Boys' Bible Study

This notorious VHS tape has taken on a second life on the Internet as a treasured relic of found footage. Recorded live at First Baptist Church in Perrine, Florida (year unknown), LIL MARKIE LIVE IN MIAMI is a rare chance to see Christian entertainer Mark Fox fully embody his iconic Lil Markie character in the flesh. Lil Markie is basically Mr. Fox doing a cartoonish child's voice, which in practice sounds like a combination of TV characters Elmo from Sesame Street and Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. As Lil Markie, Mark Fox recorded multiple albums. He is perhaps most known for "Diary of an Unborn Child," a spoken word monologue recorded over jazz piano in which Fox uses the Lil Markie voice to narrate what an unborn child might say to his mommy in the womb before his untimely abortion. But Fox mostly inhabits Lil Markie as an unelected spokesperson for real, living children. In his live special, he takes aim at selfish adult actions that make children sad, mainly divorce, moms going to work, and dads watching too much TV. He advocates for daddies to "date" their daughters and for divorce to be outlawed. He also finds time to monologue extensively about his favorite show Alvin and the Chipmunks, and to sing a song about loving the world in which each verse is a crude racist stereotype of a different race. Ultimately LIL MARKIE LIVE IN MIAMI feels too dark for kids and too uncanny for adults, a perfectly useless piece of family entertainment that alienates Christians of all ages. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Subscribe today for access to our full catalog of bonus episodes, including 2+ new episodes every month! www.patreon.com/boysbiblestudy This brand new installment in the HANK'S CHRISTMAS WISH series was released just a few weeks ago and adds a key legendary figure to the Hankiverse Christmas pantheon: Elvis. Directed by West Virginia's finest filmmaker, Jason Campbell, the yearly updates to the HANK'S CHRISTMAS WISH saga show the series becoming increasingly meta and disjointed. Although it's clear the HANK films are meant to be lighthearted, silly romps, as Campbell fanatics we found ourselves distracted by the confusing lore updates in this entry. For instance, is the titular character Hank actually an elf, or just a human who transracially identifies as one? The series long implied he had magical abilities, but HANK 3 reveals that Hank was a human orphan rescued by Santa as a boy. This unfortunately undercuts the entire plot of HANK 2, which focused heavily on racial tensions between elves and snowmen, a conflict that feels pointless if Hank is the Rachel Dolezal of elfdom. Elvis's relationship with Santa is even more bewildering. Flashbacks show Elvis living at the North Pole as the "third" of Santa and Mrs. Claus, yet when he appears in the present he is described as "a ghost." If ELVIS LIVES, as the title proudly announces, why would he be a ghost? Alive or dead, we're at least lucky Elvis is able to save Christmas. The central conflict involves a biker gang hired to bring "edge" to the town Christmas parade, who secretly plan to sabotage it by burning the tree and tearing down decorations. Gang leaders Slider and Onyx kidnap Hank, but Elvis appears to Slider and convinces him not to commit kristallnacht against Christians. This resolves the plot in roughly 25 minutes, leaving the rest of the film as random and inconsequential meditations on Christmas. Ultimately, HANK'S CHRISTMAS WISH 3 is refreshing because it is a Christian film more interested in having fun than evangelizing, but the confusing writing fries the brain instead of warming the heart. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Just when you thought you had meditated enough on the true meaning of Christmas, Santa's favorite aged former elf reminds you that you still have so much to learn. Hank returns in the sequel to the popular, at least to us, HANK'S CHRISTMAS WISH, directed by West Virginia film icon Jason Campbell, bringing back many of the familiar faces from the first film for another round of holiday magic. Remember Tippee and Toes, the elves? No? You don't? Well, too bad, because they're back. Bella has been recast and is largely absent, as she and her husband Kevin are away on a mission trip to Africa, but her brother Liam is still working in Hank's independently contracted toy workshop. Mayor Dean, played by actor and ICE agent Dean Cain, continues his agreeable stewardship of the town's Christmas festivities. Now openly known as a real elf and former custodian of Santa, Hank has more influence than before and uses it to push for a town production of The Nutcracker, choreographed by local dance teacher Heather. Mayor Dean quickly agrees, motivated by the fact that Heather is single and he is looking for love. The holiday peace is disrupted by Frosty, a Christmas comedian hired by the town council whose jealousy over The Nutcracker leads him to spread the common cold