Beware of Christians (2011) Reviews

• Not sure what to make of this, really.

  Quag72012-10-05

  Four Christian college brohams go to Europe and reflect on being Christian brohams. My immediate reaction upon seeing this is wondering what these guys were like when the cameras weren't on -- when they were in social situations and the like with pecking orders that they were at the top of -- when they had something to lose by doing the right thing. Then again, I get a sense that this was one of the points of this film; at several points these guys talk about falling short of their own standards, which is admirable enough. I guess in the final analysis, I have to respect the idea that a bunch of college bros decided to take the time and effort to make a film on this subject at a time in their lives that are full of secular distractions. That's got to be worth something. But as a non-religious person myself, I thought something was missing here. What this needs is a followup down the road. I'm curious how many of these guys (some recently "saved" in Christian parlance) are going to be Christians ten years down the road, or if the lessons supposedly learned here about *living it* rather than just going through the motions, are going to be put into practice. The weak link in Christianity, for me, has never been Christ -- it's been Christians. It's been aggressive self-righteousness coupled with hypocrisy and rationalization (they touch on one of my personal peeves, the so-called Prosperity Gospel, one of the ugliest manifestations of modern "Christianity") of Christians themselves that consistently turns me off. I have known more Christians who behaved terribly when not in church than have actually lived the faith they insist guides and informs their spiritual lives. Periodically I run into someone who has been transformed by their faith - filled, as they would say, with the Holy Spirit, in a substantial way. The question is whether or not the guys in this film are, knowing what they know, going to become like this, or whether they're going to just continue living their lives as they have. Anyway, this film is likely to be more interest to young Christians than jaded atheists like myself, but sometimes you learn more about people by listening to them talk among themselves than packaging their religion or ideology into a sales job targeted at you. To that end, this film was interesting and worth my time. My honest feeling upon completing it was that these guys become better Christians -- the Christians they know they can and should be. Of course, that's my feeling about Christians generally, because it isn't when Christians are being Christlike that they get on my nerves, it's when they're talking about how Christlike they are while behaving and living like complete knobs that rustles my jimmies.

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• Difficult to be over-critical

  zcha2012-12-19

  "When Christians start thinking about Jesus, things start breaking down, they lose their faith. It's perfectly possible to go to church every Sunday and not ask any questions, just because you like it as a way of life. They fear that if they ask questions they'll lose their Christ, the very linchpin of their religion." -A. N. Wilson This is a film for Christians, to watch self-critically, as it's a film that is indeed self-critical. I don't know these guys, just as I don't know Tarantino or Polanski (of course neither are these filmmakers' counterparts), so I'll leave speculation about their personal lives out of the review and take the work at face value. You can make a well- reasoned argument that the film has self-righteous intentions, that it's preachy, and that they're trying to proselytize. But that argument misses the point and disregards who is really the intended audience. If the film is arrogant, it's only the arrogance abounding from the immaturity of youth. These guys are at least attempting to figure out their faith in a way which directly posits the idea that they don't have it all figured out, are open to influence outside the influence they've always known, and realizes that many Christians and much of the institution of the Church has done a wonderful job alienating themselves from the people who they are asked to help. This film is best taken as an encouragement to question faith, specifically Christianity, and is best viewed by those within faith communities who've neglected to be introspective. It is best appreciated by those who doubt, and best tolerated by those who have been offended. I'm getting windy. In short, the filmmakers have good intentions, and achieve, at the very least, benign results. I think the film is worth a look, and like the title says, beware, but don't be afraid either.

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• stereotypically...American

  lynnlux2013-03-16

  Visitng 6 major European cities to talk to Americans temporarily living in those cities is NOT anywhere near exploring European cultures. Please! These kids visit London, Paris, Rome, etc. and due to their lack of language skills, they pick up Americans living/visiting those cities to talk about Christianism. What kind of journalism is that? These kids are boring, obnoxious, and uncultured, which perfectly reflects their documentary. I was looking forward to getting a new, fresh outlook on things, but this movie didn't provide me with what I was looking for. What a wast of time. The European...(not from Paris, London, or Rome)

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• Excellent documentary for young Christian audience

  mckenziefrancismedia2015-12-09

  I watched this documentary for the first time in 2012. It made me laugh AND gave me a stronger desire to live out the faith I believe in. It is a great combination. Young Christians who have grown up in the church can totally relate to the humor and the questions that these four guys present. I think the film is definitely made for the young Christian audience that just wants to see someone who's willing to be honest and talk about the topics that Christians sometimes avoid. As a young Christian filmmaker, this documentary inspired me. The four guys in the film were completely honest about themselves and their struggles, and they didn't hesitate to be the crazy college guys that they were. I have never seen another Christian-made documentary like this one. Most Christian documentaries are geared towards a much older generation and are often deal with more dramatic/dark issues. It is so refreshing to watch this and see someone else has dealt with the same issues I and many other young Christians have dealt with. The film is definitely not perfect, but it is entertaining and effective with its unique style and purpose. I would love to see more films and documentaries made for a young Christian audience. I love sharing Beware of Christians with other young Christians and will continue to do so.

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• This film was excellent!

  jnesmith772012-01-08

  I am a high school student who recently went to a Christian conference called Passion held by 268generation. The conference started a while ago with the help of Louie Giglio and our divine father. The purpose of Passion is to open up college students eyes to what God is doing in their lives and teach that Jesus saved us because he loves us all. God came for us. He came to save us from...us. I like how you four average people like the rest of us showed yourselves on a personal level. This film is very personal in its own right and can potentially help Christians everywhere to stop being superficial. I enjoyed it and learned a lot as well thank you all for making this documentary and thank god for inspiring you!

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