Roasted marshmallows, campfire stories, shaving cream battles—for some of us, Christian summer camp is where we felt most at home. But for campers at white Evangelical church camps in particular, camp was also often the place to inherit an image of God—and of each other—that was incomplete at best and toxic at worst. My friend and author Cara Meredith explores these tensions in her latest book, Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation. She joined me on the podcast to talk through:
- Personal experiences of church camp, including joy, exclusion, and betrayal
- Complexities of faith and belonging
- Emotional manipulation
- Reconstructing faith
- Deciding if church camp is right for your child
LISTEN OR WATCH: Apple 🎧 | Spotify 🎧 | YouTube 🎬
What do we want to pass along to our kids?
Early on in her book, Cara describes herself as “the girl who once called church camp the greatest place on earth, who is now the woman who doesn’t know if she can send her own kids there.” This statement prompted us to explore what we want to pass along to our children when it comes to matters of faith, and how we want to do that:
- Faith Begins with Belonging
Cara wants her children to know that “they are loved beyond a shadow of a doubt by God for exactly who they are as they are.” It is a gift to our children to create a foundation of unconditional love and belonging, not rooted in fear or performance. In her words, “I want belonging that is built on nothing except for the simple fact that God loves them.” - There’s Room for Doubt
Rather than shielding her kids from questions, Cara embraces doubt as a vital part of a healthy, growing faith. She says, “They may have big doubts and questions, and yet that is also exactly what I want them to have.” Questions and uncertainty aren’t failures of faith; they’re an essential part of forming a meaningful spiritual life. - The Sacredness of the Ordinary
Church camp is full of spectacular moments, but quiet rhythms of faith—receiving Communion, hearing a parent’s voice in worship—can be powerful spiritual moments. They affirm that deep faith is often formed not in emotional highs, but in everyday acts of love and presence. God is doing very ordinary work in our very ordinary lives.
I hope you’ll listen (or watch) and then share this episode with a friend. And I want to hear from you. Did you attend church camp as a kid? What was your experience?
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