throughout the town. Frosty is revealed to be the son of Jack Frost, a former North Pole intern alienated by the elves, a grudge he still holds. It's a creative and contemporary take on familiar Christmas cultural tropes, and Jason Campbell succeeds at what seems to be his goal of making a family-friendly Christmas film that pays lip service to Jesus without hitting you over the head with religious themes, allowing you to relax and enjoy your hot cocoa. It's honestly refreshing that the film isn't so serious, though its greatest flaw may be its characterization of Frosty, who is a genuinely annoying screen presence largely because his entire thing is being the brunt of fat jokes. Lesson learned: never hire a Christmas comedian to do an elf's job! View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Is a heart transplant also a soul transplant? A real-life news story from 2008 concerns Sonny Graham, a heart transplant recipient who married his donor's wife and ultimately committed suicide in the exact same method as his donor. Likely inspired by this bizarre event is ECHO RHYME, a Christian thriller with far too many plot points, but mostly about a career criminal who receives a Christian's heart transplant and gets saved. ECHO RHYME is by director Caleb Johnson and his son and frequent writing collaborator Jeff Johnson, who also made 2 TO TANGLE, a film we absolutely love that is also about shared souls and tangled identity, in this case involving the lives of two identical twins separated at birth. The Johnsons have clearly built up their skill set for the ambitious ECHO RHYME, but in growing have bitten off more than they can chew with the film's concept. ECHO RHYME protagonist Frank is a gallery artist and jewel thief who practices martial arts, but when he does a hit on a devout Christian man on behalf of his jealous ex–business partner, he sets off a chain of events that leads to him inheriting the heart. Confused yet? It does not stop there, as the heart begins influencing his own Christian thought, inspiring a mission trip to Central America, where another rival gang targets him and he learns a secret that links every character in the movie in a bizarre web. It is too much to handle, and the first 20 minutes of the movie's exposition are impossible to parse on first watch. The artistic spirit of the genuinely talented Johnson family comes through in this enthusiastic feature, but ultimately ECHO RHYME would have been stronger with some serious editing. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

This shocking Christian film about the power of forgiveness at all costs will stun you with its gripping plot twists and the hilarious Stephen Baldwin reveal (in prison at the 30min mark, covered in drawn-on white supremacist tattoos). LOVING THE BAD MAN is by director, producer, and writer Péter Engart, an extremely competent filmmaker with a few features under his belt, each featuring a faith-based celebrity cameo. Stephen Baldwin is a recurring presence in this genre, and he is extremely entertaining here as "the ethical Nazi" who leads a white gang in prison. But the real star is Cree Kelly as Julie, a beautiful and humble Christian girl who missions to juvenile delinquents while working at a grocery store. When her car breaks down late at night outside a dive bar, she goes inside for help and is raped by Mike Connor, a mechanic with rage issues. Julie's rape becomes an unexpected miracle when she becomes pregnant and decides to keep the baby, much to her family's chagrin as they beg her to end the pregnancy. She then commits to the ultimate Christian project of "loving the bad man," taking her baby to the prison for daily visits with her rapist so he can be part of his son's life. Mike is bewildered and angry at first, but Julie's persistent kindness slowly brings him to Christ, although violent racial tensions between black, white, and latino gangs threaten his newfound inner peace. LOVING THE BAD MAN works because the actors give their performances total commitment. The film stays surprisingly believable despite a plot that would feel unrealistic to most viewers, including many Christians. It often reads like a male fantasy of how an ideal Christian woman should respond to tragedy, rather than a sympathetic portrait of a woman's strength. Its approach to race relations also has to be seen to be believed. Overall, LOVING THE BAD MAN is one of the most entertaining films we have ever watched for this podcast, thanks to its fascinating and deeply insensitive portrayals of some of the darkest corners of human behavior. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

