'Selling out': Director Rob Reiner under fire for teaming up with evangelicals

Celebrated filmmaker Rob Reiner is releasing his new documentary on Christian nationalism, God & Country, in February of 2024. One evangelical Christian columnist is questioning Reiner — a noted atheist — for teaming up with conservative Christian influencers for the film.

In a recent column for Religion News Service, Messiah University professor John Fea questioned Reiner's efficacy in how he's promoting and rolling out the film. He noted that several of the Christian evangelicals associated with the film made it clear that Reiner only signed onto the project after they agreed to participate. He also worried that their comments could be misconstrued by people seeking to "advance their political and cultural agendas."

"Should they be poster boys and girls for Reiner as he rolls out the Hollywood film in February with what I assume will be a massive public relations campaign? Are they selling out?" Fea wrote. "I know these evangelical influencers did not know they were signing up for a Reiner film when they joined this Christian nationalism project, but that doesn’t mean it is not worth asking what they would have done if they knew it was a Reiner film from the start."

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"If Reiner asked me to join this film as a commentator, I don’t know if I would participate," he continued. "But if I did go on camera, I would probably regret it in the end. Whatever the case, I hope I’d pray long and hard about it."

One of the Evangelicals interviewed for the documentary is conservative columnist David French, who said more should be done to engage with the other side. He wrote on Threads that "anger is part of the problem."

"I'm in a documentary produced by Rob Reiner, and lots of folks are mad at me for 'partnering' with a person who isn't a Christian," French wrote. "This is a pluralistic country. We 'partner' together as citizens, and we have a shared interest in confronting Christian nationalism. I'm proud to partner with my Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and atheist friends who want to preserve our classical liberal republic."

For his part, Fea wrote that he's withholding judgment about the film until he sees it. However, he emphasized that engaging with those who hold different beliefs is important in society, and said Americans can't keep "preaching to the choir and call it 'truth-telling.'"

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Click here to read Fea's column in full.