WARSAW — Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who has quickly become an outspoken Republican leader in state government, will host a town hall meeting in Warsaw Tueday night.

It will mark the eighth town hall since Beckwith and Gov. Mike Braun took office less than six months ago.

The town hall will be at Warsaw City Hall council chambers. It starts at 6:30 p.m., and the public is welcome to attend.

Traditionally, the lieutenant governor serves as the president of the Indiana Senate and becomes acting governor if the incumbent is incapacitated or unable to lead for various reasons.

The position also traditionally has had oversight roles of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Office of Energy and Defense Development, and the Office of Tourism Development.

But Beckwith is more than happy to address any issue and appears to enjoy engaging with anyone on any topic.

Questions at previous town halls have touched on the legislative session, property taxes, the Bible, separation of church and state, LGBTQ rights, constitutional issues, and race relations, according to coverage by Indiana Capital Chronicle and The Indiana Citizen.

A town hall in New Albany recently focused on property taxes, according to a post on his Twitter account.

Beckwith also recently weighed in on the idea of expanding tolls onto Interstate highways and described his opinion as a "Hard Pass."

"Sometimes discussions get heated, but that only shows how much Hoosiers care about our state and I welcome that passion," Beckwith said in a statement about his town halls posted on Twitter.

The gathering in the city council chambers in Warsaw city hall is set for 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Beckwith has hosted seven other town halls since taking office in January. The event in Kosciusko County is the first one in norther Indiana.

In a news release, Beckwith said he’ll take questions on a full range of issues.

The post All topics on the table Tuesday night at Beckwith Town Hall in Warsaw appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

The Indiana Citizen

INDIANAPOLIS — Hoosiers often think Indiana is God’s country, but some state legislators wanted to make it official.

Twenty-two state representatives introduced House Resolution 53, which called on the Indiana House of Representatives to adhere to the biblical teachings of God, and “… and to acknowledge the need for divine providence, choosing to humbly submit its ways to the Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Legislators filed the resolution with just 10 days left in the session and on the final day for committees to complete their work. The resolution died in committee almost immediately after its filing.

Only a few sentences in length, HR 53 made no attempt to define any of the language or to clarify what “humbly submit” to Jesus Christ would mean for lawmakers.

The resolution garnered support from 21 Republicans and one Democrat, Rep. John Bartlett, D-Indianapolis. The leading author of the bill, Rep. Joanna King, R-Middlebury, serves as the deputy speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives. Included in the co-authors were majority whip Rep. Bob Heaton, R-Terre Haute.

The Arnolt Center reached out to several of these lawmakers, including King, and only Bartlett provided comment, saying he thinks he read the resolution, but signed it mainly as a favor to King.

“If it had been a bill, I would have given it more scrutiny but I had a lot going on during the session,” Bartlett said.

HR 53, entitled “Recognizing the importance of repentance,” was the most recent attempt by lawmakers to integrate religion into Indiana’s laws – potentially a part of the ever-expanding Christian nationalist movement in the United States.

Legislators introduced at least four bills this past session that contain language that could be linked to Christian nationalism, a review of proposed legislation by the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism in partnership with The Indiana Citizen found.

For adherents, the movement hit a high note with the election of Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist. As the second highest-ranking state elected official, his election puts Christian nationalism a heartbeat away from the governor’s office and in a position to influence legislation since the Indiana Constitution calls for the lieutenant governor to take over if the governor becomes incapacitated or dies in office.

Though most of the bills died in committee, their introduction before the General Assembly could still be a success for the far right. Matthew Taylor, author of “The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy” and a scholar with the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, said these bills help introduce radical ideas into the national conversation.

“Even the fact that they’re being debated and talked about is a success for (the lawmakers who introduce the bills) because they are mainstreaming their ideas,” Taylor said.

Influence is clear but definition is murky

As Christian nationalism has gained traction, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between Christian nationalist ideas and politically conservative ideas.

Christian nationalism has no single agreed-upon definition, even among experts.

Andrew Whitehead, foremost scholar in the field and professor at Indiana University Indianapolis, defines Christian nationalism as “an idea that many Americans hold that the United States should be distinctively Christian in its national identity, public policy and sacred symbols.”

