Some attendees wore shirts with the image of Jesus on the cross, robes waving, and emblazoned across the front the words, "Dressed to Kill."

The first rock band that performed, Delirious, got the crowd festive and up on their feet with lyrics that were projected on large screens so that everyone could join in: "We're an army of God and we're ready to die.... Let's paint this big ol' town red.... We see nothing but the blood of Jesus...."

I admire the courage of folk who are witnessing and writing about BattleCry. Paul Mooney, who attended the rally in San Francisco last March and wrote about it for PlanetOut, is resisting the pull to get hysterical:

I went to the BattleCry rally feeling concerned, but with an open mind. I left feeling scared. BattleCry has close ties to Promise Keepers and other Christian Reconstructionist groups that openly advocate turning America into a theocracy. This could be their way of mentally grooming teens to accept the idea of war. Or it could all fizzle out in a few months. Judging from the empty seats Friday night, less than half of the estimated 25,000 kids showed up.

Whether this is just the Lollapalooza of the religious right or the beginning of a militant fascist youth movement remains a mystery.