"In 1994, at age 40, Pastor Richard Gazowsky saw his first movie. Later that year, he received a vision from God." So begins the saga of AUDIENCE OF ONE, a brilliant documentary that serves as a cultural Rosetta stone for our podcast, an intimate portrait of where faith in God meets faith in movies. It's both a monument to the power of belief and a sobering testimony of how unchecked pride can poison spiritual authority. Director Michael Jacobs was given deep access to Gazowsky, his family, and his church (Voice of Pentecost, San Francisco). The film opens as the congregation-turned-film crew prepares their first feature. Having felt "called" by God to make a movie, Gazowsky appoints himself director and enlists family, parishioners, and a few hired outsiders despite no one having experience. Their ambitious project, GRAVITY: THE SHADOW OF JOSEPH, reimagines the biblical story of Joseph as a futuristic, Star Wars-inspired epic to be shot in Italy. Funded through church offerings, the production quickly spirals. Gazowsky secures favors and finances he can't repay, including a $17,000-per-month studio he's eventually evicted from. His leadership is strikingly confident, and he makes quick decisions and commands authority, but many are disastrous. He insists the film be shot on 70mm at 60 frames per second, a technically absurd and prohibitively expensive choice. In Italy, the crew manages to film only two incomplete, soundless scenes before the production collapses. Yet Gazowsky remains undeterred. In the film's haunting conclusion, he preaches that his next plan is to create a company producing 47 films a year, alongside resorts, airlines, and a space program. Gazowsky's faith seems consumed by ambition, though his audacity occasionally borders on genius. Still, his willingness to endanger and exploit his congregation, including children on unsafe sets, feels reckless and cruel. AUDIENCE OF ONE is an extreme but eye-opening look at faith-based film, where the movie is a powerful totem that allows the filmmaker to create an idol to both himself and God. In a roundabout way, it is an inspiring tale of faith, art, and the creative spirit. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Christian imagery and biblical references abound in this violent early 1990s crime thriller, tonally similar to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS is a lesser-known entry in the 1990s serial killer canon. Instead of a theatrical run, it premiered on HBO in 1993, which may have contributed to its obscurity. That's unfortunate, because the movie takes creative risks and deserves to be reevaluated as a cult classic. The film stars Scott Glenn as FBI Special Agent Stephen Broderick, a family man whose crime scene experience makes him a natural choice to investigate the Provo Canyon Massacre, a brutal child murder committed by someone calling himself "God." A man awaits execution for the crime, but Broderick believes the real killer is still at large. His son Jesse, played by Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus (the real-life son of director James Glickenhaus), is a precocious 10-year-old computer whiz whose tech skills help his dad link the massacre to a recent abduction in the same Utah area. Jesse's inclusion is one of the film's funniest choices—it's bizarre to see a cheerful 10-year-old browsing crime scene photos and discussing grisly details of child violence. For us at Boys' Bible Study, SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS stands out for its Christian imagery. The "God" killer, Mordecai Booth (Zitto Kazann), is consumed by a biblical obsession so intense he even steals two giraffes from a zoo to honor Noah's Ark. The title itself comes from the biblical story of King Herod slaughtering infants to prevent Jesus's rise. The final scene is so strange and powerful that we won't spoil it, but it perfectly captures what we love to see as a Christian film review podcast. Though this is a secular movie, it features two actors familiar from faith-based cinema: Kevin Sorbo as FBI agent John Willison and Michael D. Weatherred (of THE BUTTERCREAM GANG) in a small role. We love when secular films engage with biblical imagery, even when it borders on blasphemy. The aura Christian symbolism lends to a story—its power to evoke awe, fear, and moral imagination—shows religion's lasting influence on culture's darkest corners. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

One of the most dramatic and exciting entries in David A.R. White's filmography is this tense, gritty end-times drama set in a world where monogamy is outlawed and bisexuality is encouraged (which is a bad thing, by the way). SIX: THE MARK UNLEASHED is a who's who of faith-based cinema, featuring Pure Flix kingpin David A.R. White, his prolific collaborator Kevin Downes, DIY acting mercenary Eric Roberts, pretty-boy Stephen Baldwin, and future WALKING DEAD star Jeffrey Dean Morgan. White and Downes play Brody and Jerry, two unchipped men scraping by through smuggling cars and "white hat hacking" in a society where every respectable citizen bears "the mark of the Beast" in the form of a computer chip implanted in the neck that makes its wearer beholden to a mysterious governing force known as The Community. Always hunted by The Community's law enforcement, Brody and Jerry