Not all Christians are Christian nationalists, he said in a press release. Rather, Christian nationalists believe Christianity should be privileged over other religions.

The increase in Christian nationalism is closely related to the growing prominence of ultraconservative Republicans.

Taylor said that while there are still right-wing atheists and right-wing members of other religions, there is an increase in Republican arguments backed by Christianity. Elements of Christian nationalism are infused throughout the conservative blueprint, Project 2025.

A few bills introduced this past legislative session focused on implementing Christian values into law.

The Christian nationalist agenda centers around issues of education, sexuality and gender identity and abortion, Taylor said. He said trying to impose religious values on communities through legislation could be a sign that a bill is Christian nationalist.

“If a Christian is coming along and saying ‘we understand through Christianity that abortion is murder and therefore we need to outlaw it,’ that’s Christian nationalism. Because you’re trying to impose a Christian morality on everyone,” Taylor said.

Beckwith’s definition of Christian nationalism is softer than that provided by scholars and academics who have studied the Christian nationalism movement. Beckwith said, during an interview with the Arnolt Center, that Christian nationalism is “figuring out how to love your neighbor, love your community, love the nation that God has placed you in.”

“To me that’s the definition of what Christian nationalism is,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith has served as a pastor in Hamilton County for more than 15 years and has only recently become involved in politics.

While on the Hamilton East Public Library board, Beckwith proposed a policy that would have banned books that contained sex, violence, drug use and profanity from the library’s youth sections. The policy caused a backlash, including from bestselling Indiana author John Green, and was ultimately revoked. Beckwith resigned from the library board to run for state office.

In 2023, Beckwith mounted an insurgent campaign for lieutenant governor and won, despite the Republican nominee for governor, Mike Braun, backing a different candidate, Rep. Julie McGuire, R-Indianapolis.

In an interview with Arnolt Center reporters, Beckwith said he believes many laws and bills are rooted in Judeo-Christian values: thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal. He said he feels these are fundamentally valuable standards of morality, regardless of whether a person is Christian.

“There’s certainly a very strong argument to be made where, hey, Christian values produce in the law, they produce liberty and protection of society and people’s freedoms more so than any other value system the world has ever seen,” he said.

Beckwith said he is not trying to push Christianity on others through legislation. However, he defends several proposed bills using teachings from the Bible, which experts say is Christian nationalist.

“If you’re saying, ‘Hey, Christian nationalism is forcing Christianity down somebody’s throat,’ I’m adamantly against that. I don’t believe in that. I don’t want that. God does not force himself on us, nor should the government force us to worship in a certain way,” Beckwith said. “But somebody has to decide what is right and what is wrong. I mean, that’s what a law is. If you think we can have a nation that’s not a religious nation, you’re woefully mistaken.”

Beckwith posted a video on Facebook in 2022 explaining why every follower of Jesus should be a Christian nationalist.

“You have a job to be a Christian nationalist,” he said in the video. “God is calling you to steward your nation.”

Taylor said that a bill can still be Christian nationalist even if it does not contain religious language in its text. These bills are still often publicly justified by using Christian nationalist arguments.

“People would say, ‘Oh well this can’t be Christian nationalist because it doesn’t mention religion.’ Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, right?” Taylor said.

‘My faith always directs me’

Although some of the bills do not contain explicit religious language, legislators say these bills are religiously motivated.

Rep. Bruce Borders proposed three bills this legislative session that could be labeled as Christian nationalist. The Jasonville Republican has been a part of the Indiana House of Representatives since 2004 and represents the rural counties of Sullivan and Greene. He is the owner of Borders Insurance and Financial Services and has three kids.

One of his bills sought to put the Ten Commandments on school walls.

House Bill 1231, which Borders co-authored alongside Rep. JD Prescott, R-Union City, would have required school corporations to display the Ten Commandments in every library and classroom. Wearing a suit and white tennis shoes in between committee meetings one February morning, Borders said in an interview that even though not everyone may follow the Ten Commandments from a religious standpoint, he thinks they still offer valuable life advice to children.

“You go into any classroom and you’ll see certain motivational posters up there and so forth,” Borders said. “I think the Ten Commandments are some pretty good slogans to live by. And I do happen to believe that they are sent down from and above by our Heavenly Father. And I think they’re a great encouragement for kids, quite frankly.”

