Aside: I began and titled this post nearly a month ago, and this was not a defense of camping in response to Jesus Camp but instead an expression of cumulative thought that I believe is worth conveying.

Many of the tensions that arise in Christian camping have caused me to question my motives in my occupational pursuits. I have observed here at camp the common critiques of the ministry. Not the least is the tendency in camping to encourage a rededication which emulates salvation, as if salvation was not a constant thing entrusted to God's children but rather a renewable membership. This, in my opinion is destructive to Christianity and has disillusioned me. I guess we are all not so different from Descartes, because, at least for me, disillusionment leads to thought.

As I thought I determined the two main contributors to my passion for Christian camping. One is more an outpouring of my logical and systematic tendencies, and the other is a desire for something which is unattainable yet on this earth but is quite desirable. The first draw in camping is really quite simple, which by no means undercuts its importance. That draw is that camping creates disequilibrium. It causes campers to undergo stress, whether eustress or distress (hopefully the distress is controlled), which accelerates the learning process. These theories of education are not novel to any education majors, as they are far from original. Dewey and Piaget wrote extensive works on the subject and many similar models are offered. The way I perceive it the simplistic model that stress and learning graph basically linearly, then plateau, the drop off abrupt is useful in determining camp program and setting goals for others growth and learning. Disequilibration is not exclusive to camping, but it is not difficult to argue that camping is able to do it exceptionally well by altering environment, creating temporary community and having intentional teaching happening at both formal and informal levels. It covers many learning styles and provides instant platform for sharing and teaching others.

The second draw to camping isn't present at every camp and is a much more elusive concept. That is that camping, as I desire it to be, and as it is capable of being offers similar to Edenic conditions to work in. I am not presumptuous enough to say that it is Edenic, for we live in a fallen world (I'm quite willing to presume that), but instead that the work expectations of someone in camping can come close to the original model. What I mean by Edenic is that in camping I look forward to making blurry the line between fun, work, and family. They will all be done together, they will function together, they will not have the typical distinctions that jobs and recreation demand of many of us. By working in camping there is opportunity to make it a family endeavor centered around something that brings joy. For example, Rachel and I intend to work at a camp with a farming/ranch atmosphere as the medium. Farming is a family occupation, undoubtedly, that distinction is blurred naturally. Also, our passion for the outdoors and good stewardship will be well satisfied by an engaging job in the outdoors. Camping is not perfection, yet it approaches the model of Eden more so than most jobs. I still realize that my work will be toil, and that it won't always be recreation (and sometimes quite unenjoyable), and it won't make my family magically reach perfection. Instead, I intend to work to assimilate the model of the Garden as best as possible, as it looks quite wonderful to me.

I am in camping to teach, and to promote excellence in my family. Those are the primary goals. That is the attraction to camping. The positive aspects of the occupation are vast, and the disillusionments along the way will not upset my resolve to use this powerful medium. Christian camping, for all its downfalls, honestly has great potential to change lives, and equally great potential to temper its staff into great men and women of the faith.