struggle to stay off the grid. Meanwhile, another unchipped man, former cop Tom (Morgan), is captured and tortured until he agrees to go undercover to betray the renegades. Misadventures soon land all three men in prison, where they encounter charismatic convict-preacher Luke (Baldwin) and hear the teachings of Jesus Christ. They also learn of a mysterious figure, Elijah Cohen, who seems to be a "Jesus 2.0," wandering the fallen world and performing angelic miracles. The Community is determined to crush both Cohen and the Prodigal City settlement of Christians who refuse the chip and compulsory bisexuality. Will Brody and Jerry take the easy way out by surrendering to The Community's demands, or will they heed Luke's words and embrace Christ, even if it means execution by beheading? SIX stands out among rapture films for the brutal specificity with which it depicts the suffering of those who love God in a secular world. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Subscribe today for access to our full catalog of bonus episodes, including 2+ new episodes every month! www.patreon.com/boysbiblestudy In 2020, a time of deep uncertainty for film releases as quarantine disrupted theatrical schedules, a certain comedy arrived lampooning the kinds of films we love here at Boys' Bible Study, and out of fear of being owned by its cutting satire we only decided to watch it now in 2025. FAITH BASED is a slacker comedy evoking the post-2000s wave of comedies such as ANCHORMAN and GET SMART, both of which co-star veteran comic actor David Koechner, who also makes a cameo in FAITH BASED. The real stars are Luke Barnett and Tanner Thomason, playing underachieving roommates in Reseda, Los Angeles, desperate for money and relevance. They discover how much certain Christian films make, referencing (in the film's fictional world) actual titles we've covered on Boys' Bible Study such as GOD'S NOT DEAD and WAR ROOM. Kevin Sorbo is singled out as a "D-list actor" whose attachment to low-budget Christian movies helps them reach a sheep-like audience eager for anything with a godly message. Armed with a perfect scam, Luke and Tanner set out to make a movie despite zero experience, immersing themselves in Luke's father's church to seem more legit. The plan unravels when Tanner falls for a hot Christian woman and begins embracing religion to impress her, threatening their bromance. Trouble also brews when aging exploitation star Butch Savage (Koechner) never responds to their casting offer, putting the project at risk. FAITH BASED sounds like a premise rich enough to mine for comedy, but we found the filmmakers' shallow research into Christian cinema leaves many joke opportunities on the table. The script leans on obvious critiques and swings wildly in tone, making it hard to tell whether the film aims to be cutting or heartwarming. We invite any future filmmakers critiquing Christian movies to hire Boys' Bible Study to "punch up" your scripts for a very modest consulting fee, most of which we promise to tithe! View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

This new offering from perpetually busy Christian film auteur David A.R. White continues his "single dad action hero" era that began with 2020's BECKMAN. BECKMAN, LOVE ON THE ROCK (2021), and now A LINE OF FIRE are just a few of the many films White has made since the COVID era reshaped DIY filmmaking. Together, they show a man striking out on his own and reinventing himself, possibly influenced by his personal life, including a public divorce from actress Andrea Logan. Logan was a frequent artistic collaborator and business partner, and the two co-founded Pure Flix, the family-oriented streaming service intended as a wholesome competitor to Netflix. As prolific as he is, White inevitably draws inspiration from his own life, and it's no surprise that many of his recent films, including A LINE OF FIRE, portray him as a single dad juggling work responsibilities while navigating new love for the first time in years. In this film, former FBI agent Cash (played by White) is called back into service after his late wife's sister, also an agent, is assassinated by a crime boss's thugs. Supporting characters are played by notable celebrities such as Cuba Gooding Jr., whose recent fall from grace seems to have led him to the low-budget circuit, and Scott Baio, who alternately help and betray Cash. This repeated cycle of trust and mistrust becomes a tedious plot device, culminating in the reveal that one of White's own allies, Joan (a puzzling performance by Eve Richards), is a double agent operating under the name "Mr. X." A LINE OF FIRE is slickly produced and competently shot, with bursts of gory action that push the boundaries of wholesomeness, yet its plot is ultimately forgettable. Still, it's hard to fault White, who seems to be having a blast making five movies a year and rediscovering himself in the process. