Approximately 500 individuals gathered at B’nai Emunah Synagogue on Monday for a screening of a documentary addressing Christian nationalism and to engage with local leaders.
The film, titled “Bad Faith,” covers the history of Christian nationalism in the United States over one and a half hours, linking current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to a coalition of evangelical activists aiming to dismantle the federal government.
The event garnered support from about a dozen churches in Oklahoma, emphasizing their backing for the cause. Screenings of the film are taking place nationwide through the end of October.
Stacey Paisner, an attendee and recent arrival in Tulsa, shared her insights following the film, 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.”
After the screening, a panel moderated by Brian Silva from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State featured speakers, including Tulsa Rabbi Dan Kaiman, Oklahoma City Reverend Shannon Fleck, and Columbia University scholar Anne Nelson.
Nelson, hailing from Stillwater, discussed a nearly 900-page document known as Project 2025, produced by Trump’s supporters. Despite Trump’s attempts to distance himself, this document is viewed as a potential framework for his second term if he wins in November.
“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,” Nelson stated. “It is a radical, radical document.”
Panelists urged attendees to engage in voting and political activism regarding the implications of Project 2025. Reverend Fleck encouraged people to sign a letter from the Oklahoma Faith Network intended for lawmakers and school boards.
Rabbi Kaiman highlighted the importance of community-based solutions and fostering relationships based on shared values, citing recent legislation on Holocaust education that synagogue members helped to finalize.
“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,” Kaiman asserted.
The next screening of “Bad Faith” is scheduled in Lexington, North Carolina, on Tuesday, with another showing set for September 15 in Oklahoma City at New Covenant Church, located at 1200 N. Rockwell Ave.