Taylor said there is often a strong Christian nationalist focus on infusing religion into schools. He said Christian nationalists want children to learn that Christianity is intrinsically linked to the identity of the U.S. as a nation.

Beckwith said he doesn’t believe this bill is Christian nationalist, but rather a part of American history. He said that the Ten Commandments are a founding document similar to the Constitution. In January, Beckwith made a post on his Instagram page showing his support for this bill. “Let’s work together to support this initiative and spark conversations about the principles that help shape strong, respectful communities!” part of the post read.

Other pieces of legislation focus on abortion rights and gender identity. These bills do not explicitly mention religion but still contain signs of Christian nationalism.

Borders also authored House Bill 1342, which would have classified a male knowingly entering into a female restroom and vice versa as a Class B misdemeanor. Class B misdemeanors, which also include such other offenses as drunk driving and minor drug possession, carry a penalty of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Borders said he proposed the bill to protect women. He also said he would make no exceptions for transgender individuals, who would have to use the restroom that aligns with their gender at birth.

“I don’t accept the ideology that a male can become a female or a female can become a male,” he said. “We are male and female as God created us.”

According to Taylor’s criteria, this bill could be considered to be Christian nationalist because it imposes Christian morality and beliefs on trans individuals. He considers a bill Christian nationalist when lawmakers use religious arguments to justify a bill and attempt to impose their religious values on people who are resisting them.

“I have no problem calling that a Christian nationalist bill,” he said.

Borders proposed a similar bill, House Bill 1341, which stated that the gender listed on a birth certificate and permanent record made from birth certificate cannot be changed. There are exceptions to this: if there was a typing or clerical error concerning the person’s gender and if medical tests prove otherwise. Borders said he would not make exceptions for transgender individuals.

“So I love them? I do,” he said. “Do I disagree with them? I do.”

This is not Borders’ first time proposing these kinds of bills; he has authored bills with very similar language to House Bills 1342 and 1341 a few times in the last five years.

Rep. Lorissa Sweet, R-Somerset, has also introduced bills that are motivated by her faith. This legislative session, she authored House Bill 1334, which would have changed the definition of a human being to include what the bill described as “unborn children” and repealed the section of Indiana Code that says homicide does not apply to certain abortions.

Sweet did not respond when asked if this bill is linked to the Christian nationalist movement, but did say that her faith played a role in her authoring it.

“My faith always directs me but science also backs it,” Sweet said.

Taylor is more outspoken on what role Christian nationalism might play in anti-abortion bills such as Sweet’s proposed bill. Sweet’s bill wasn’t alone. The 2025 session of the Indiana legislature had at least seven other anti-abortion bills, which included a bill to restrict access to abortion inducing drugs and a requirement for the Indiana Department of Health to publish abortion complication reports.

“Whether they admit it or not, anti-abortion restrictions today are almost always Christian nationalist,” he said.

Indiana follows a national trend

Across the United States there is a growing trend of Christian nationalist bills gaining traction and support. In Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Utah, lawmakers introduced bills similar to HB 1231, all requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools in various capacities.

The Texas legislature is debating a Ten Commandments bill while Louisiana did pass such a bill, but a federal judge has blocked that law. The Utah legislature passed a watered-down version of the bill and the Oklahoma bill did not make it past committee.

When a bill doesn’t pass, it is not necessarily a loss for Christian nationalists.

“The fact they’re able to introduce them in so many states shows the influence that they have to be able to get legislators in all these states to introduce the bills,” said Nik Nartowicz, lead policy counsel at Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Taylor said he believes part of the Christian nationalist agenda is introducing bills to legitimize their ideas and hopefully inspire similar legislation in other states.

“A lot of the agenda in the states is to set a precedent which can become a launching pad for these same initiatives to be laid out in other states, if we can get legitimacy from the courts for these things,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he believes President Donald Trump has set a Christian-driven agenda through his policies and actions, such as overturning Roe v. Wade. “Make America Pray Again” hats have also circulated, demonstrating Trump’s loyalty to the far-right Christian community. Trump blames former President Joe Biden for promoting an anti-Christian government, and has said he wants to get rid of anti-Christian bias through the White House Faith Office.

