Description:  Originally released in 2024, this episode is re-released in 2025 to honor the lives and legacy of Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, whose sudden deaths are deeply felt. We share this conversation again to uplift the vital work they brought into the world.

How does a religion rooted in love and peace become a force that fuels political violence, as seen on January 6, 2021? In the documentary God & Country, producer Rob Reiner and director Dan Partland, examine the rise of Christian Nationalism — a dangerous fusion of patriarchal White Nationalism and messianic faith. Based on Katherine Stewart’s The Power Worshippers, the film reveals how this movement threatens both secular democracy and Christianity itself.

Rob Reiner — Emmy-winning actor, acclaimed director, and lifelong defender of democratic values — devoted his later years to confronting authoritarianism. Michele Reiner, also a producer on God & Country, was a vital creative and moral force behind the film and this episode. Their work, and their warning, remain urgent in 2025 as the consequences of the 2024 election continue to unfold.

The episode closes with Laura Flanders on why civic engagement matters now more than ever.

Guests:

•  Dan Partland: Director, God & Country

•  Rob Reiner: Producer, God & Country

• Full Conversation-  LISTEN

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*Recommended book:

“The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism” by Katherine Stewart,  Get the Book

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Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

•  Lisa Graves: The Extremist Revolution & Democracy Hanging by a Thread, Watch  /  Listen-Download Podcast

•  Congressman Jamie Raskin On January 6th: After a Failed Coup, a Successful One?, Watch / Listen-Download Podcast

•  How Radical Self Love Can Heal the World, Watch  /  Listen-Download Podcast

Related Articles and Resources:

•  ‘God & Country,’ the Movie, List of Theater by zipcode  Information Here

•  Stop the Coup 2025 - Stop Project 2025 - Get Involved / Learn More Here

• All of Us, Organizing to Counter White Christian Nationalism and Build a Pro-Democracy Society, by Organizing All of Us, PDF Download

•  Why a Group of Christians Is Fighting the Growing Threat of Christian Nationalism, by Vera Bergengruen, January 6, 2021, TIME Magazine, Read Here

•  White Christian Nationalism:  Attacking our Democracy, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Learn More Here

•  BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Learn More Here

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