Celebrated director Rob Reiner is worried about the rise of Christian nationalism—the use of Christian values to push a political agenda—and its impact on democracy. “A lot of people are unwittingly being drawn into this movement,” Reiner told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. To highlight this, Reiner teamed up with director Dan Partland to produce the documentary God & Country (February 16). “We have to make a distinction between Christianity and Christian nationalism, because you’ll see that we have conservative Christian evangelicals who talk specifically about how not only is Christian nationalism hurting the country and democracy, but it’s hurting Christianity.” Reiner is direct about laying some blame for Christian nationalism’s rise. “I can criticize [Donald] Trump because he’s the one who’s roping these people into this thinking,” citing January 6 as a prime example. “Trump is a cult, and people who follow the cult are vulnerable.” But he sympathizes with those impacted. “They’re looking for meaning, they’re looking for a direction, and you can get swept up in something [like that].” 

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