Railing against the new movie "Lady Ballers" from conservative news outlet Daily Wire, MSNBC columnist Katelyn Burns was beside herself. "At the heart of ‘Lady Ballers,'" she wrote, "like all the transphobic messaging from the far right, is a sweeping lie." I found that conclusion humorous since the sentence immediately preceding that accusation read this way:
I refuse to watch such trash of a film, but the trailer and reviews of it make its toxicity plain.
She didn't watch it, but can tell you all about it.
I know this puts me at odds with our omnipresent political culture, both left and right, but I really don't find it to be a healthy pastime to mock and criticize a project, piece, or performance without first having seen it for yourself. I'm sure I've done it. We've all done it. And there's no question that I'll do it again.
But with the coming documentary "God and Country," a film created by noted left-wing activist and avowed atheist Rob Reiner to expose the threat that "Christian Nationalism" represents, I'm more conscious than ever of my inclination to do so. Especially after reading Not the Bee's coverage the film's trailer and the frustrating cooperation of professing progressive-leaning Christians like Phil Vischer, Skye Jehtani, and David French - all men I have criticized previously for their willful compromise with the spirit of the age - my acerbic tongue needs to be tamed.
Consequently, I'm guarding against my tendency to immediately write this film off as a gratuitous hit piece that makes a mockery of Christianity and faithful Christians. It may well prove my fears and assumptions to be correct. It may end up correlating dads protesting at a school board meeting about their own daughter being sexually assaulted at school with Christian Nationalism. But for now, until I know that it does, I'd like to pose a series of questions that I hope are edifying to those intrigued, intimidated, or irritated by this project alike.
Does "God and Country" adequately address the flagrant Christian Nationalism that emanates from the left, or is it only critical of what it claims is the amalgamation of conservative politics and faith?
There exists often an utterly disqualifying sin among those wringing their hands over so-called Christian Nationalism - their panic only cuts one way.
Again, I ask why is this Christian Nationalism?
When this is not?
Why is this Christian Nationalism?
When this is not?
One of those appearing in the Reiner film, warning about Christian Nationalism is author and activist Jemar Tisby. But if Christian Nationalism is the conflation of your personal theology with the objectives of a political party in this country, few match that description more perfectly than Jemar Tisby himself, as he aggressively defends blatant left-wing politicking that occurs weekly in a majority of America's black churches.
Were participating Christians discerning and prudent in their decision to participate in this film?
As the link above reveals, prominent Christian commentators like Skye Jehtani and Phil Vischer of the Holy Post podcast, David French of The New York Times, Russell Moore, and a handful of other professing Christians all agreed to sit for interviews and participate in the making of this film. Facing backlash, both Vischer and author Kristin DuMez have claimed they didn't know an atheist radical was the one masterminding the project. Though evidence has now surfaced that Reiner was attached to the making and financing prior to their involvement, I'm willing to believe their claim of innocent ignorance.
Each of these individuals, perhaps with the exception of Moore, have made their name and wealth crusading against exclusively right-wing Christian Nationalism, so I can't say that it shocks me to find out they would gleefully participate in denouncing it when given the opportunity. And there's certainly nothing wrong with putting your face on camera and sharing your convictions. But now that they do know who is behind the film, wouldn't it be a reasonable expectation that they be forcefully speaking out in warning against using their name and testimony in any attempt to sully the name of Christianity?
If, in fact, they didn't know that Reiner was the man behind the curtain, now that he's been revealed, shouldn't we expect to see some clarifications and cautions, atonement and apologizing? Given that Jesus told His followers that the world would recognize us by the love we show to our fellow believers, I would think so.
Will atheists like Reiner be positively impacted by exposure to real Christianity? Will the audience?
Though a professing atheist, in the past Reiner has praised the concepts of Buddhism, saying it was the only faith, "that kind of makes sense to me." As far as Christianity, he tweeted on Christmas day four years ago, "I'm not a Christian. But I try to live by the teachings of Jesus. There is nothing more morally profound than treating people as you would like to be treated." Obviously he has a deficient understanding of his Savior, but there's still hope.
As imperfect as Russell Moore may be, as frustrating as some of his public positions have been on issues of pressing political importance, is it impossible to believe that God could use him, his testimony, and his witness to plant a seed of eternal importance in the heart of someone as lost, but as loved as Rob Reiner? Is that not worth hoping and praying for? The film will preach to its choir and embolden its opponents. Its influence on the masses will be minimal at best. But maybe Reiner's potential exposure to Christianity will cause him to at least crack open the door of his heart that God has been knocking on for years.
Is there something faithful Christians can learn from this?
I could probably count on one hand the number of things that progressive Christian activist Shane Claiborne tweeted in the years I followed him that I agreed with. But God used him once to really convict my heart about something for which I am still (and will always be) grateful. I'm not so arrogant to think that He couldn't do it again, even from the unlikeliest of sources.
After all, I don't disagree with the movie's director, Dan Partland, when he said:
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. 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.
Personally, I echo his concern. That's one reason why I am so aggravated that the condemnation of this dangerous intertwining is only ever directed towards those on the right. It's perilous to citizens and believers on all sides.
I don't know if I'll take the time to watch the movie or not. But if I do, I hope I can go into it with the same approach I take when watching any movie, reading any article, or hearing any speech: Test everything against the Word of God, keep what is consistent, discard what is contradictory, and in all things show grace to those who disagree.
