Wednesday, November 8, 2006

"Jesus Camp" closes

In other news, the Christianist indoctrination childrens camp featured in the documentary Jesus Camp is apparently shutting down. According to chron.com:

Organizers of an evangelical summer camp for children featured in the documentary "Jesus Camp" are discontinuing the camp because of negative reaction sparked by the film and recent vandalism at the camp site in Devils Lake, N.D.

"We have decided to hold different activities in future," Pentecostal pastor and camp organizer Becky Fischer said.

While the negative reaction to the camp is understandable, vandalizing a kids camp crosses the line. If ND has any type of hate crimes law, the vandalism should be prosecuted.

Like any good evangelical leader/marketer, Fischer believes God led her ministry into the spotlight. According to her article on the ministry's website:

It all began in 2002 on my first trip to South Africa. My host . . . prophesied boldly: "Becky Fischer, you're going to be on national TV with children who are operating in the supernatural." We got it on tape. . . .

. . . But in the back of my mind I was expecting a phone call someday from TBN or the 700 Club or some other Christian programmer.

Later in her article, she unsuccessfully argues that the film misrepresented the camp as political:

. . . The surprising twist none of us expected to come out of the film was that it ended up having strong political overtones. "How in the world did that happen?" I kept asking myself and them. I have never ever considered anything we do political in any way. . . .

. . . But when we drug out a life size poster of President Bush to teach our kids this scripture, secular eyes saw this as political.

Likewise when we brought out a flag of Israel and taught the kids to pray for the peace of Jerusalem according to scripture (Psalms 122:6 NLT, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.") they saw it as political. Without question then when Lou Engle came the last night and shared his vision of praying for the peaceful overturn of Roe vs. Wade (the court case that made abortion legal in the USA) the filmmakers saw a whole new angle to their film. But this is just good Christianity to us! (Psalms 106:38 NLT "They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. By sacrificing them to the idols of Canaan, they polluted the land with murder.")

Fischer is apparently naive and/or trying to portray herself as a persecuted Christian. Apparently by sending the evil secular media to her, God wanted to pressure her to shut-down the camp. Or maybe exposing false prophets is just good Christianity to us.

Hat Tip: 365gay.com

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