Beware of Christians

Beware of Christians is a 2010 American documentary film. It is directed by Will Bakke, produced by Michael B. Allen and Alex Carroll, and stars Michael B. Allen, Will Bakke, Alex Carroll, and Matt Owen. This is Will Bakke's second documentary film. Original Production began in April 2009 in Dallas, Texas and completed in April 2010. The film has had limited screening around the US since it premiered on April 3, 2010, and was released on DVD January 14, 2011.^[1]

The film is notable for its controversial title^[2] and unique distribution model of "Name-Your-Own-Price".^[3]

Plot

Alex, Matt, Michael, and Will have grown up as Bible-believing Christians who did all the right things. As they’ve grown older, they’ve realized that the Jesus in the Bible doesn’t exactly look like the healthy, wealthy, American Jesus they’ve been trained to know and love. They soon realize that their biases and allegiances to worldly things have determined their views on Christianity. So, they decided to leave the United States for a while and reexamine what Jesus says about certain topics.

Their travels feature 10 European cities including Barcelona, Rome, Zagreb, Budapest, and Munich. Beginning in London, they narrate city by city from a studio roundtable, tackling topics such as materialism, sexuality, alcohol, and entertainment. As the journey progresses, they build a deep bond with each other and discover a new meaning for the words, “trusting in Jesus.” By the end of their adventure, they truly begin to understand the joy and redemption that comes from giving up the world to follow Jesus.^[4]

Cast

• Michael B. Allen
• Will Bakke
• Alex Carroll
• Matt Owen

Music

The soundtrack was not released, but the film contains music:

• We Are the City
• Jillian Edwards
• Johnny Stimson
• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
• Courrier
• These United States
• Jessie Grace
• Lunden McGill
• La Verite
• Minnutes
• Daylight Tremor
• The Monarchy
• Baylor Rising Artists

Reception

Film critic Gary Cogill^[5] said of Beware of Christians, "It's a knockout film..thrilling and a lot of fun to watch".^[6]

Distribution

A notable characteristic of Beware of Christians is the distribution strategy of the film. After negotiating with a number of larger distributors, the producers decided to self-distribute the film for Name-Your-Own-Price.^[7] The initial distribution was launched along with a spring tour, during which the producers of the film traveled to over 35 cities to screen the film and answer questions from their audiences.^[8]

The distribution was funded largely by a Kickstarter campaign which raised over $25,000.^[9] Riot Studios is currently selling the film via their online store for "Name-Your-Own-Price".^[10] Michael Allen, co-producer of the film, stated that "Self-distribution lets us manage full quality and image control, and give our peers a chance to pay what they can. All this is exactly what Riot Studios’ stands for.”

References

External links

• Official Website
• Riot Studios Official Site
• Beware of Christians at the Internet Movie Database