Church: A Force for Social Change
About this episode
Pastor Eric Camp of Collective Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi joins Philip Cameron to make a compelling case for why Christians — and especially pastors — can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines of American political life. Eric shares his journey from running a mayoral race in Oxford, Alabama in 2004, to serving five years on the Ocean Springs School District School Board, to now running for Mississippi House District 111, arguing that "the church has been quiet for too long." The conversation tackles the accelerating moral decline in public education, from gender ideology being taught to minors without parental consent to the infiltration of inappropriate materials in school libraries. Eric and Philip agree that faith without works is dead — invoking the spirit of James 2 — and that conservative Christians fracturing over personal grievances is precisely what allows the progressive left to consolidate power. Eric calls on pastors to mobilize their congregations around shared biblical values rather than partisan loyalty, declaring, "We're Christ followers before we're Republicans and we're Christ followers before we're Democrats." Eric also champions elected school boards, term limits, and self-funded campaigns free from political favors. Learn more or support his campaign at ericcamp.net.
Part of our Government collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“I believe that the church has been quiet for too long. Pastors have been too quiet. And I'm not talking about protesting and boycotting. I'm talking about just making a difference, being significant and making an influence, especially for our conservative Christian values. And as we all know, our nation is in turmoil, and we need godly people to stand up.”
“I think the church has been so conditioned to go to our buildings and sing our songs and hear our sermons, but do nothing. I love what you said. We just think we can pray and things will happen. No. I do believe we need the supernatural presence of God, but he has called us. Faith without works is dead. We've got to do something.”
“Be the change you wanna see. If you wanna make a difference, make the difference where you are. The Lord wants to bless us with more opportunity, but he's gotta see that we're faithful with the opportunity we already have before us.”
What's Discussed
Pastor Eric Camp of Collective Church in Pascagoula, Mississippi discusses his conviction that Christians must actively engage in government rather than retreat to church buildings. Drawing on his five years on the Ocean Springs School District School Board and his current campaign for Mississippi House District 111, Eric argues that elected school boards, term limits, and integrity-driven campaigns are essential to reversing moral decline. He warns that conservative Christians lose political ground by fracturing over personal differences, and calls the church to unite around biblical truth as its compass. He references James 2 — faith without works is dead — as the theological foundation for civic action.
- Eric Camp's Path to Political Candidacy
- Church as Center of American Society
- Gender Ideology in Public Schools
- Faith Without Works Demands Civic Action
- Elected School Boards and Term Limits
- Conservative Unity vs. Political Fracturing
- Self-Funded Campaigns and Political Integrity
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hey, welcome to Daily Faith and my name is Phil Cameron. And boy, do we have a great show today. I am excited to have my guest with us, Eric Camp, from a great church in Pascagoula, Mississippi, which is one of my old hunting grounds. I spent months and months in Pascagoula and met some of the most lovely folk in the world — Howard Rush and his darling wife Sarah, and just a whole bunch of people that I just fell in love with in Pascagoula. And when I realized he was on the show today, I feel like I'm talking to an old friend, and I'm just excited.
Philip:He is doing something right now that I think every pastor in America should get involved with. Our own pastor here — my personal pastor here in Montgomery, in Tennessee, in Clinton — we've encouraged him to get the church involved. One of our young men ran for the judgeship of our town, and he's now the judge. So we're gonna be talking about being involved in government today as Christians, and I think that's a very important subject.
Philip:My son Andrew is in Moldova today. In fact, this morning he flew in overnight, got in early this morning, went straight into a meeting with all the leadership of the ministry there. And he sent me this — I just got this literally on my iPhone. They're going tomorrow to Ukraine, into the war zone, real close to where — you've been watching on the news — where they bombed that dam.
Philip:It is an ecological disaster. It is a humanitarian disaster. These are some bullet points he sent me a few minutes ago. 80 settlements at risk of flooding. 80 towns — water set to flood Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, and other cities and towns — taking lives and destroying the Ukrainian ecology. Over 200,000 residents of surrounding settlements at risk of losing access to drinking water. 200,000 people are gonna be without drinking water, and I mean, this thing is only beginning.