The number of Christians in the United States has declined and with this decreasing demographic power comes a greater desperation from Christian nationalists, Taylor said. Unable to mobilize large enough numbers of Christian voters to enact their policies, Christian nationalists are looking for other ways to accomplish their agenda.

Taylor said some Christian nationalists hope to slide the country toward a more antidemocratic model and even embrace the idea of a monarchy, which they view as the only way to enact the society they want.

“Democracy they don’t think can accomplish their agenda,” Taylor said. “So they’re trying to remake the playing field.”

This story was written by journalists at the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism at Indiana University in partnership with The Indiana Citizen. Samantha Camire, Ruth Cronin, Caroline Geib, Jonah Gotkin, Isabella Vesperini and Abigail White are students with the Arnolt Center.

This story has been updated to show Andrew Whitehead is a full professor in the department of sociology at Indiana University.

The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, non-profit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed, engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity.

To see the original story, click here.

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Micah Beckwith, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, is assembling an advisory council of agricultural, legislative and other experts to ensure “alignment with Christian, Constitutional, and Conservative principles,” according to a digital participation confirmation request obtained by the Capital Chronicle.

The group would provide “expert guidance and operational support” in fulfilling the office’s statutory and constitutional duties, according to a statement of purpose.

Beckwith said it’s not a transition team. Those typically plan for and staff a new administration.

“The Bible says there’s wisdom in a multitude of counselors,” he told the Capital Chronicle. “And so, it’s really just building a coalition of people that would have some good insight on the L.G. role.”

Gubernatorial candidates, meanwhile, offered sparing details on their own efforts. The election is about 40 days away.

Advisory assembly

Beckwith estimated his advisory board would consist of about a dozen people not part of his campaign team.

The statement of purpose pitches the group as “composed of subject matter experts and professionals” covering agriculture, small business, defense development and legislative oversight.

They would “share Micah Beckwith’s values” and would make certain that “policies and programs advance the interests of Hoosiers while maintaining a commitment to limited government, personal responsibility, and faith-based initiatives.” The confirmation request was sent by Omar Habayeb, who, in the message, identified himself as a member of Beckwith’s team.

Beckwith, a pastor at Life Church’s Noblesville campus, said the religious aspect is important to him.

“You don’t have to be a Christian. No one’s trying to use government to proselytize,” Beckwith said. “You know, I don’t want to see a theocracy. I don’t want to see government turn into a substitute church.”

“What I do believe, though, is that the moral foundation that America rests upon … (is) built on Judeo-Christian principles,” he continued.

“It’s saying that, hey, when we live in a society where nobody murders one another, that’s a Christian principal. We don’t allow murder in America, because God says murder is wrong,” Beckwith said. He added examples of theft and slander.

About half of Americans believe the Bible should have either “some” or a “great deal” of influence on the country’s laws, according to a 2020 survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research. The other half think it shouldn’t inform laws “much” or “at all.”

But nearly three-quarters of Americans said religion should be kept separate from government policies in a 2022 Pew survey.

References to God abound in the country’s founding documents, with mentions in 46 state constitutions, per a 2017 Pew analysis. God doesn’t appear in the U.S. Constitution, but is in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and U.S. currency, the D.C.-based think tank notes.

Running-mate coordination

The group isn’t set to have formal meetings. Beckwith said he expected to reach out with questions ad hoc.

It’s also not entirely independent of running-mate Mike Braun’s campaign.

“Everything we do is in coordination with the Braun team,” Beckwith said. “We’re not putting together advisory councils outside of the Braun team knowing.”

He likened the relationship to that of a football team.

“Mike’s a quarterback; I’m the wide receiver. And I got a job to do — I’m not trying to be quarterback,” Beckwith said. “He’s the quarterback of the team, he’s calling the plays, but we’re all in the huddle together.”

Gubernatorial candidates, meanwhile, had diverging approaches to their potential transitions.

“Mike Braun is focused on meeting with voters and discussing his Freedom and Opportunity Agenda and is taking nothing for granted,” Senior Advisor Josh Kelley said of the Republican nominee.

