Around 500 individuals gathered at B’nai Emunah Synagogue on Monday for a film screening focused on Christian nationalism, followed by discussions led by community leaders. The film, titled “Bad Faith,” spans approximately an hour and a half, examining the history of Christian nationalism in the United States and linking current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to a group of evangelical activists aimed at dismantling the federal government.
The event received support from about a dozen churches in Oklahoma, and screenings of the film are set to continue across the United States through the end of October.
Stacey Paisner, a recent arrival in Tulsa, shared her impactful experience watching 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.”
Following the screening, a panel discussion was moderated by Brian Silva from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. The panel featured speakers including Rabbi Dan Kaiman from Tulsa, Reverend Shannon Fleck from Oklahoma City, and scholar Anne Nelson from Columbia University.
Nelson highlighted a nearly 900-page document known as Project 2025, which is associated with Trump’s supporters. Despite Trump attempting to distance himself, Project 2025 is perceived as a potential guide for his second term if he wins the upcoming election. Nelson detailed some of the document’s proposals, stating, “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 attendees to engage in voting and political activism to address concerns regarding Project 2025. Fleck urged participants to sign a letter from the Oklahoma Faith Network that she intends to send to lawmakers and school boards.
Kaiman advocated for community-driven solutions and relationship-building based on shared values, noting the importance of Holocaust education. He referenced successful legislation from 2022 regarding Holocaust education, emphasizing the need for further educational initiatives, including those surrounding the Tulsa Race Massacre and Indigenous history in Oklahoma.
The next screening of “Bad Faith” is scheduled for Tuesday in Lexington, North Carolina, with another showing planned in Oklahoma City on September 15 at New Covenant Church, located at 1200 N. Rockwell Ave.