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Subscribe today for access to our full catalog of bonus episodes, including 2+ new episodes every month! www.patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Another entry in the noble genre of "Christian one-man show," ST. JOHN IN EXILE stars career stage and screen actor Dean Jones as the exiled saint on the island of Patmos. We were excited to review this filmed stage production, since we're huge fans of other one-man pieces of Bible fanfiction and inspirational slop—like Curt Cloninger's WITNESSES (a true VHS classic) and Mike Adkins's A MAN CALLED NORMAN, a beloved sermon distributed by Focus on the Family. Both of those productions feature their leads absolutely killing it and drawing heavy laughter and applause from captive audiences. ST. JOHN IN EXILE is no exception. The late Dean Jones was clearly a trained actor, with a film career dating back to the late 1950s, including many classic family films such as THAT DARN CAT and THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES. He kept acting well into his golden years, with his final performance in the 2009 Christian movie GOD PROVIDES. For the math-challenged, that's over 50 years of regular acting work, much of it devoted to uplifting the Word of God or making wholesome entertainment for families. These decades of experience pay off in a captivating performance as St. John. Jones is a huge asset to the material, which would be extremely boring without his investment in the role. Unfortunately, the script in ST. JOHN IN EXILE is a little too straight-laced to match the wild, wonderful turns of WITNESSES, which we love for its constantly shifting perspective and Curt Cloninger's 10+ voices and personalities. Still, the film raises some interesting questions about biblical history—insisting that the same St. John authored both the Gospel of John and Revelation, a belief once common but now challenged by contemporary scholarship. We only wish ST. JOHN IN EXILE had leaned into some insane end-times visionary type shit. Regardless, Dean Jones's performance and the film's enduring place in the Christian media video world make it a must-have for collectors and completists of the faith-based film genre. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

The long-awaited third film in the notorious anti-Catholic parkour LEAP trilogy follows its lo-fi predecessors LEAP (2010) and LEAP: RISE OF THE BEAST (2011), continuing to proselytize its staunch anti-Vatican message with an athletic twist. Director Christopher Tempel returns, now armed with a drone camera, and delivers a crisp, ambitious reboot to a series that clearly holds nostalgic value for him despite his open disappointment in the first two films, which he considers amateurish. Characters Blake, the handsome parkour-running college boy lead, and Liz, his hometown girlfriend who works at her grandmother's coffee shop, even watch LEAP: RISE OF THE BEAST within the movie, creating a truly meta moment. Blake remarks, "It's a little cheesy." Liz agrees but adds, "Better than the first one… the director spent like $200," prompting Blake's deadpan "Woof!" Ironically, the first two LEAP films feel more authentic and excited, with a scrappy auteur spirit that this reboot largely sacrifices in favor of Tempel's improved technical precision. Still, LEAP (2025) features striking special effects, including a chilling scene where blood runs from a tap until a "blessed" character touches it, suddenly turning the water clear. The "blessed" in this film are Seventh Day Adventist sabbath keepers like Blake and Liz, who resist Catholic programming that encourages Sunday worship over Saturday. Tempel doubles down on his outspoken belief that a literal reading of the Bible naturally leads to Seventh Day Adventism, portraying Christianity as having been "pranked" by the devil and his servant, the Vatican, into dishonoring God's true way—ensuring that many sincere Christians will end up in hell. It is one of the harshest, most legalistic interpretations of Protestantism, suggesting that God values paperwork over love. This uncompromising message, paired with the film's polished digital effects and fully AI-generated soundtrack, results in a cold, tedious viewing experience. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Subscribe today for access to our full catalog of bonus episodes, including 2+ new episodes every month! www.patreon.com/boysbiblestudy We kick off football season with a review of a new film by prolific Christian director Jason Campbell. WE BELIEVE, which even features a cameo by former Superman actor Dean Cain, takes an impressionistic look at a real high school football community in St. Mary's, West Virginia, centering on the inspirational story of coach Jodi Mote. Grounded in fact, the film makes odd leaps into seemingly fictional storylines about St. Mary's students, an attempt to introduce conflict while staying inoffensive to the community. That tension becomes the film's biggest weakness. WE BELIEVE was cowritten