Check the Time Stamp

Go on, check it.

4am. Yep. I've been up since 11am and busy since 2pm. 14hrs after I started my working day, I've finished it. This wasn't so abnormal in college, but it's incredibly challenging these days.

We had amazing conversation tonight at the Well. That's awesome, let me tell you. It was movie night and we watched Jesus Camp a strictly film (no commentary/narrator) documentary about extremest Christians of the Charismatic wing of Christianity... and specifically how they indoctrinate their children. Having been discipled into an A/G church I figured I'd be somewhat sympathetic to the individuals, but all I saw was shallow, highly emotional experiences and shame-filled tactics. Halfway through the film I went outside I was so frustrated about how the kids are treated. I mean, no one's mean to them, but they're definitely being spiritually abused. And it's sad to me to hear (and I kid you not) one 8 or 9 year old boy explain his salvation experience like this,

"I've been saved since I was 5. I..when I was 5 life just wasn't fun anymore. I knew I needed more out of life. So I came to Jesus and life's been good ever since."

What? And their children's pastor was giddy with such an answer at her finger tips.

Another little girl, age 10 (I think), talked about hearing the voice of God. She was at a bowling alley and wanted a strike soo badly. So she prayed her little heart out... for a couple minutes, mind you, and you could hear the sweet sincerity in her words, "Jesus, guide the ball, help me..." And then she rolled the ball on down with all the strength a 10 yo can muster... and no strike. In fact, she was centimeters away from a gutter ball. The look on her face was crushing. She clearly didn't understand why God didn;t hear her prayer and answer. She went off and sat alone. No one bothered to console her broken heart. It angered me.

And then there was the home-schooling mom who believed President Bush has done Christianity a service. And who told her kid while they were studying science that global warming wasn't an important problem, and evolution not worth spending time on. I wish I could describe for you the actual conversation she had with her son. It made me so sad.

Or the 9 yo who wanted to be a beautician solely because she thought her clients would be unsuspecting and unable to decline the gospel.

And then the parents of these kids send them off to a camp where all ages were taught how they MUST change the world, that they have these experiences, that if they're not careful satan... well, okay, I think you get the picture... in essence, several of the parents were forcing their kids to have intense emotional reactions...

I'm concerned. I wonder what the bowling alley girl will understand God as. I wonder if she thinks she isn't good enough or God doesn't really care about her. I wonder what will happen when homeschooled boy goes out in the world and discovers that global warming and evolution are important issues. I wonder how many of them are forcing the experiences, much like I did when I came into the pentecostal circle, so they can get accepted and feel good enough. I wonder what will happen when beautician girl begins to realize people won't come back, or when no-fun 5 yo begins to doubt his faith as a teenager.

Let me be clear: I'm not dogging these kids. They're sweet, well-meaning children whose love for God is no doubt genuine. I am, however, calling into the spotlight this subculture that seeks to disciple kids like Muslim extremest do their kids... only with "the Truth." (I'm referencing actual statements by the children's pastor). I'm saddened.

We discussed it for a good 3-4 hrs. No joke.