By Samantha Camire, Ruth Cronin, Caroline Geib, Jonah Gotkin, Isabella Vesperini and Abigail White

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 associate 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. 

Matt Taylor, author of “The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy.” (Courtesy photo)

“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, 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.”

Rep. Bruce Borders speaks on the floor of the Indiana House of Representatives. (Photo courtesy of the Indiana House Republicans)

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 drunken drive 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.