In God Bless America, Ralph Benmergui travels across the United States – from the Virginia campus of America’s most important Evangelical university, to the streets of Denver during the Democratic National Convention – to meet the men and women who are at the heart of the religious debate within American political life.

Benmergui encounters a remarkable array of individuals on his journey – from punk rock evangelists to Muslim hip-hoppers, radical atheists to born-again teenagers – and discovers that the relationship between church and state in the U.S. is even more complex, and more emotionally charged, than most Canadians imagine.

God Bless America is presented by Seekers Television and VisionTV. Allan Novak and Ralph Benmergui are the Executive Producers. Joan Jenkinson is the Executive Producer for VisionTV.

Monday, January 19

“The Evangelical Right – Part One”
Monday, Jan. 19, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

Now 50 million strong, the Christian right has become one of America’s most influential voting blocs. That troubles author Chris Hedges (American Fascists), who warns that Christian Evangelicals are bent on creating a theocracy in the U.S. Has the Evangelical movement gone too far in its bid for political power? To answer that question, host Ralph Benmergui dines at the home of one of the country’s most prominent Christian lobbyists, and visits the Lynchburg, VA campus of Liberty University, a school that was founded by religious right icon Jerry Falwell and is dedicated to grooming young people to take the fight for Christ into legislatures, schools and courtrooms.

“The Evangelical Right – Part Two”
Monday, Jan. 19, 10:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm PT

Does God belong in the classroom? Many Evangelicals would argue that the U.S., under the guise of tolerance, has become increasingly anti-Christian, and are fighting to get subjects like “intelligent design” onto school curricula. But civil libertarians and scientists oppose their bid for the hearts and minds of tomorrow’s students. In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui meets men and women on both sides of the debate, from a former teacher who was forced to defend her faith in science against pressure from creationists, to a pair of fresh-faced teenage twins in Kentucky who battled to keep Christian prayer a part of their high school graduation ceremony.

Tuesday, January 20

** VISIONTV PREMIERE **
Documentary - "George W. Bush: Faith in the White House ”
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

More than any other American president in recent memory, George W. Bush was guided by his Christian faith. As BBC correspondent Justin Webb observed: "Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W. Bush. The Bush administration hums to the sound of prayer." This hour-long film from 2004 is a fascinating document of the Bush years, offering a Christian perspective on the faith-based leadership of the 43rd president. Publicized as a much-needed corrective to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, the documentary examines how faith and prayer have shaped Bush’s personal life and political decisions - particularly with regard to the war in Iraq and the battle against al-Qaeda. Interviewees such as civil rights activist Robert Woodson and author Stephen Mansfield share their impressions of how George W. Bush “walks the talk of his faith.” Produced by Grizzly Adams Productions.

Wednesday, January 21

** WORLD PREMIERE **
Current Affairs Program -" The Daily Weekend Edition Special: Right is Right ”
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

While the political power of America’s religious right is a subject of debate and controversy, little is said about Canada’s Christian conservatives. Does the religious right have an impact on Canadian politics? To what extent should faith inform this country’s public policies? Are Canadians too zealous about maintaining the separation of church and state - or should the wall be even higher? These are some of the questions that The Daily Weekend Edition examines in this special prime time presentation. The hour-long current affairs program, hosted by Todd Cantelon, includes a roundtable discussion featuring politicians and faith leaders, as well as an interview with elder statesman Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada.

Monday, January 26

“The Evangelical Left”
Monday, Jan. 26, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

Thanks to the Republican Party’s relentless efforts to court American Evangelicals, the term “Christian left” has become something of an oxymoron. Is it possible even to use the words “progressive” and “Evangelical” in the same sentence? In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui talks to Americans whose liberal politics go hand in hand with their Christian faith: from “punk evangelist” Jay Bakker (the son of disgraced televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker), whose Revolution Church in Brooklyn supports the rights of gays and lesbians, to Father Mike Gonzalez of St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Los Angeles, who stands up for illegal immigrants, to Tony Campolo of Philadelphia’s Eastern University, an Evangelical who works to find common ground with progressives, because, as he says, “Christians should be in both parties.”

Monday, February 2

“No, Not That God”
Monday, Feb. 2, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

In the United States today, 87 percent of the population identifies itself as Christian. But what about the other 13 percent? Are the gods they worship American, too? And what of atheists? Do their beliefs – or the absence thereof – count for anything? Should Christian faith be allowed to shape U.S. policy on secular issues such as international AIDS relief? In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui meets Arab-American rappers, secular humanists, progressive Jews, radical non-believers and others – including America’s first and only Muslim Congressman – who are fighting for a place in their country’s marketplace of ideas.

Monday, February 9

“The Dominionists”
Monday, Feb. 9, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

Christian Evangelicals have a single goal: salvation. They believe that Jesus will return one day – soon, perhaps – to build his kingdom on earth. In this theology, the return of the Jews to their ancestral homeland is key to bringing about the End of Days (a belief that has created a strange, combustible alliance between so-called “Christian Zionists” and the State of Israel). In this episode, host Ralph Benmergui considers the plans and motives of the Evangelical movement’s hard core: the “Dominionists,” who are busily paving the way for Christ’s return by striving to create a utopian theocracy in the United States. In Colorado Springs, a Mecca for the born-again movement, he investigates a notable skirmish in America’s clash between non-believers and Dominionists, in the form of one family’s battle against what they say is the pervasive influence of Evangelicals in the U.S. military.

Monday, February 16

“Conclusions”
Monday, Feb. 16, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT

The election of Barack Obama seems like a clear signal that the political power of the Evangelical movement is on the wane. But the defeat of California’s gay marriage ballot initiative, Proposition 8, shows that the Christian right still wields considerable influence. In this final episode, host Ralph Benmergui checks out the famed Bikers for Jesus ministry, and asks Americans what the future holds for politics and religion in their country. Does God still bless America?