Some time ago, I heard a sermon by John Piper that amounted to 'if we as Christians teach our children all the do's and dont's of Christianity, but do not teach them the wonderful thing that having a true relationship with the Almighty God is.... we've made a huge mistake.'
I know this from personal experience, a lot of people are being repelled from Christianity because of Christians. A lot of people do not like organized religion, don't want to attend church, and are completely turned off before we ever get a chance to explain 'wait, we're not like that!'
Growing up in a missionary culture, one of the big risks for christian kids is to see hypocrisy every time they look at adults. As a parent it has been my endeavor to approach my faith with Christ much more from the 'I do this because I love Christ, and I love Christ because of ........' and lay out that particular aspect of Christ for them.
At the same time, they are children and need rules and boundaries.
This video 'Beware of Christians' is not theologically deep, but I intend to show it to my teenage children soon. It follows 4 college age christian boys who attempt to do what the Bible says and not necessarily what they were taught in the church. They handle it respectfully, and sincerely.
They address issues of:
1. Money
2. Sex/relationships
3. Identity/culture
4. Alcohol
5. Materialism
6. Wealth/poverty
7. Entertainment
I wouldn't say this video would appeal to adults, but I think it may speak on a teen level. In the end they even bring up the 'all you have to do is say this little prayer to become a Christian' issue.
This video is about young men, forcing themselves to think about, grapple with, actual real application of how they should be following Christ.
I suspect it would engage teens at a conversational level, and even challenge them to gain a new perspective on things.
