“I came to build a liberal Protestant church in Oklahoma, but I made the mistake of using the word liberal. In Oklahoma you can be a Democrat or a Christian, but you can’t be both,” observes Rev. Robin Meyers in a trailer for “American Heretics: The Politics of the Gospel.” Jeanine Isabel Butler’s upcoming documentary explores the history of religion, race, and politics through the eyes of a group of Oklahomans with progressive agendas looking to bridge the divide within their communities.
Despite having “more churches than almost anyone,” Oklahoma’s social statistics are among the worst in the country, Meyers explains. “That tells you that something’s really wrong with our approach to religion.”
Rev. Lori Walke emphasizes the importance of fighting for laws that treat “immigrants as the human beings they are.”
Check out the trailer to hear from more religious leaders sounding off on being labelled heretics for their liberal beliefs. “American Heretics: The Politics of the Gospel” arrives in theaters July 12.
Butler’s previous credits include episodes of “National Geographic Explorer” and “Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker & the FSA Photographers.”
