Community Leaders Address Christian Nationalism at Film Screening in Tulsa

Approximately 500 individuals gathered at B’nai Emunah Synagogue on Monday to watch a film focused on the theme of Christian nationalism and to engage with community leaders.

The film, titled “Bad Faith,” presents a historical overview of Christian nationalism in the United States, connecting current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to movements that seek to dismantle the federal government.

Supported by about a dozen churches in Oklahoma, the event aimed to express solidarity against the growing influence of Christian nationalism in politics. Screenings of the film are scheduled across the United States until the end of October.

Stacey Paisner, an attendee and recent Tulsa resident, shared her transformative experience during the film. She expressed her confusion about Trump’s appeal among evangelicals, stating, “I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how this disgusting, unfaithful, cheating, lying man got all these evangelicals behind him. And it’s because he’s the puppet to get them what they want.”

Following the screening, a panel discussion moderated by Brian Silva of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State took place. The panel featured Rabbi Dan Kaiman from Tulsa, Reverend Shannon Fleck from Oklahoma City, and scholar Anne Nelson from Columbia University.

Anne Nelson, originally from Stillwater, described a significant document involving Trump’s supporters called Project 2025. Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself from this project, it is viewed as a framework for his potential second term in the upcoming election. Nelson noted, “They want to ban the words reproductive health from all federal documents, they want to prevent the CDC from recommending vaccinations for school children, they want to close down the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency, and allow the oil companies to proceed and drill wherever they want to with no safety measures. It is a radical, radical document.”

The panelists encouraged community members to engage in political processes and to advocate for their concerns regarding Project 2025. Reverend Fleck invited attendees to sign a petition aimed at local lawmakers and school boards.

Rabbi Kaiman emphasized the importance of grassroot solutions and the need for community engagement. He highlighted past efforts in education legislation, particularly regarding Holocaust education. Kaiman stated, “Well, sure, the place to start is with Holocaust education. But let’s follow it with legislation about teaching the Tulsa Race Massacre, about seeking the history of Indigenous peoples in our state. There’s a lot we can do, and it is possible.”

The next screening of “Bad Faith” is scheduled for Lexington, North Carolina on Tuesday, with another viewing planned in Oklahoma City on September 15 at New Covenant Church.