God's Next Army - 2006

God's Next Army takes you inside Patrick Henry College for an intimate look at a conservative Evangelical Christian liberal arts institution that is dedicated to home-schooled kids.

During the Bush Administration, Patrick Henry College, though small, had more White House interns than any other college in America. The primary focus of this institution near Washington, DC, is to produce the next generation of Christian political leaders. Its mission involves "...aiding in the transformation of American society by training Christian students to serve God and mankind with a passion for righteousness, justice and mercy, through careers of public service and cultural influence."

In God's Next Army, award-winning filmmakers Jed Rothstein and Tom Hurwitz follow members of the incoming freshman class through their training, which emphasizes debating skills, their conformity to college rules, and their frequent day trips to Congress, where they hone their expertise as lobbyists dedicated to molding the world into a Christian Republic.

Students also take courses in fields such as Strategic Intelligence, in the underlying belief that their patriotism and clean backgrounds make them excellent candidates for work on the frontlines of the intelligence community.

The degree of access allowed the filmmakers, and the filmmakers' skills in allowing the story to unfold in an objective way in front of the lens, makes for a fascinating and incisive portrait of these students and this institution.

Completed: 

2006

Running Time: 

45 Minutes

 Director: 

Jed Rothstein and Tom Hurwitz

     Executive Producer: Cal Skaggs

God's Next Army investigates Patrick Henry College (PHC), set up five years ago in Virginia, near Washington DC. Its mission is to train young fundamentalist Christians to become the next generation of America's cultural and political leaders. Though the separation of church and state is enshrined in the US Constitution, with financial backing from the evangelical community the college aims to rechristianise America; to preserve the world from the sinfulness of man.

PHC students are an isolated group who come from close-knit communities where everyone prays together and shares moral certainties. Most have been educated at home and have had no contact with either the social diversity or the political and intellectual cut and thrust of mainstream schools. Derek Archer, a prospective PHC student believes home - schooling has protected him from the 'moral decay of the world'.

Once at the college, the students ceremonially sign a covenant which commits them to a strict behaviour code: no alcohol, drugs or obscene literature; sex will be reserved for marriage; personal conflicts will be resolved biblically; the students will be above reproach, will uphold the tenets of evangelical Christianity and lead the nation for Christ.