Jesus Camp

As unintentional horror movies go, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's documentary Jesus Camp—about an evangelical summer camp for kids, located in (ironically) Devil Lake, ND, and run by preacher Becky Fischer—is scarier than most. At a time when people justifiably fret over the indoctrination of Muslim children as jihadists, it may be no less frightening to learn that some activists are dedicated to training youngsters on the “Christian” side (even if they emphasize that their warriors are intended to be peaceful). Of course, that's just one perspective on the camp—an opinion held by Mike Papantonio, a mainstream Christian broadcaster whose concerns about the politicizing of faith by conservatives punctuate the narrative. Evangelicals who send their children to “Kids on Fire Summer Camp” undoubtedly see things differently, and would applaud the encouragement of youngsters to speak in tongues, practice war dances, publicly confess their failings, or pray before a life-sized cutout of George W. Bush that Samuel Alito be confirmed to the Supreme Court. The fact that viewers of Jesus Camp may either applaud Fischer's program or deplore it is an indication of how sincerely the film tries to be evenhanded, while also adding a real human dimension with its focus on three children—12-year-old Levi, who's already preaching (in one scene Levi visits the mega-church presided over by televangelist Ted Haggard, who's since become famous for gay trysts and buying meth); nine-year-old Rachel, who has a strong missionary streak; and Tory, a nine-year-old who loves to dance. Raising provocative questions without ever becoming strident or shallow, Jesus Camp is highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, and 15 deleted scenes (31 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine documentary.] (F. Swietek)