Weekender Encore: Free Screenings of ‘Bad Faith’ Explore Christian Nationalism in the U.S.
By Sasha Paulsen
NAPA, Calif. — When community activists in Sonoma decided to sponsor a screening of the documentary “Bad Faith” at the Sebastiani Theatre, members of the public attempted to buy up blocks of tickets to prevent others from seeing the film.
The secondary title, “Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy,” might explain this.
The plan did not succeed, however, since there were enough people waiting for a seat to fill the theater and see the film that has been described as “chilling,” “searing” and “shocking.”
“It’s a great and powerful and timely film, filled with the dread this moment engenders,” documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has said of “Bad Faith,” the topic of which he described as the “cynical misuse of religion to advance aims diametrically the opposite of Christianity’s mission.”
“Bad Faith” was named one of the 10 best movies of 2024 by Variety magazine and received the Justice Matters Award at the Washington D.C. International Film Festival.
"Christian nationalists are not kidding around. They are fascists hiding in the robes of Jesus... They declared in 2022 that they have the God-given right to rule the United States."
— Peter Coyote
“Unfortunately, there are people who do not want the general community to see ‘Bad Faith,’ as well as other films we have shown in Sonoma, which expose the truth about Christian nationalism,” said Lisa Storment, one of the founders of Wake Up Sonoma. “Buying up blocks of seats is an old, tired strategy and really doesn’t work anymore because we know what you’re doing and we can mitigate that move. You cannot keep the truth down — it will always rise up.”
Two opportunities to see “Bad Faith” for yourself in Napa are at free screenings coming up in September, sponsored by Keep the Faith Napa, a coalition of local groups that includes the Interfaith Council, Progressive Women of Napa Valley, the Napa Valley Center for Spiritual Living, Crosswalk Community Church, Napa Methodist Church, Indivisible Napa and Wild Dogs Productions.
The film will be shown at Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center on Monday, Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m. and at the Cameo Theater in St. Helena on Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are free; to receive them, it’s necessary to pre-register, with a limit of two per order. For the Napa screening, register here. For the St. Helena screening, register here.
Both events include a panel discussion with actor, activist and author Peter Coyote, as well as members of the Napa Interfaith Council.
One of the people helping to organize the screening is Laura Keller Coyote, who worked as the director of public health nursing in Napa County for 38 years before marrying Peter Coyote, who now lives in Sebastopol.
Coyote narrated “Bad Faith,” which was produced and directed by veteran documentary maker Stephen Ujlaki.
The project began for Ujlaki in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, when he said he wanted to understand what had happened in this country.
His work traces the roots and rise of Christian nationalism back to the 1960s, ’70s and ‘80s, but the film opens with scenes from Jan. 6, 2021 and the bewildering presence of crosses and “Jesus Saves” signs among the crowds that attacked the U.S. Capitol after Donald Trump’s defeat.
It also delves into the aims and implications of Project 2025.
Investigative journalist Anne Nelson, author of “Shadow Network: Media, Money and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right,” recently published, “Project 2025: The Latest Plot Against America,” in the Washington Spectator in March 2024.
She writes, “This comprehensive playbook was produced under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation and supported by over 100 partner organizations. Officially titled ‘Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,’ its perverse genius lies in its sheer length—900 pages, much of it mind-numbing bureaucratic prose.
“But ignore it at your peril. The massive tome is the latest iteration of a four-decade-long process of crafting right-wing policies to dismantle the federal government, deregulate industry and eliminate consumer protections and public health measures, while installing a regime controlled by fossil fuel interests and the Religious Right.”
Laura Keller Coyote said she was among those who were “stunned” after watching the film in Sonoma. “I told Peter, ‘We have to bring this to Napa.’”
She reached out to long-time friends in Napa, including Judith Myers, a member of Progressive Women of Napa Valley. “We asked (vintner) Dick Grace to help and he agreed.” After this, she said, the idea grew into an ad hoc group they named Keep the Faith Napa.
Judith Meyers said she felt it is especially important to show the film before the November election. “This is the election of our lifetime,” she said. “I think most people have not understood what is going on beneath the surface. It’s horrifying the level of Christians being duped.”
Peter Coyote, in addition to narrating the film, said he is committed to “lend a hand” to help Americans understand the forces at work, not just in this election but beyond it.
Coyote, who starred in films such as “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Erin Brockovich,” won an Emmy Award in 1993 for the PBS series “The Pacific Century,” and a Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 for “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.”
He’s also the author of books including “Sleeping Where I Fall,” “The Rainman’s Third Cure: An Irregular Education,” and “Tongue of a Crow,” a collection of poetry, and “Zen in the Vernacular.” Coyote is currently working on a film and book project, “Smothered by Riches.”
Christian nationalists, “are not kidding around,” he said. “They are fascists hiding in the robes of Jesus…They are leaders of the Christian supremacy group, and they declared in 2022 that they have the God-given right to rule the United States, that they have the legal power and authority from heaven. Usually when people talk this way, we lock them up.
“The dilemma is not to doubt their sincerity. The Christian right does not believe that democracy is necessary; they believe it is an impediment to the dominion of Christianity in which their version of Christianity—only theirs—supersedes all. They are ready to throw democracy out.
“You don’t want to diminish them, but they are not like Methodists,” Coyote said. “Christian nationalists are the foot soldiers of very wealthy anti-democratic forces… It’s a political strategy to allow these extreme right-wingers to gain political power; it has nothing to do with religion.
“These are not the acts of religious people – love your brother as yourself. All of these things work to the advantage of big business,” he said. “By cloaking (themselves) in religious language, they avoid having to analyze. It’s just: God made me do it.
“But if you look at the universe, if you believe in God, if you look at the universe She created, it’s inexplicably diverse. There are thousands of languages, religions and words for God. Why did She waste her time?”
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Sasha Paulsen is a Napa Valley-based novelist and journalist.