Philip:Over 16,000 people living on the right bank of the Kherson Oblast have already found themselves in the critical zone, with nine settlements already completely or partially flooded. There is a threat of nuclear disaster due to possible cooling issues at the temporarily occupied nuclear power plant. 150 tons of machine oil — heavy oil, thick oil — have contaminated the Dnipro River, and there's a risk of a further 300 tons leaking.
Philip:The level in the reservoir below 12 meters will lead to an ecological disaster. A large amount of the flora and fauna have been lost. So this is a disaster that's unfolding. And as you know, six years ago we began ministry there. For those that don't know, we have homes in Moldova — a village called Vatra Village — an amazing place where young women are taken from orphanages at the risk of being trafficked. We take them to our village, put them back in school, and these kids, these amazing kids, have become missionaries. And when the war broke out, these kids began to feed the refugees and go up.
Philip:In fact, they're leaving tomorrow to go back up into Ukraine, where they have feeding ministries, regular programs run by orphans. Our kids do this by themselves. So Andrew is going up there tomorrow. So pray for him, pray for his safety. This is not an easy trip that he's on. It's 20 days long. He goes to Ukraine for several days. We're buying a home in Odessa. We're buying a home in a war zone. We've occupied this house and had it for six years, but the owner wants to leave. So we're buying it because we want to have a presence there. If the Russians win, that house will be needed. If the Ukrainians win, that house will be needed.
Philip:So pray for him, for his safety, and for all of the red tape. The whole country is in a terrible mess right now, government-wise. There's just no way to know what's happening, and so to buy anything is a really tedious and painful process. He's also going to Southern Moldova. We were hoping to open a house for the first time in a different part of Moldova, one of the poorest spots right on the Ukrainian border. And then once he does that, he's going to Turkey. We've been there already, where we are helping victims of the earthquake. The news has completely ignored this.
Philip:Listen to me, it is the biggest disaster ever. There is no disaster bigger than what was taking place in Turkey. And because it happened in the election cycle, Erdogan, who just won the election, tried to keep this out of the news because the people of Turkey got mad at him for how poorly these buildings were built and how poorly the rescue had gone. In one city — Antakya — where Andrew went with a team from our kids in Moldova, drove one of our vehicles down to deliver things. 1.6 million people in that city, and it was 90% destroyed when they were there. They had dug out 20% of the buildings and found 50,000 bodies.
Philip:It is a disaster. And they're going back again to buy more family tents and more food. We were asked by the pastor, and he said, there's all the tents you bought — we bought 50 family tents, they're all full. And all the food we bought — we bought 40-pound boxes and we delivered hundreds of these boxes to people. It was an amazing outreach, and we're doing it again. So please pray for him.
Philip:They sent me a video just a couple of weeks ago, and let me show you this to give you an idea of what we're doing, because a picture is worth a thousand words. Watch this.
Philippians 4, verse 13. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." If I had given up, I might not have made it this far. Maybe I wouldn't even exist anymore.
My name is Veronica, and I come from a family of three children. At the age of six, my mother chose to abandon me. I don't know the exact reason why she left, but she took my older brother with her, and I stayed with my younger brother and father. After she left, my dad turned to alcohol. He spent every penny on it, leaving us with nothing. It was very difficult for me because all the household responsibilities fell on my shoulders. I had to take care of him, do the cleaning, and cook.
At eight years old, I didn't go to school much. And if I went out and played with other children, my father would beat me because I wasn't at home doing the cleaning or cooking for him. Also, he would wake up at night and demand food from me. Because of this, sometimes I wouldn't eat so that he could eat, because if I didn't give him food, he would beat me until I would bleed. My younger brother would always pull him from behind, begging and crying, "Don't beat her, daddy, don't beat her." But he would still continue to beat me.
