Today we’re going to do things a bit differently; I’m going to read the story and intersperse my own commentary in, throughout the article, rather than saving it for the end, then I’ll discuss some pressing issues after we get through the article and my commentary.
So, our story today is from Matt Grobar of Deadline and is entitled:
Documentary ‘God & Country: The Rise Of Christian Nationalism’ From Producer Rob Reiner Acquired By Oscilloscope
Oscilloscope Laboratories has snapped up U.S. rights to God & Country: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, a new documentary produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men). Featuring prominent faith leaders who shine a light on the dangerous implications of this growing movement, it’s slated for release in early 2024.
OK, so, so far so reasonable. The article appears to be a straightforward report of Hollywood news. Except…except that the article is already taking sides. Note that they call Christian Nationalism (CN) a growing movement which has “dangerous implications.” I certainly hope for the sake of integrity in journalism that Deadline will define what CN is and why its implications are dangerous, rather than just saying stuff. Anyways, let’s move on.
The film directed by five-time Emmy nominee Dan Partland (Intervention) looks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only our constitutional republic, but Christianity itself.
Wait, is this Dan Partland saying this or Matt Grobar the reporter?
Featuring numerous prominent Christian thought leaders, the question it asks is, what happens when a faith built on love, sacrifice, and forgiveness grows political tentacles, conflating power, money, and belief into hyper-nationalism?
OK, so there are a lot of ways to interpret the above statement. Is growing political tentacles one problem among many or are the political tentacles only bad when those tentacles conflate power, money, and belief, into hyper-nationalism? So, for anyone out in my audience that is interested in how to communicate poorly, like if you want to give a confusing speech, or need to buffalo a board-meeting, and you want to use a lot of words that sound smart but are actually not very clear, this is a perfect example. Normally people don’t say that you conflate something INTO, that would be a transformation. Typically in good writing we say that someone conflates things, not conflates them “into.” It’s not technically wrong, it’s just really odd. But that’s not the point. The big point is that we’re now using qualifiers like hyper and using emotionally laden language like “tentacles”…oooooooooh, scary, it’s some Lovecraftian horror! Oh the humanity. Moving on.
In addition to the always politically active and socially conscious Rob Reiner, producers included Michele Reiner, Steve Okin, and Jeff Okin.
These guys are politically active and socially conscious—their politics aren’t hyper, nor have they grown tentacles…they’re the good guys, don’t you know?
Among those offering expert commentary in the doc are political commentator and author David French; VeggieTales co-creator and Holy Post podcast host Phil Vischer; pastor, author, and Holy Post podcast host Skye Jethani; historian and author Kristin Kobes Du Mez; Christianity Today editor-in-chief Russell Moore; historian and author Jemar Tisby; U.S. Presidential Medal of Honor Winner Sister Simone Campbell; social activist Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II; Evangelical Pastor, activist Doug Pagitt; journalist and producer Reza Aslan; journalist and advocate Rob Boston; journalist, Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Jack Jenkins; pastor and author Rob Schenck; political commentator and author Charlie Sykes; sociologist and journalist Andrew Whitehead; historian and author Anthea Butler; journalist and author Katherine Stewart; and journalist-attorney Andrew Seidel.
So, from the looks of it the filmmaker picked all the usual suspects. And this is something that I spent quite a bit of time researching but actually isn’t really worth all that much time talking about. Because the list of names ranges from people irrelevant to conservative evangelicals, like David French to people utterly anathema like Anthea Butler. Sister Simone Campbell, for instance, is so politically left that Pope Benedict XVI commissioned an investigation into her communist leanings. The point is that the people selected to be in this documentary are the kinds of people that, when an engaged conservative evangelical hears that they are in this documentary, they say, “of course, they are.”
Saying, “Phil Vischer opposes thing,” or “Russel Moore has opinion,” used to have some pull. It really doesn’t. And the reason it doesn’t is NOT because Christians, or the culture are become so polarized that we can’t hear a voice from the middle. It isn’t because Americans or American evangelicals are opposed to centrism—that may be true to some degree—but I don’t think it’s true as a generalized statement. The realignment of the Trumpy right with people like Dave Rubin, Jordan Peterson, or Russel Brand, shows that people are willing to listen to centrist voices. What people are not willing to listen to are a bunch of centrists or even leftists pretending to be right wing and criticize the movement from within. It’s the false moderation, the pseudo-centrism that people are sick of. Anyways, moving on.