by Campbell, Jodi Mote, and his wife Brandy, so the Motes clearly have a personal stake in telling the story of Jodi's sudden stroke, which left him unable to coach the St. Mary's Blue Devils during a crucial season. He was temporarily replaced by Bill Hanlin, a local legend remembered for coaching an undefeated season in 1963. The film's action drifts between Mote's recovery (as his team and special ed students miss him), Hanlin instilling Christian values in the Blue Devils, and contrived side plots: a Danish freshman exchange student turned field-goal kicker, and a troubled teen named Trey whose broken home pushes him into drinking and sexual temptation. The Danish subplot is especially bizarre, since actor Addison Dattilo, tattooed and visibly closer to 28 than 14, plays the role with the vibe of a California surfer instead of a homesick exchange student. In general, it is disappointing that the only conflicts (underage drinking, divorce, high school politics) are fictionalized; meanwhile the true story is flattened. The film would be far more compelling if it explored Mote's actual challenges. What did loneliness and frustration feel like for a devout Christian man whose body had failed him? To admit weakness, however, would cut against the film's purpose: flattering its collaborators. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

While most Roblox gamers are busy with worldly pursuits such as "dressing to impress" or "stealing a brainrot," MinisterMatt and his Robloxian Children of God Ministries are using the popular gaming platform to spread the word of God. We review an hour-long Christian narrative special created entirely in Roblox called STANDING WITH GOD, subdivided into three episodes: "Challenges," "Trials and Faith," and "I Believe." The story follows a college-aged protagonist named John as he navigates the conflicts between personal faith and a secular world. Filmed entirely on location in the popular Roblox RP server Brookhaven, John begins his first term at Brookhaven School and immediately struggles with self-doubt. His new friends accept his faith but treat it as a curiosity, accusing him of being "abnormal" for requesting wine-free drinks at parties instead of getting drunk like the rest. Teachers at the school target Christian students by "preaching" pro-evolution lectures that are explicitly anti-God, while the looming threat of LGBTQ acceptance encroaches on everyday life, as rainbow-haired men go on dates with each other in full public view. What's a Robloxian Christian to do? John seeks guidance from an older Christian mentor, a famous pastor whose program he follows on television. But more significant than the actual plot of STANDING WITH GOD (which is admittedly hard to follow thanks to the static Roblox animation and the unrelenting monotone of robot voices) is the sheer fact that a group of internet believers banded together to create a feature-length production using only the resources immediately available to them. The boundaries between film and performance, roleplay and acting, blur as the conventional movie set is digitized, and actors log into location (the RP server) in costume (avatar) to perform film ministry. STANDING WITH GOD proves that, just like "IRL" film production, it's not the size of your Robux budget but the urgency of your message that makes for truly passionate filmmaking. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

We first fell in love with the film character Gramps and his anti-evolution hijinks when we watched GRAMPS GOES TO COLLEGE (2014), one of the most outrageous Christian films of all time. We knew we'd eventually explore the entire Gramps cinematic universe. We continue our journey with IN GRAMPS' SHOES, the confident first entry in this series, which, based on its morbid ending, does not feel like it's setting itself up for a sequel. Thankfully, writer Donald James Parker and director Chip Rosetti broke canon and persisted. Donald James Parker's work as Gramps could be compared to Jacques Tati's "Monsieur Hulot": an archetypal clown character wandering through our overly complex modern society and exposing its foibles. In IN GRAMPS' SHOES, Gramps heals the broken modern nuclear family by moving into his adult daughter's house and making a positive male role model impression on her teenage son and daughter. Sixteen-year-old Scott has taken up smoking cigarettes, is curious about marijuana, and in general has a grumpy, antisocial teenage attitude that needs to be healed with Christ's love. Gramps challenges Scott and his teenage cohorts to a footrace, which Gramps clears spectacularly, given that his passion is long-distance running. This inspires the whole family to take up cross-country racing, culminating in a climactic scene where Scott wins his high school cross-country meet and the heart of a Christian runner girl on the team, who he secures as his prom date. But it wouldn't be a Gramps movie without hearing Gramps take aim at pop culture unrelated to the main events of the film; IN GRAMPS' SHOES chooses to attack the HARRY POTTER series of books and films, saying they are "bait" to lure kids away from the church and toward a life of witchcraft and wizardry. Gramps states that things loved by many people are probably ungodly, because what God loves is not the same as what man loves. That's good news for IN GRAMPS' SHOES, because not a lot of people like this movie, so God probably loves it. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