For a long time it was very painful for me to watch other children playing in the park with their families. And I would often start crying in the streets while watching them hug or hold hands, because I wanted to feel what it's like to have someone who loves you, who takes care of you, or what it feels like when a mother buys you a dress. Those feelings overwhelmed me, and I even tried to end my own life many times.
But I'm thankful that I am here now and I have another day. When I finished high school, I dreamed of continuing my studies, but there was no way. I desperately searched for help, and God answered my prayers through the Orphan's Hands. Now I want to say a heartfelt thank you for everything you do to give us a second chance at life. My encouragement to all of you is to never give up, no matter what life throws at you. Keep trying, because you'll make it in the end. And don't forget to trust in God, because he blesses us abundantly.
Philip:Don't you love the gospel? One of our girls — amazing kids at Vatra Village — and they come to us as orphans or from desperate positions as she came. And once they come to us, they become our sons and daughters, and then they become missionaries. And that young girl is a fearless missionary going into war zones. They called me a few weeks ago in the middle of the night and they said, "Listen, can you hear this?" And I heard the wails of sirens because there was a missile attack. And I said, "Aren't you afraid?" And they said, "No, God is on our side." And I said, "Well, you're more Christian than I am." And these kids need your support and need your help.
Philip:If you could help us support the ministry that we have in Moldova and Ukraine, you can give a one-time gift of any amount — whatever the Lord leads you to do — or you can become a monthly sponsor, be part of our family. A dollar a day won't change your world, but I promise you, a dollar a day will change our world. And I want you to be a part of a miracle. Please believe it. The address is very simple. It's P.O. Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. And you can make a check out to the Orphan's Hands and be a part of this miracle that we are witnessing every single day.
Philip:We love you so much. I'm so thrilled to have my guest here today. I believe that this is the first of many visits he's gonna have with us, because here's a pastor that is pastoring a successful church, a great church in Pascagoula, but he has decided not just to sit on the sidelines in the church, but to get involved in the affairs of government. And he is running for Mississippi's House District 111. And I'm gonna be praying that God gives him the victory. And I'm thrilled to introduce you to Eric Camp. Pastor Eric, God bless you. How are you doing today?
Eric Camp's Path to Political Candidacy
Eric Camp:I'm doing great. What an honor it is to be here. Thank you so much. And it's House District 111, by the way.
Philip:Well, they wrote 11 and it is 111. I'm sorry, I apologize for that. Tell us about your church and what God's led you to do as far as running for this position.
Eric Camp:Well, I served on the Ocean Springs School District School Board for five years, from 2016 to 2021, through Covid, and had my opportunity to kind of get my feet wet a little bit in the political climate. I always had an interest in political involvement. I ran a mayoral race in 2004 in the city of Oxford, Alabama. And we moved to the coast in 2004 with a heart for a life-giving church. Katrina came, and we were fortunate enough to be blessed with some financial revenue to launch the church officially in 2009. And the church is doing great. We've seen thousands of people surrender their lives to Jesus, which is really what our heart is.
Eric Camp:But I also believe that those of us of the Christian faith, we shouldn't just be meeting in buildings. We are the church. And so we should be out in the world making the difference that I believe we're ultimately called by Christ to make. And government is one of those areas. I really have a conviction there because I believe that the church has been quiet for too long. Pastors have been too quiet. And I'm not talking about protesting and boycotting. I'm talking about just making a difference, being significant and making an influence, especially for our conservative Christian values. And as we all know, our nation is in turmoil, and we need godly people to stand up.
Church as Center of American Society
Eric Camp:I guess endure the frustrations of the political climate. My eyes have been opened a good bit running this state race, but I really feel led to do this. And we're just excited to hopefully have the opportunity to serve the people of Mississippi, especially in District 111.
Philip:I really feel that what you're doing is critical in these days. America was built — and let me explain this to folk that maybe have forgotten — America was built with the church house as the center of our world. The church was the schoolhouse. The church was the hospital. The church was where everyone congregated. The reason why churches are in the center of our towns — these old towns you go through — is because the church was the center of our town. And as government expanded, let me tell you something, there's nothing good about any government expansion, because all they're doing is taking power and authority away from your life and sucking it into this monolith.
