Beware of Christians
Directed by Will Bakke
Provident Films, 2011, 93 min., $9.98

I started watching the DVD of Beware of Christians with a great deal of sceptisim. I was concerned it would be another look at setting aside everything of this world to follow Jesus. This turned out to be far better than I expected. It widely exceeded my expectations. This movie followed the adventures of four college guys, real guys to whom we all can relate as they explore their basic beliefs and behaviors as Christians. We travel with them to eight European cities as they explore seven tough topics with which we as Christians wrestle, such as sex and relationships, money, media and entertainment, and alcohol. Even better, the format used to address the topics is not threatening. The four main characters openly share their feelings, blend in interviews with people in each city and use Scripture based on the theme being discussed.

Because the topics are covered as vignettes, it would be easy to use this resource by youth workers in their groups. I found the movie very engaging and hated to see it end. I felt as if the main characters had become friends, and I wanted to continue with them on their journey of discovery. I wanted to continue to hear them voice the basic questions on topics that bother me. I hope our youth have the courage to explore the basics of their beliefs as in this DVD so they can become strong and confident Christians. If there is anything I would criticise, it would be a desire to see and hear more about the European cities they were visiting, but that’s only because I am a passionate traveler.
–Dalen Keys

Is American Christianity only a generation away from European Christianity? Beware of Christians follows four college students on a European tour as they try to find the answer to that question. They ask the hard questions and attack the issues the next generation of the American church is asking and confronting. Alex, Matt, Michael and Will have made a fun and entertaining documentary that is also thought-provoking. Your students will laugh at their crazy antics, but also will be forced to take a hard look at their own American Christian lives.

If you are looking for a resource that addresses the usual youth ministry topics of identity, materialism, sex, relationship, church, poverty, entertainment and alcohol in a completely different way, this resource is for you. This documentary could be used as a one-night event or easily used to create a multi-week series. A study guide is available online and is a quick grab-and-go resource, but I strongly suggest taking the time to debrief the heavy topics brought up at each of documentary’s cities. Additionally, I would see this as a good resource to use with college-bound juniors and seniors in your high school group while (depending on your setting) holding off on using it with middle school and junior high groups. Overall, this is something worth having on your office shelf. Even if you don’t use it as a whole, it is chock-full of great clips, sound bites and discussion starters.
—Dan Istvanik, Junior High Youth Pastor, Berean Baptist Church-Surge JH, Mansfield, Ohio.

Beware of Christians follows the experience of four college-aged American Christians as they seek clarity on what it means to follow Jesus by taking a trip through Europe. The journey would have been more productive had they ventured beyond Western Christianity; however, these young men were able to share their thoughts and past experiences and see how those relate to their European peers. The film does not work well as a documentary; it would be better seen as a personal journey. The men ask many questions of one another and offer their opinions, but the conclusions to these topics are still in process. Youth workers might consider using this film with senior high or college students to discuss openly and evaluate Western Christianity balanced with the perspective of the larger family of faith. 
–Andrew Hedges

What a thought-provoking film! This is a wonderful resource for teens and college students. It truly shows how the idea of Christianity differs in other cultures. It’s humorous, personal and challenging. I look forward to showing this DVD to our teens.
–Jonathan Tripp

After watching the film Beware of Christians, I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I think it is a great concept. I found a lot of what they discovered in their interviews to be not only saddening but shocking. However, I felt as if the majority of the film strayed from this concept. It seemed as though more than half of it was them goofing off and playing practical jokes on each other. I am not saying this was all bad, but if that is the majority of the film, as it seemed to be, it was disappointing. I would have liked to have seen them conduct more interviews and go deeper into the topics; but as I said, I think the idea was awesome, just a bit disappointing. For these reasons, I may show clips to my youth group, but not the entire film.
–D.J. Pittman

I really enjoyed the concept of this film. It was good to see young men wrestling with the questions that so many of us face and seek answers. I was impressed with them going to the Bible for answers about questions with which they were dealing. I think this film provides a good voice; students will hear a different perspective from some younger guys on these questions. I’m not sure I agree with the “no more Frisbee” line. What is a youth or college ministry without Ultimate Frisbee? The way this film is broken up into segments makes it great for a small group discussion starter. Each segment would be around 10 minutes and provide a good launching point for discussion on issues that our teens are facing.
—Wayne Wrzesinski, Jr. High Guy at Columbia Heights Assembly

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