Bad Faith,
a new documentary on the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States,
opens with an obvious, ominous scene
– the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021
– though trained on details drowned out by the deluge of horror and easily recognizable images of chaos.
That Paula White, Donald Trump’s faith adviser, led the Save America rally in
a prayer to overturn the results for “a free and fair election”.
That mixed among Trump flags, American flags and militia symbols were numerous banners with Christian crosses;
on the steps of the Capitol, a “JESUS SAVES” sign blares mere feet from “Lock Them UP!”
The movement to overturn the 2020 election for Donald Trump was, as the documentary underscores,
inextricable from a certain strain of belief in America as a fundamentally Christian nation,
separation of church and state be damned.
In fact, as Bad Faith argues, Christian nationalism
– a political movement to shape the United States according a certain interpretation of evangelical Christianity, by vote or, more recently, by coercion
– was the “galvanizing force” behind the attempted hijacking of the democratic process three years ago.
Bad Faith traces the origins of the movement as a savvy, disproportionately powerful political force,
from churches to Republican political operatives to donors,
either from conviction or convenience.
“I think a lot of Americans have a very difficult time accepting and understanding the fact that such treason, such anti-democratic activity,
could be carried out by people who basically look like Sunday school teachers,” Stephen Ujlaki, the film’s director, told the Guardian.
By looking back on the half-century of Christian nationalist belief, organizing and action, the events of January 6 no longer seemed shocking,
but the logical endpoint of anti-democratic ideals.
“It was unmistakable, once you looked in the right place and you listened to what people were saying,
and you understood how to decode what they were saying,” said Ujlaki.