Philip:Once they get power from you, you can try all you want and talk to whoever you want, and they'll put you on a merry-go-round that you'll never get to where you need to go to get the answer you're looking for. And it's time that America understands that we are the people. "We the people" is us — you and me. And instead of giving it away to whoever, whether it's a state house or a White House or a House of Representatives or whatever, every time we cede power to them, we are taking one step further away into big government.
Philip:I am from Scotland, I am from the United Kingdom, and I have watched in my relatively short life, little by little, the power being drained to London. And what happens is these men no longer are interested in you. They're interested in their budgets and raising as much money as they can in their political action committees, et cetera. And you and I are the last thing on their mind. It's only, how do I get elected? And all this capers and carry on. You're seeing just now our government has been sold to China and Ukraine and Romania for kickbacks, and you can't weed it out. And we all know it's a fact and we all see it, and you know in your bones that it is.
Philip:But what they do is they've now got whole agencies of government that are running defense to protect the status quo. And it takes men like Pastor Eric Camp that will stand up and say, this is the way we should be going, and we need to dismantle all of this stuff that's being built falsely on a false premise.
Eric Camp:Absolutely.
Philip:How am I doing?
Eric Camp:You know, that's a good sermon. We've gotta have you back to Pascagoula. We're gonna make that happen.
Philip:I'd love to do that.
Eric Camp:You know, the nation is divided because the church has been divided as well. We're fighting amongst ourselves and dividing ourselves. And you've heard the old saying that the church is the only entity, the only force, that actually shoots its own wounded.
Gender Ideology in Public Schools
Philip:Yeah, that's the truth.
Eric Camp:Interestingly enough, our political climate has been taken over by those that want to serve for careers. I'm not a career politician. I have no intention of that. I have signed the term limits pledge, and I believe that there should be term limits for Congress.
Philip:Absolutely, so do I.
Eric Camp:And I am a very small government kind of guy. I lean a little more even libertarian in some of my philosophy, because I don't believe Washington should be educating our kids in Pascagoula and in Ocean Springs and wherever.
Philip:Absolutely not. And we've just got so much indoctrination that's taken place from the bureaucracy of Washington that people have just let it go. And let me say this — they're not just educating our kids anymore, Eric. They're genderizing our kids. They're telling your kids, "You're not really a girl, you feel like a boy," and, "You and me keep the secret, don't tell your mom and dad." What kind of nutcases are we putting in power?
Eric Camp:Absolutely. And that is how far it's gone. And I think that Christians have been asleep for so long, and we've allowed — and again, I'm not talking about boycotting on the sidewalks, that's not what I'm saying. I'm talking about getting involved. I think the church has been so conditioned to go to our buildings and sing our songs and hear our sermons, but do nothing. I love what you said. We just think we can pray and things will happen. No. I do believe we need the supernatural presence of God, but he has called us. Faith without works is dead. We've got to do something. And I hope and pray that more people of faith will rise up and run for office.
Faith Without Works Demands Civic Action
Eric Camp:School boards are probably some of the most important elected positions, I think. And that's one of the reasons why, even on my platform in the state of Mississippi — municipalities actually appoint school board members, and there are some that are in unincorporated areas like myself that are actually voted in. I believe that all school boards should be elected. I believe the constituency, whether you live in a city or in a county, should have the opportunity to vote for who's representing the schools.
Eric Camp:And I've stayed on the sidelines, I've served on the school board, but it's time. Some of the books that have been able to get into our libraries and our schools — this indoctrination — it's absolutely bizarre. And I just can't sit by and watch it happening. Now, my opponents — I'm running against two conservative men, two attorneys here locally. They're good guys. I don't believe that they would do a bad job, but I do believe that my experience and my faith, which is gonna lead my charge, sets me apart a little bit from that. Because I'm just to the point where I'm not going to comply to the way the system has been.
Eric Camp:The system is the Word of God, and we've gotta get back to that. That needs to be our compass. That's our absolute truth.