“Christianity is in crisis,” said Partland, in reflecting on the doc’s themes. “To be clear, Christianity is not the problem, and having one’s faith inform one’s political beliefs is not the problem. The problem is the intertwining of a Christian identity with a political identity such that it can be hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.”
So I’m not certain what this is supposed to mean. If he means that Christians should not let party platforms take control of our faith—then there is wisdom to that. Are there conservative Christians who have an unhealthy obsession with President Trump or the Republican Party or America? Of course—and of course such things exist on the left too! Yes there are many who think that Republican is a synonym for Christian. They are not.
But to pretend that Christianity shouldn’t completely control and direct one’s politics is ridiculous. Christ is Lord of all of life. That means that Christ is Lord of politics. Which means that Christ should influence the Christian’s opinions on abortion and drugs, as well as the border and taxes and social services. Are there legitimate disagreements that earnest Christians can have on SOME of these issues? Of course there are. But the above statement is, if it’s intended as I think it is, fatally flawed because it conceives of politics as something fundamentally distinct from theology and it is not. Politics is just theology with a gun. And somebody’s theology is going to be imposed.
Let me repeat that lest you be snookered by fine sounding arguments. On all these issues that David French and Russel Moore want you to see as adiaphora, as morally neutral, as just politics, on all these issues where they want conservative evangelicals and catholics to lay down their theology and just do politics, in all these issues one must remember that 1) French and Moore and the whole lot are making a theological claim with political ramifications themselves and 2) someone’s theology wins in the end. Politics is just theology with a gun. Whatever the laws are is a reflection of someone’s theology. Neutrality is a myth, as my friend Pastor Feller likes to say. Moving on.
Continued Partland, “The danger to democracy led me to explore this topic, but what I learned in the process is that the threat may be even greater to the Church itself. I’m thrilled to partner with Oscilloscope, as they understand the importance of bringing awareness to a divisive, political version of Christianity that has little in common with Christian principles.”
Danger to democracy? What danger? And why is democracy something worth preserving. I don’t like democracy. I don’t want to live in a democracy. I want to live in a godly republic, thank you very much.
And I’m glad that his greatest concern is not democracy but the Church. I’m not being smug. And I’ll take him at face value. I’ll accept that he genuinely is concerned for the Church. Good. That’s great insofar as it goes. And I want to be absolutely clear. We are at a cultural inflection point. And I do fear that if there were a major rightward swing in this country it would not be one genuinely guided by Christianity but a more generalized rightism and that could be very, very bad. I fear a godless rightism. And I think that it’s worth it for thoughtful, godly, nuanced people to talk about such things. And many of them have.
Men whom I greatly respect live Doug Wilson and Voddie Baucham have warned about a godless rightward backlash. It’s a real concern. That’s not the problem I nor most conservative evanglicals I talk to have. My concern, and theirs, is that people like this documentarian are pretending that the solution is more secular classical or neoliberalism. The problem is being worried about the violence of the godless right that MIGHT come to be whilst blithely ignoring and even encouraging the violence against babies through abortion, the violence against children through genital mutilation, the violence against women by men being in their bathroooms and locker rooms, the corruption of our national soul through immorality and decadence.
It’s as if the house is on fire but David French and Russel Moore are telling you not to call the fire department because the high-pressure water might damage the mouldings or break the window mullions. Moving on.
“Not since the Civil War has our country been so divided,” Reiner observed. “GOD & COUNTRY throws a spotlight on the role that Christian Nationalism has played in stoking that division. With the deepest respect for Christians who are sincere in their faith, but who are misinformed about the dangers and history of Christian Nationalism, I was compelled to produce this film to use my voice to draw awareness to the threat it poses.”
