was the tactic she always used. I distinctly remember her telling the kids that they would be come fat and lazy if they didn’t start sharing the gospel. She also asked them to make a promise to them and they told them they would be liars if they broke it.

I do not believe that this is the correct motivation for these kids. No child wants to be labeled a liar, so naturally they will make the promise being asked of them. Guilt in no way works when it comes to getting anyone to do thing for the right reasons. It makes me question whether or not the decisions being made by these young children were real. Come to think of it, based on the age of some of these kids, did they even know what they were doing…