Philip:I can't believe how far we have gone. And what I've found — I'm sure you see the same thing, Eric — what's happening is it seems like the decline is getting steeper all the time. For a long time it was gradual, and then with school prayer and then abortion, but suddenly it's come to a tipping point. And the hill that was once a hill is now a cliff. And anyone that speaks for righteousness — what aggravates me, and I'm amazed at their boldness, they talk about banning books. "Oh, you people are banning books." Yes, the books we want to ban is pornography.
Elected School Boards and Term Limits
Philip:But they twist the argument so evilly that you're defending this negative thing. And if you talk about a man and a woman, if you say there are only two genders, they explode all this garbage and filth upon you, when anyone with any kind of intelligence knows that God made man and God made woman. And that is who marriage is between — a man and a woman. Because the reason for marriage was for replenishing the earth and for having children. And you can try all you want, but two guys can't have babies and two girls can't have babies. And they have taken the things that are normal, common-sense stuff, and they have so twisted them that if you stand for righteousness, you're every kind of phobe in the world.
Philip:And the only way we can stop that — folks, you can sit at home and look at your TV every night on the news, and there's more outrage every single day. And I'm glad that this situation with the beer company — I've never drank beer in my life, but I'll tell you what, they've paid a horrendous price because the common folk of America just said, "Nah, I can't go down that road any further." And I feel in America that there's a switch, there's a turn back. We've allowed them to do it because we're generous people. And you move over a bit and you move over a bit and you say, "Well, okay, fine." But suddenly you get to a point when you're about to fall out of that bed and you think, "Hold on a second." And I think that's what's happening.
Philip:And I believe you are part of a wave of men and women that are gonna stand up and say, "I want to give back, to take back the levers of power, and declare the work of the Lord in this country." Because this country wouldn't be where we are without the power of the gospel made manifest amongst us.
Eric Camp:Absolutely. And maybe that's the straw that has broken the camel's back. Maybe the church has come alive now to realize — and I do believe there are a lot of things that we see transpiring that are probably theologically evident in what we're gonna see happening in the last days. I believe that by all means. But at the same time, I try to tell our church all the time, be the change you wanna see. If you wanna make a difference, make the difference where you are. The Lord wants to bless us with more opportunity, but he's gotta see that we're faithful with the opportunity we already have before us.
Eric Camp:And I'm just excited about the opportunity to connect with people. Some of the greatest people on the face of the planet live in District 111 and on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I love it. I'm just excited about the privilege and opportunity, hopefully, to be able to serve in that capacity. Because there is — I think we're past due — it's time for conservatives to really say, "Hey, we're not gonna stand for this. We're not just gonna sit idly by and let this continue to happen. It's time that we rise up."
Philip:And the thing is this — I'm awestruck at the ability of Democrats and the left. I've got some Democratic friends that are great people, and we banter back and forth and there's love and care for both sides. When you get to the lunatic left, that's where I start hardening my position. But what we need to do as the church is to understand that if the church clumps together, they're an unmovable force, because they'll swallow all kinds of stuff to keep the ideology alive. Whereas on the right, conservatives will pick on each other because this guy's got divorced, or this guy's got this going on, and we'll fracture ourselves into small groups and we'll lose the game and lose the whole war by trying to get one individual victory.
Conservative Unity vs. Political Fracturing
Philip:And let me talk to you, pastor. If your church were to come together and say, "This is what we're voting on, we're standing for righteousness, and this man is the one that we see most closely resembles what our faith belief is," the church by itself could turn this country around in one election. And unless we get bigger than what we are and see that vision first — "Oh, I don't like Trump, there's a lot of stuff in Trump's life that I don't like" — but I'll tell you what, he's the best president we've had since Ronald Reagan.
