Over the summer, four boys from Dallas traveled around the world asking questions of themselves and others, trying to figure out for themselves what faith is all about and who (and if) God really is. They filmed their experiences – everything from mundane moments on a European train to hilarious ones getting into fixes that only twenty-something boys can find. The result is a full-length feature film called “Beware of Christians,” and the trailer is viewable below. You can also visit their website here for more info.
First my disclaimer: one of the guys is my nephew, Alex Carroll. Yes, he’s the crazy cousin famous for his YouTube backflips on the Georgetown University campus in Washington D.C., and he’s known by many as one of Matthew Stafford’s hard-charging running backs from the State Champ Scot football team.
Another of the four, Texas A&M senior Michael Allen, went to First Baptist Academy and his parents live in Lake Highlands. He says when he comes to LH for a visit his first stop is always Jake’s Hamburgers, and he has great memories of hanging out at the Knights of Columbus pool as a child.
“I was definitely a church kid, in that I called myself a Christian, went to church, prayed, all that stuff, but I don’t think I experienced or was really exposed much to radical faith until college,” Michael told me. “I appreciate my upbringing, and it’s definitely shaped my worldview, but I also feel that I have a personal worldview that stands alone from of my parents’ or my neighborhood’s beliefs. Basically, I’ve tried to learn to think for myself about things, and in college I really started to rethink what being a Christian really meant.”
Michael hopes folks from LH, greater Dallas and all over the world will view “Beware of Christians” and give it some thought. “Don’t expect a typical Christian film,” he says. “Though we feel the movie has a very hopeful message of redemption and renewal, it’s also about four guys who are struggling through some tough topics and convictions. The odds are you won’t exactly like or agree with everything you hear, but I don’t think you have to agree with everything we say to get something out of the film. We invite you to come out and struggle with us as we ask ourselves, and God, some tough questions about what living a Jesus-style (Jesus-lifestyle) really looks like, independent of American middle-class standards, traditions, and expectations.”
“Beware of Christians” can be seen in its entirety at screenings on April 2 & 3 at 7 pm at Lakewood Theater. The guys are hoping, in the meantime, that folks will visit their website and that more hits will lead to more screenings around the country.
