Norfolk Church Screens "Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy"
The award-winning documentary traces the movement's roots to a 1970s tax exemption ruling, not Roe v. Wade, in a screening followed by Q&A with the filmmakers.
Friday, September 11, 7–9pm | Norfolk, CT | Free
Norfolk UCC's Just Humanity Team hosts a free screening of "Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy" at Battell Chapel on September 11, followed by Q&A with the film's creators and refreshments.
Director Stephen Ujlaki, a former dean of Loyola Marymount University's School of Film and Television, began the documentary project after Donald Trump's 2016 election, trying to understand a political movement he came to see as masquerading as a religion.
Co-directed with Chris Jones and narrated by Peter Coyote, the documentary traces Christian nationalism's origins back to Republican strategist Paul Weyrich, arguing against the popular narrative that the religious right coalesced primarily around Roe v. Wade. Dartmouth religion professor Randall Balmer, one of several scholars interviewed in the film, points instead to Green v. Connally, a 1971 ruling stripping tax-exempt status from racially discriminatory private schools, as the movement's real catalyst. The film goes on to connect that history to Trump's rise, the January 6 Capitol attack, and the policy blueprints behind Project 2025.
The documentary features interviews with a wide range of voices, including journalist Anne Nelson, Rev. William Barber II, evangelical writer Jim Wallis, and former DHS official Elizabeth Neumann, drawing partly on Nelson's and Balmer's published research on the subject. Since its January 2024 release, "Bad Faith" has won several festival awards, including recognition at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and is available for streaming on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube alongside its ongoing community screening tour.
Battell Chapel, 12 Litchfield Road, Norfolk, CT. More at norfolkucc.org.
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After a decade of writing for RI (along with many other publications and organizations) Jamie took over as editor in 2025. He has a masters in journalism from NYU, a wonderful wife, two kids and a Carolina dog named Zelda.