Philip:He did things that no one else could have done. He appointed Supreme Court justices in a way that has never been done before. He opened up a whole bunch of things. The Johnson Amendment that restricted free speech in the church from the pulpit — he broke that down. So I hear pastors say, "Oh, I could never vote for Trump. I voted the last time, but I can't vote again. I'm gonna vote for this one." What we'll do is fracture ourselves into one whole mess. And we'll be saying, "Well, who believes that President Biden won again?" It's a miracle. We've gotta focus ourselves on the prize of getting back to power so we can make an eternal difference for the kingdom of God in this country.
Eric Camp:There are a lot of people in the Bible we see that had some character flaws and issues. And I think we tend to forget that. We're Christ followers before we're Republicans, and we're Christ followers before we're Democrats. And I think that if the church, regardless of which way you lean, if you allow your compass to be the absolute truth of who Jesus is — in itself, and allowing the Holy Spirit to give the wisdom that we need — you're gonna be able to discern. There are a lot of character flaws. I could go through just about everyone in the scriptures that had character flaws.
Self-Funded Campaigns and Political Integrity
Eric Camp:But who's gonna stand boldly that doesn't have favors that have to be repaid, that doesn't have political PACs that they belong to, that they've got to do whatever that money's coming from? And that was one thing I think that made Trump successful. He wasn't a politician and he didn't owe any favors. And that's my wife and I in this campaign. We've had some contributions, there's been people that have given, but we haven't solicited because we wanted to self-fund, because I didn't want to owe any favors. And of course we welcome contributions, but at the same time, you know what you're getting. I'm not going to lean a certain way just because you made a substantial contribution, because my convictions will not allow me to do that.
Philip:That's called integrity. And we need integrity. We have one minute left. I want you to put up your email address on the screen. So folk watching, I want you to pray for this man. If you want to give, I'd love you to give to help his campaign. It's very simple — ericcamp.net. ericcamp.net. So simple. And if you believe in justice, and if you believe that righteousness exalts a nation, I want you to get in contact with him. Make a donation. By all means, if you're ever in the Pascagoula area, you go and see Collective Church — a great church, a big church, an anointed church. Eric, thank you so much for being with us today.
Philip:We haven't talked about spiritual things — well, we have, but I want to get you back soon. I want to hear you preach. Thank you so much for being with me, my brother. God bless you.
For over 25 years, the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova — from providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells, to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing. They champion the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons. And in the process, orphans become daughters and sons. They come to know their heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus.
God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness. Now no longer orphans, they want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ. The Orphan's Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking. Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in the Orphan's Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine.
If you want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 833-Daily-Faith. You can also give by going online to www.dailyfaith.tv, or by writing to Post Office Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
Why does Eric Camp think pastors and Christians should get involved in politics?
Eric believes the church has been quiet for too long — not in a protesting or boycotting way, but by simply not showing up. He says faith without works is dead, and that Christians have been conditioned to stay in their buildings, sing songs, and do nothing, when they're actually called to make a difference in the world, including in government.
What political experience does Eric Camp have before running for Mississippi House District 111?
Eric served on the Ocean Springs School District School Board for five years (2016–2021), including through COVID, which he describes as getting his 'feet wet' in the political climate. He also ran a mayoral race in Oxford, Alabama back in 2004.
Why did Eric Camp choose to self-fund his campaign rather than heavily solicit donations?
Eric and his wife wanted to avoid owing political favors. He says his convictions won't allow him to lean a certain way just because someone made a large contribution, and self-funding was the way to ensure he could serve with integrity and independence.
What does Eric Camp think about school boards and how they should be structured?
Eric believes school boards are among the most important elected positions in the country. He argues that all school board members — whether in cities or counties — should be elected by the constituency, not appointed by municipalities, so that communities have a real voice in who represents their schools.
How does Eric Camp respond to the argument that Christian voters shouldn't support candidates with character flaws?
Eric points out that nearly everyone in the Bible had character flaws, and that Christians need to be Christ followers first — before being Republicans or Democrats. He says the key question is who will stand boldly without owing favors to political PACs, and that the Holy Spirit can give believers the wisdom to discern the right choice.
Topics
eric campchurch and politicschristian civic engagementschool boardmississippi house district 111conservative christianitypastoral leadership