A new film about Christian nationalism exposes a disturbing picture of the movement’s use of intimidation and violence to express disapproval of those it considers religious and political adversaries, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
Still from “God + Country”
The documentary “God + Country,” produced by actor and director Rob Reiner and directed by Dan Partland, chronicles the rise of Christian nationalism, its role in the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising and the menacing response its adherents have to dissenters. Tyler interviewed Reiner and Partland for BJC’s Jan. 18 “Respecting Religion” podcast and for a question-and-answer session after a recent screening at the U.S. Capitol.
“I think it shows you are onto something,” she said about the film, which opens in theaters Feb. 16. “You have struck a nerve. But it is also frightening because we know what those who are most committed to Christian nationalism are willing to do to hold onto their power.”
Some of the evangelical Christian leaders interviewed for the film have endured intense hostility since their involvement in the project became known, Partland said. Social activist and bishop William J. Barber II, Christianity Today editor Russell Moore, “Holy Post” podcaster and Veggie Tales co-creator Phil Vischer, former Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute president Rob Schenck, and author-commentator David French are among those interviewed for the documentary.
Dan Parltland
“It’s terrible. The Christian conservatives featured in the film, especially, took just an unimaginable amount of abuse, and the film isn’t even out,” Partland said. “We dropped the trailer and the online abuse started, and some of this is real nasty stuff. It’s not to be brushed off. It’s threats and it’s incredibly vitriolic attacks against them. And I think we have to view that as part of the way this movement works, which is that it doesn’t tolerate dissent of any kind.”
Christian nationalists also have assailed the film as an attack on their religious freedom, said Reiner, co-star of the 1970s hit show All in the Family and director of movies such as Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men.
“This is not in any way bashing Christianity. It’s the opposite,” he said. “It’s basically saying that this movement, which is essentially a political movement, is not only hurting the country, but also hurting Christianity. And to speak out when you have a movement that virulent, and sometimes violent, is scary. It’s dangerous.”
One of the messages of the documentary is that holding deep spiritual and religious beliefs does not require people to fear and despise those who think differently about faith, said Reiner, who was raised in a secular Jewish home.
“People in the Christian nationalist movement, there is an insecurity where they feel if they’re not getting their way, they’re willing to do anything to force people to think the way they do.”
“If you have a real faith and a real feeling of what you believe, and you’re very committed to what you believe, you don’t have to force anybody. That’s the whole idea. You just live your life in a certain way. You talk about certain things that you believe in, and people will be drawn to you. That’s what Jesus did. People were drawn to him because of what he was saying and what he was talking about. So, with people in the Christian nationalist movement, there is an insecurity where they feel if they’re not getting their way, they’re willing to do anything to force people to think the way they do,” Reiner said.
Partland, director of the 2020 documentary Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump, said he attended Trump rallies to document the fervor, deep commitment and feeling of community Christian nationalists have for their movement. He recalled his surprise at the warmth the events generated because of a shared worldview.
Still from “God + Country”
“People are disarmed. They are very comfortable and they think they are all on the same team — brothers in this political ideology,” he said. “An important piece of it is that there’s a lot of comfort if the people in your community and in your media bubble are all saying the same thing and doing the same thing.”
But it’s in those environments that movement leaders introduce misinformation about Christianity, the Constitution, the nation and government, which is then accepted wholesale by adherents, said Tyler, also lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism. It was a phenomenon she witnessed firsthand at a ReAwaken America Tour event and which is captured in the documentary.
“In the film they say these very things: there’s no separation of church and state and that we are a Christian nation,” Tyler said. “One of my takeaways was that the people there really have bought into what is being sold on that tour — into these myths. In many cases, I felt a sense of almost tenderness for them. At the same time, the leaders of the movement are peddling all of these lies to them.”
“They quote a lot of American history and a lot of good disinformation. There’s a kernel of truth in each of the points that they make.”
Partland said the ReAwaken tour dismisses the concept of “a wall of separation” between church and state because that phrase is not contained in the Constitution, verbatim. “What I found as I immersed myself deeply in those communities is how easy it was to begin to accept the premises of those communities. They quote a lot of American history and a lot of good disinformation. There’s a kernel of truth in each of the points that they make.”
Rob Reiner
The movement’s danger to the Constitution is especially alarming, Reiner added. “If you look at Christian nationalists, they’ll tell you there is no separation of church and state in the Constitution, which is just wrong. It’s just not true. It’s mentioned three times in the Constitution, and that is the beauty a of what the founding fathers had in mind.”
Yet, the ideology is seductive because its adherents are fearful and starving for meaning and order, Reiner said. “If they are confused or hungry, or they’re feeling disconnected and not being heard, they can be drawn in by a charismatic leader,” Reiner said.
Multifaceted activism is required to address the threat of Christian nationalism, otherwise the ideology may erupt again as it did during the January 6 insurrection, Partland said. “If you look at the film, we definitely shine a very bright spotlight on the dangers of Christian nationalism. But the end of the film is very hopeful. We have Rev. Barber talking about if we can return to the honest and true teachings of Jesus, we can have a great country, can have a great world.”
Tyler said the film is a significant contribution to the struggle: “This is about calling attention to this growing movement, to this growing phenomenon. I believe and hope we will be alert to it and inspire people to take action in their communities to do what they can to dismantle Christian nationalism.”
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