'Beware of Christians' Director Praises Jesus, Wins Prize on 'The Price Is Right'
Will Bakke, one of four college students behind the documentary film "Beware of Christians," received a big surprise last month when he was called to "come on down" to contestants row on the CBS game show, "The Price Is Right."
On the pre-recorded show, which aired Tuesday, Bakke not only wins a prize but also tells everyone watching that he loves Jesus.
"I think whenever we have an opportunity at all, even on a game show, to just praise Jesus and share him instead of us, it's what we're all about ... It's all about him," he told The Christian Post on Tuesday.
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Bakke is the director of the film "Beware of Christians" which follows the quest of four college students including himself and his friends Alex Carroll, Matt Owen and Michael Allen as they seek to find out what it really means to be a Jesus follower. They left America behind for a six-week journey across Europe, where they discovered that the Christian culture in the U.S. doesn't always match up with what Christianity is all about.
"We tend to paint reality the way that it should be instead of the way that it is," Bakke said of the Christian film industry. "So I think when you watch our film we're not trying to shove the Gospel down your throat, we're just simply asking these questions about what we would really look like to have a real relationship where everything is invested, not just the easy parts of our lives."
The filmmakers are currently touring in cities across the U.S. to promote the documentary. The tour began in Texas, but has expanded to many other cities as the documentary has grown more and more popular.
During one of their stops in California, the filmmakers got tickets to participate in a taping of "The Price is Right."
They arrived outside the studio at 6 a.m. on Feb. 6 to make sure they would be among the 300 people in the show's audience, and after six hours of waiting, signing forms and talking to the show's producer, it all paid off when Bakke was told to "come on down."
Bakke was one of the first contestants called down to "contestants row," but was one of the last to make it onto the stage. After guessing the price closest to the actual price of a set of mountain bikes, he was finally called onto the stage, where he joined the show's host, Drew Carey.
"I am not good with betting on grocery store items. I've been on the road for the last year and half so it's like I hardly ever get to a grocery store," said Bakke, who played the "Pick-A-Pair" game where he had to guess which two ordinary grocery store products were the same price. He chose correctly, and won a trip for two to Colorado, which includes mountain biking lessons.
Unfortunately, he didn't make it to the show's "Showcase Showdown" where he could have won even more prizes, though he took the opportunity while on stage to say hello to his family and friends, and mention Jesus.
After FoxNews.com ran a story about Bakke's game show experience on Monday, the "Beware of Christians" website became overwhelmed with visitors.
Carroll, who served as the co-producer of the film, told CP that their site has been viewed 50,000 times in the last two days and thousands of people have called, sent emails and ordered DVDs of the film.
"Yesterday was the craziest day of our lives," said Carroll.
When asked what he wants people to take away from the film, Bakke said, "There is a huge difference between just calling yourself a Christian, and all of the things that come with that label, and actually living out a relationship with Jesus that looks so radically different from what American Christianity believes."
The documentary addresses many topics that college and high school students must face – sex, materialism, alcohol, wealth versus poverty and more – but Bakke says students shouldn't try to address these issues on their own. They need to realize that their hearts, not just their actions, are broken.
"You've got to allow [Jesus] into all of those parts of your heart and, if you do that, he'll change you from the inside."
