http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entert ... rs-ga.htmlCBS' "48 Hours" gains unprecedented look at Lord's Boot Camp
posted by halboedeker on Apr 11, 2008 1:02:51 PM
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CBS' "48 Hours" offer an intimate look at the Lord's Boot Camp, a Merritt Island organization that trains teen missionaries. The program premieres at 8 p.m. Saturday on WKMG-Channel 6.
"The Lord's Boot Camp" represents a collaboration between the newsmagazine and Loki Films, makers of "Jesus Camp," an Oscar-nominated documentary.
"They did gain access because of 'Jesus Camp.' There was a trust factor," "48 Hours" executive producer Susan Zirinsky said Friday. "There were no restrictions."
CBS News bills the program as unprecedented look at teens in the camp, on their missions and in their lives since. The hour, which was shot over the summer, is told from the point of view of three girls: Tabitha Taylor, 13, of Bellwood, Pa.; Nicole Scrivener, 15, of Tallahassee; and Valerie Smith, 17, of Las Vegas.
Tabitha is wildly enthusiastic in her mission work, but doesn't fit in at school when she returns. Valerie switched her views on evolution to creationism. Nicole finds a purpose in Africa, but fell victim to some drug issues on her return, Zirinsky said.
"As she says, being a Christian doesn't shield you," Zirinsky said. "I think she's OK now."
In the program, boot camp founder Bob Bland defends his approach. "There's people who say, 'Are you brainwashing these kids?' " he says. "No, we are just telling them the truth, and they can decide whether it's right or wrong."
Zirinsky said no one at the boot camp has seen the program. "CBS standards don't allow us to show it to any participant before it airs," she said. "There was no editorial control at all by anyone participating in the camp."
She wanted an 8 p.m. time slot so children could watch, and she acknowledged that it's rare to see religion in prime time.
"It's a sensitive subject," she said. "It's personal. It's hard to lay out something that may be controversial."
But Zirinsky said she was grateful for the access. "Any time you can open a door where people don't get entry, that's so valuable," she said. "Let people form their own opinions. That's why we say it may inspire you or provoke you."