The tension between faith and delusion builds to a thrilling climax in FRAILTY, the Bill Paxton-directed y2k crime drama with Christian themes. Matthew McConaughey, who we recently reviewed as a cast member of 1994's ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD, stars as a man recounting his troubled childhood as the son of a religiously-motivated murderer (Bill Paxton) to a detective (Powers Boothe) who is trying to solve the case of the God's Hand killer. This killer, who McConaughey's character Fenton believes is his own brother Adam, targets seemingly random victims who are allegedly demons in human form. According to Fenton, his brother Adam is carrying out the legacy of their father, who experienced religious psychosis that led to a series of murders carried out with an axe the man believed to be a magical weapon provided by God. Young Fenton and Adam react to their father's passion for God and murder in different ways; Adam's naive admiration for his father foils Fenton's teenage skepticism. The two boys are possibly a metaphor for the human journey of faith and doubt, a reading supported by a surprising twist revealing the true nature of God's prophecy. FRAILTY does a great job of exploring Christian themes in an edgy way that condemns blind faith while still understanding the importance of faith itself. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL returns to our watchlist with another episode from its triumphant season 8, possibly one of the best runs in all of television history. Using its "human of the week" format, TBAA stars Roma Downey as Monica, Della Reese as Tess, John Dye as Andrew (the angel of death) and Valerie Bertinelli as the dumbass angel-in-training Gloria (our favorite character.) Gloria and Andrew figure prominently in "The Birthday Present", the story of a mail carrier accidentally uncovering brutal child abuse in an idyllic suburban neighborhood. Mailman Chuck, portrayed by frequent Christian media star and former sitcom actor Kirk Cameron, is struggling with the death of his grandmother when he accidentally kills a boy with his mail truck after the boy suddenly runs into the road. When apologizing to the boy's father, Chuck encounters a loaded gun carelessly disposed of in the front yard and realizes the young boy ordered it illegally off the internet to kill his father. Meanwhile, the boy's sister is missing after hiding from her father's abuse in a nearby nuclear bomb shelter (???) and being protected by Tess, who for some reason talks in baby voice the whole episode. In typical TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL fashion, human and angel stories weave together effortlessly to prove that God endlessly punishes the weak while enabling their oppressors — and this is a good thing. The addition of Kirk Cameron's confident guest starring performance fully bridges the gap that TBAA straddles between niche Christian entertainment and mainstream pop culture. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Subscribe today for access to our full catalog of bonus episodes, including 2+ new episodes every month! www.patreon.com/boysbiblestudy "And twins!" This Christian romantic thriller about identical twins performing emotional terrorism on a Christian woman will make you believe in love during this Valentines-Day-in-July season. 2 TO TANGLE is one of a few feature films created by the son/father team (respectively) of director Caleb Johnson and writer Jeff Johnson. Per Caleb Johnson's self-written iMDb bio, Caleb directed his first film TIME COLLECTORS at the age of 17, before immediately moving onto 2 TO TANGLE, which won him international acclaim and was even sold at Walmart! 2 TO TANGLE is pretty accessible for a DIY faith-based film, mostly because the whirlwind plot is insanely stimulating. Young Christian woman Jess is on the rocks with her boyfriend Tom, an inventor/entrepreneur who doesn't share her Christian faith. A struggling relationship is made even worse when Jess's coworker finds Tom on a Christian dating website. Jess catfishes Tom by signing up for the website under the screen name "Pocahontas" and messages him in disguise; she ends up catching feelings for Tom's online persona. But things are not what they seem when Jess learns the man she's messaging is actually Tom's secret twin brother Michael, who is also an inventor/entrepreneur for some reason. This kicks off a bizarre series of events involving car crashes, evil spirits (!!!) and a long makeover sequence. 2 TO TANGLE has the madcap precocious energy of DIY filmmakers wanting to put absolutely everything they can think of into their film. The barely coherent plot will keep you guessing until the final scene of the movie. 2 TO TANGLED is the fun type of Christian film where if you showed it to someone not hip to the genre, they would describe it as a train wreck, but if you watch faith-based films every week (as we do here at BBS) you would find it a delightful "breath of fresh air." View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

