Beware of Christians (2011) Poster

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6/10
Not sure what to make of this, really.
Quag75 October 2012
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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6/10
Difficult to be over-critical
zcha19 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
"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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7/10
Excellent documentary for young Christian audience
mckenziefrancismedia9 December 2015
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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10/10
This film was excellent!
jnesmith778 January 2012
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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8/10
Get ready to think
dom-powells31 October 2017
I'll admit that I was skeptical of this movie based on the descriptions I'd read. In the end I was pleasantly surprised by how heartfelt and entertaining it was. I rarely watch so-called "Christian" movies because I usually find them to be saccharine with simple and obvious plot-lines. However, this man-on-the-street style exploration of the meaning of being Christ-followers was unique and honest. The thing that a lot of movie makers do wrong in exploring religion is going in with an intent to undermine the religion, taking parts of the religion out of context and kind of making fun of it. This movie was different in that aspect as they pointed to scripture and discussed the meaning. I especially liked the fact that it was from the perspective of four young males from what seems like a well-to-do part of Texas (Highland Park, TX...not sure if all of them are from there) because they could easily go on making up their own rules about life and religion with little or no challenge, but they took time to really question their own beliefs. My two critiques are that the viewer isn't left with much of an idea of how the guys fared after college (but I guess that's what sequels are for) and the postcard thing was a loose end (there was a brief mention of how it resolved in the end, but it wasn't clear why that was included in the first place).

I would recommend this movie to anyone ready to question long-held religious beliefs.
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2/10
stereotypically...American
lynnlux16 March 2013
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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5/10
Maybe a Good Film for Young Christians
DisturbedPixie17 October 2012
This documentary depicts 4 college Christian boys, who struggle with their understanding of the bible and others' understanding and how Christianity feels in America. So they traveled to Europe to ask them what they think about Christianity and several topics that can relate to Christianity and living a life for Jesus. Topics included drinking, sex, money, and a few others.

These guys admitted they do many things that may get in the way of their "mission" in life. They show us a number of moments throughout their journey that really made them seem ignorant and straight out of the cast of MTV's Jackass (making an ass out of themselves in public, being rude typical American tourists, stealing each others property, and smacking each other around). But then they'd reflect on something that reminded you that these are confused guys trying to do what they think is the right thing. You gotta give them that at least.

To me the overall film was a little boring and immature and obviously preachy. That's the point of course, to preach the message of being a real Christian by behaving as a Christian and not just doing a few Christian things every now and then and call it a day. For that, I can respect their message, because there are many Christians in America that behave like that, and they make Christianity look pretty silly in many ways.

As a non Christian, and a anti-theist, I looked at their regrets and shame for not knowing what the gospel is and not following it right, as a sad existence. They love some things in life, that hurt no one, and feel such sorrow from that, just because they see it as a distraction from Jesus and spreading the gospel. Spreading the gospel, in my point of view, is self righteous and rude and infringing on other people's beliefs. I do not condone such a thing, and do not see it as a moral thing to do. So in that sense, I'm against the message of the film.

Considering though that so much of the sort of Christianity we are bombarded with on a daily basis in America is judgmental and cruel and full of hate, it is nice to see a Christian film that rejects greed. bullying and holier than though tactics that are used by many preachers to gain more followers.
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2/10
Movie
gjpaco222 October 2014
In a short review: They seemed zealous for the kingdom. There I know for a fact that it is possible to overcome the personal addiction with lust that they have. Anyone can do it as long as they are willing to suffer/abstain/turn away from/ resist and not give in to the temptation and get into the word of God. Few are willing to. That's one reason why the bible says the one must deny himself take up his cross and follow him. It may not be easy, but it is possible. This for me has not been an easy journey to discover, but through the grace of God it is possible. This is just one disturbing message that I got from the video. I also would have liked for them to speak about reading the Bible more and being in fellowship to reprove and build one another up.
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