“If Braun is successful, there are 70 days to work on a transition from the current administration,” Kelley added, via email.

McCormick’s campaign said it “is cognizant of the magnitude of the transition process. To that end, thoughtful conversations with state and national experts are ongoing.”

They added that she is committed to select staff and leadership that embody character, competence and commitment to service.

Libertarian Donald Rainwater, meanwhile, is seeking out people to fill key posts.

“Donald has been quietly having discussions with a small group of people for the past six months regarding both transition positions and cabinet positions,” Campaign Manager Kristin Alexander wrote over email. “In the interest of the privacy of those individuals, Donald has kept those conversations very discreet and will continue to do so until November 6th.”

Rainwater also has a list of people to contact on Nov. 6 about other positions should he win.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Micha Beckwith stunned Indiana’s political community on Saturday after being chosen by Republican delegates for lieutenant governor over the hand-picked choice of Mike Braun and former president Donald Trump.

Braun, the US Sen. who won the Republican primary for governor in May, announced weeks ago that he preferred State Rep. Julia McGuire as his choice for Lieutenant Gov.

[caption id="attachment_94482" align="alignright" width="260"] Beckwith[/caption]

But on Saturday, Beckwith, a conservative pastor and co-host of the “Jesus, Sex and Politics” podcast who spent a year campaigning for the position, won 51% of the votes from delegates.

The upset came just two days after Trump issued an endorsement for McGuire, which appeared to be a last minute effort to make sure McGuire had enough support.

Afterward, Braun issued a statement about Beckwith's future role.

“There’s no doubt about this, I’m in charge, and Micah is going to be someone that works with me. If he doesn’t, I think that means it will probably not be as fruitful,” Braun said.

The Indiana Democratic Party also responded to the news, with Party Chairman Mike Schmuhl saying, “Micah Beckwith’s win shows how out-of-the-mainstream extremism has hijacked the current Indiana GOP.”

Schmuhl went on to note that Beckwith is “dangerous for business, dangerous for women, dangerous for families, and dangerous for Indiana’s future.”

Braun will now run with Beckwith against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick, a former state education chief, and Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater. Democrats haven’t won a statewide office in Indiana since 2012.

Beckwith, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress from central Indiana in 2020, is known for his far-right stances on gender, sexuality and abortion, and cast himself as a political outsider who would keep the governor’s office in check, limit property taxes and oppose school efforts to support the LGBTQ+ community.

The Indiana Republican Party said in a statement that with Beckwith’s nomination as Braun’s running mate and state Attorney General Todd Rokita’s nomination Saturday for a second term in that post, “the statewide Republican ticket is set and ready to win in November!”

McGuire, from Indianapolis, was a policy analyst for Senate Republicans until 2022, when she unseated a representative who had angered other Republicans in part by repeatedly pushing a complete ban on abortion.

Editor's note: Indiana Associated Press and Network Indiana contributed to this report.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Former President Donald Trump issued an unexpected endorsement in Indiana’s Republican lieutenant governor race Thursday — backing Rep. Julie McGuire for the nomination.

She is the choice of GOP gubernatorial primary winner U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, a staunch Trump advocate.

The move comes as 1,800 Republican party insiders prepare to choose on Saturday who’s on the ballot for Indiana’s second-highest office. It’s the first competitive lieutenant governor contest in decades.

Delegates have a choice between Christian nationalist  and pastor Micah Beckwith — who’s been on the campaign trail for a year since launching an unusually public bid — and McGuire, who’s been on the road for the month since her post-primary campaign launch.

The endorsement from Trump will carry a lot of weight with Indiana Republicans, whose support of the now-convicted felon has remained high in Indiana.

Delegates traditionally lean more conservative than Republican general election and even primary election voters. And they haven’t always fallen in line with party leadership.

Beckwith has argued that Hoosiers need a check-and-balance on the governor’s office and has referred to McGuire as an establishment choice. McGuire calls herself a policy wonk and defends her strong conservative voting record.

Also at the convention, delegates will nominate Attorney Todd Rokita for re-election. He is running unopposed.

The Indianapolis Star also reported Thursday that current Gov. Eric Holcomb will not attend this weekend’s convention.

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