Shut up. Just shut up. Ugh, this is so tiresome and tired. Let’s play, Buzzword Salad everybody. If Rob Reiner is so concerned about nuance he wouldn’t use a term with semantic overload like “Christian Nationalism” if he’s trying to deconvert Christian Nationalists. Nowhere in this article or in the trailer is the term defined. It’s just an amorphous, undefined, Very Bad Thing. If he’s trying to play to the left, I’m sure this will be moderately successful at getting Rob Reiner another 15 minutes of fame after a few decades of general irrelevancy.
Of course you were compelled to use your voice Rob Reiner, of course you were. I like how you haven’t taken the hint over the past twenty years that nobody wants your politics. They do want your storytelling. Rob Reiner has made some great films. And he has real talent. But he’s a poor preacher and he hasn’t taken the hint. Moving on.
O-Scope’s Dan Berger called the film “a clarion call to Christians all over the nation,” adding that “their religion, the tenets of which are based on kindness, caring, and love is being co-opted in the name of something entirely other that derives its strength from fear mongering and obfuscation.
So, let me tell you about these things called pots and kettles…funniest thing in the world, I swear, these pots and kettles—same color! Who knew?!
The GOD & COUNTRY team has created a film that is not only important, but immensely effective in communicating a very complex and often messy issue in a clear and concise manner. We are thrilled to be able to help this crucially important film get in front of as many people as possible at a time when it’s most needed.”
Whenever someone from Hollywood says a film is important, that seems to be a way of saying that it’s liberal and they expect it to bomb at the box office. I mean, this film it’s important and immensely effective, why heck, it’s crucially important, not just important, it’s needed, you guys…so needed. Because there are no other media out there telling Christians who will probably vote R in the next election that they’re scum. It’s just crickets out there, amiright?
Anyways, enough commentary. Let’s get down to tacks—the brass ones.
Are there Christians who believe stupid and foolish things? Yes. Are there unbelievers who believe stupid and foolish things? Yes.
Can Christians engaged in politics become corrupted? Yes. Can unbelievers engaged in politics become corrupted? Yes.
Is it possible that certain fusions of religious expression and politics can fuse into something ugly? Of course. Is it possible that politics without Christ ALWAYS becomes something ugly? Of course.
I believe that there are reasons for Christians to be aware of the dangers of hitching ourselves and our churches to movements that are corrosive to the soul. Christians need to let the gospel guide politics not the other way round. And let me go even further and say that conservative evangelicals make mistakes and errors in judgment and do bad things. Conservative evangelicals like all people, jump on bandwagons and look for quick fixes and are prone to laziness and pride and can be short-sighted and even malicious. Being on the right doesn’t make you right. And sometimes, not always, but sometimes the critiques that people from the left against conservative evangelicals and conservative Christians more broadly are just and fair.
And let me go even further. Let me go the nth degree. Let me grant a premise I think is false, just for the sake of saying we did. Let’s say I grant the premise of the film. Christian Nationalism is all the bad things. OK.
What’s your solution? More secularism? Because that’s worked so well? More leftist morality? Because that has led to human flourishing? Less God in politics, because that’s been such a boon?
Forgive me if I sound like a cynical man, because I am prone to cynicism. But it sounds to me like this documentary found a bunch of people who think that conservative evangelicals are going to ruin everything and the solution is for all of us to shut up and do as they say. These are not voices in the wilderness, these are PhD professors and magazine editors and people with huge public platforms and profiles who are actual policymakers and powerplayers. They’re the ones who have something to lose if something like “Christian Nationalism” (whatever that means) is instantiated. It seems to me like they’re telling us all that we’re going to ruin everything and that us hicks should just leave it to the grown-ups and it’ll all be sorted.
And the thing is—I don’t believe them. Because Christian Nationalism my be the worst thing there is and very nasty and no good. But the alternative that Moore and the gang are offering doesn’t seem to be any better.
In closing, I can’t say for sure, but judging by the trailer and the people involved, society is changing in ways that people didn’t see coming. And whatever happens, it looks like it’s going to be very interesting. Whatever that means.
But the great blessing we have as Christians is that whatever happens in society and politics, we have Christ and we’re called to share him. We’re called to be loyal to our King and Lord because our citizenship is from another place. Yes, we strive to see God’s Kingdom reign in this world. But we also look to the consummation of our faith. So, while we wait let’s do our level best to make this world like the Kingdom.