Do you ever reminisce about the good old days? We took a trip down memory lane to a time when political decisions were based on strong moral values, and when faith allowed men of consequence to weather tumultuous times. Our source material for this nostalgia sesh is GEORGE W. BUSH: FAITH IN THE WHITE HOUSE, a "documentary" (heavy emphasis on the scare quotes) produced by GRIZZLY ADAMS creator Charles E. Sellier Jr. and hosted by conservative radio host Janet Parshall. The thesis of the documentary is that the 43rd American president's strong personal Christian faith is what gave him strength during the September 11th terrorist attacks, the toughest circumstances ever beset upon an American president since George Washington. On the DVD jacket for the documentary, it bills itself as alternative programming to Michael Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11, a cultural product also from 2004 that argues active malice among politicians and the media class leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Iraq War. Wanting to be more fair and balanced than Michael Moore, GEORGE W. BUSH: FAITH IN THE WHITE HOUSE takes the funny tone of pretending to present sides of praise and criticism of George W. Bush, but then immediately settling on the most maudlin stories of Bush giving great hugs and being caring to his staffers during hard times in their lives. The obvious point of view here is to launder Bush's difficult and destructive political decisions through the lens of him being a real sweetie. The stories of Bush's day-to-day demeanor may be true, but how does that explain his desire to enter the Iraq War? Did God guide Bush to the "lesser of two evils" that protected American lives and liberated the Islamic world? I guess we'll never know for sure, because God hasn't allowed us to live in the reality where we saw the other side. It could have been even worse! GEORGE W. BUSH: FAITH IN THE WHITE HOUSE assures us that is probably the case; after all, Bush's is constantly seen praying in the Oval Office, always wears a suit, and donated money to the evangelical "crusades" of roving minister Arthur Blessitt, whom he met at a Holiday Inn. A guy like that is probably gonna do the right thing, so don't worry about it! View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

To celebrate Father's Day, we spend time with the story of one of the most important Old Testament patriarchs as depicted by acclaimed American filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. NOAH takes great liberties with the biblical legend of Noah, adding elements inspired by the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. In Aronofsky's NOAH, the harsh realities of day-to-day life in Bible times are exaggerated with high fantasy elements. The most notable addition to the story are the giant stone "Watchers",  towering giants whose stone exteriors imprison the souls of fallen angels doomed to wander Earth. These Watchers have a relationship with Noah's family, who they see as some of the last remaining humans on earth who care about doing God's will. Noah (Russell Crowe) hears the call of the Lord in a mysterious dream, which is later expanded upon when Noah's grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) feeds Noah an ayahuasca-like hallucinogen, revealing the Great Flood and its brutal cleansing of the earth. Methuselah also gives Noah a seed from the garden of Eden, allowing Noah to carry on the esoteric knowledge of the garden to the new family line he will begin once the earth is destroyed. However, Noah is apprehensive about repopulating the Earth with humans who are by their nature prone to sin. He vows to kill the twins carried by his daughter-in-law Ila (Emma Watson) if they turn out to be girls, so humans will go extinct. He also doesn't let his incel son Ham (Logan Lerman) take a goth e-girl to be his wife. Fortunately, Noah's innate sense of human decency prevails (at least with Ila), because if he had killed Ila's babies, we wouldn't be alive to have a podcast today. Aronofsky's adaptation of Noah is similar to THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST in the fact that it executes a Bible story with a mixture of ambitious high fantasy and gritty realness. It's admirable that Aronofsky is able to turn one of the most implausible Bible stories into something that feels real. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy