Comments on: Jesus Camp: A Few Reflections, Sight Unseen http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/ "If an otter can't have fun doing something, it just simply won't do it." Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:55:04 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: theotter http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/comment-page-1/#comment-208 theotter Tue, 03 Oct 2006 22:30:32 +0000 http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/#comment-208 Interesting observations, both of you! One day maybe we'll combine forces and create a fun, accurate, and aesthetically pleasing representation of diversity within Christianity. Interesting observations, both of you! One day maybe we’ll combine forces and create a fun, accurate, and aesthetically pleasing representation of diversity within Christianity.

]]> By: K http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/comment-page-1/#comment-207 K Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:50:11 +0000 http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/#comment-207 "children as subjects" hmm... i took a few minutes this afternoon to actually follow your links; i'm afraid w/ exams this fall i won't make time to watch the documentary (and there are still other films, like 'inconvenient truth' that i want to see!). but even with the narrow sub-group of evangelical culture that is represented in the movie, it is stirring questions and some good debate about diversity within the christian community. hopefully. there were also plenty of comments posted on the netscape video report that responded w/ fear and disbelief at the radicalism of these 'indoctrinated' kids. i think my own response pivots on the age and innocence (or is that illusion why i react?) of the subjects for ewig and grady's film. the politics, the causes and consequences of issues that get raised, are far over and above the head of a 9-year-old. over my head, too. they ask about what these kids will be like in the future, but it's an unanswered question, unless they return to the same stars in 10 years down the road and make another film... so, it seems like what the documentary wants to tackle for purposes and depth/complexity/whatever, is at odds with the limited frame they've set themselves. that's a bigger criticism than i meant to offer when i started this comment! i was originally just going to muse on how foreign 'jesus camp' can seem even to my religious background (def. not pentecostal). a plug for the diversity within the evangelical christian sub-culture. something on how removed summer camp was from the rest of life, even as a kid. and finally, an express wish that there would be more discussion among these christian communities themselves... whether 'official' in their born-again-ness or no. =) how are you officially born-again? (this was the radio personality's qualification of his faith) isn't baptism the public sacrament of conversion? among the more conservative mennonite families where i grew up, many of them would opt for sending their kids to public schools as opposed to the numerous private, religious establishments in the area. i happened to attend those private schools K-12. but the reason for venturing into the secular environment? in part, because it was easier to define their beliefs and lifestyles in stark contrast to those around them (representatives of 'the world') than to be threatened by a christian community that drew different lines. it was easier than accepting other christians that weren't the same as 'us.' “children as subjects”

hmm… i took a few minutes this afternoon to actually follow your links; i’m afraid w/ exams this fall i won’t make time to watch the documentary (and there are still other films, like ‘inconvenient truth’ that i want to see!).

but even with the narrow sub-group of evangelical culture that is represented in the movie, it is stirring questions and some good debate about diversity within the christian community. hopefully. there were also plenty of comments posted on the netscape video report that responded w/ fear and disbelief at the radicalism of these ‘indoctrinated’ kids. i think my own response pivots on the age and innocence (or is that illusion why i react?) of the subjects for ewig and grady’s film. the politics, the causes and consequences of issues that get raised, are far over and above the head of a 9-year-old. over my head, too. they ask about what these kids will be like in the future, but it’s an unanswered question, unless they return to the same stars in 10 years down the road and make another film…

so, it seems like what the documentary wants to tackle for purposes and depth/complexity/whatever, is at odds with the limited frame they’ve set themselves.

that’s a bigger criticism than i meant to offer when i started this comment! i was originally just going to muse on how foreign ‘jesus camp’ can seem even to my religious background (def. not pentecostal). a plug for the diversity within the evangelical christian sub-culture. something on how removed summer camp was from the rest of life, even as a kid.

and finally, an express wish that there would be more discussion among these christian communities themselves… whether ‘official’ in their born-again-ness or no. =) how are you officially born-again? (this was the radio personality’s qualification of his faith) isn’t baptism the public sacrament of conversion?

among the more conservative mennonite families where i grew up, many of them would opt for sending their kids to public schools as opposed to the numerous private, religious establishments in the area. i happened to attend those private schools K-12. but the reason for venturing into the secular environment? in part, because it was easier to define their beliefs and lifestyles in stark contrast to those around them (representatives of ‘the world’) than to be threatened by a christian community that drew different lines. it was easier than accepting other christians that weren’t the same as ‘us.’

]]> By: Mink http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/comment-page-1/#comment-206 Mink Mon, 02 Oct 2006 18:53:41 +0000 http://www.theottery.com/2006/09/jesus-camp-a-few-reflections-sight-unseen/#comment-206 Dear Otter, I concur. So really, a more useful documentary would explore the variety evidenced in evangelical Christians' lives. But the challenging part there would be to make it any fun: "Hi, this is my balanced and compassionate documentary about the diversity in Christian evangelical expression around the world!" Yeah, that would be a big seller... Challenging, but I think it could be done - by someone really creative and canny - like Ms. O'Connor. Fortunately, we have delightful artists like her to remind those of us who want to make that movie that our religion shouldn't be our culture - amen to that! Dear Otter,
I concur. So really, a more useful documentary would explore the variety evidenced in evangelical Christians’ lives. But the challenging part there would be to make it any fun: “Hi, this is my balanced and compassionate documentary about the diversity in Christian evangelical expression around the world!” Yeah, that would be a big seller…
Challenging, but I think it could be done – by someone really creative and canny – like Ms. O’Connor. Fortunately, we have delightful artists like her to remind those of us who want to make that movie that our religion shouldn’t be our culture – amen to that!

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