The FFRF Action Fund names Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith as its “Theocrat of the Week” for his violent anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Beckwith professed that Americans should be given “permission to hate again” and called Islam a “demonic death cult” during a recent appearance on “FlashPoint,” a biblical commentary podcast that features conservative Christian politicians and influencers. Beckwith has a long history of portraying Islam as a threat to the United States.
In the podcast episode, when Brian Gibson, another Christian nationalist pastor, said that Islam is “incompatible with a constitutional republic that is built on the word of God” and must be banned, Beckwith enthusiastically agreed, claiming that hatred of Islam is essential to saving the nation.
“We’re giving people permission to hate again. I know that sounds a little harsh at first. We’ve seen this movement to eradicate hate in our culture; that is the worst thing we could do,” the lieutenant governor sermonized. “The Bible talks about how God hates certain things and when we say we want to eradicate hate — think about this — we’re actually saying we want to eradicate a characteristic of God. Hate is not the opposite of love; indifference is the opposite of love.”
“So when I talk about this, I say, ‘Guys, we need to, in Indiana, we need to hate.’” Turning specifically to Islam, Beckwith said, “If radical jihadi mindset starts coming into our state, I’m going to hate it, and I’m going to hate it with everything that I am and I’m going to call on others to hate it because I hate Islam. It’s a demonic death cult.”
He added, “I love Muslims because they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them, but I hate Islam and we need to be okay with hating again.”
In response to backlash, Beckwith doubled down on social media, writing on X, “On the close of Eid, after much prayer and consideration after my recent interview, I would like [to] take this opportunity to wish all Muslims in Indiana the best,” referring to the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, “And by best I mean I hope you all become Christian.”
Beckwith recently appeared on “The Todd Huff Show,” another conservative Christian podcast, to discuss the “fantastic” backlash. “For every negative hostile comment I get or message I get … I’m getting, I would say, four to five that are positive.” He then detailed the support he received after speaking at an education conference in Michigan, with people reportedly saying, “‘Hey, thank you. We saw what you did. We see the stand you’re taking. We’re with you. We support you. Don’t back down.’”
Beckwith thinks that anti-Islam rhetoric is a “winning issue” for the religious right. He said to Huff, “I didn’t say this whole thing on Islam for political reasons, but I will tell you right now, this is a political winner.”
“If you’re a conservative and you want to rally the base and the majority of people to support you in politics — if this was for political expediency — take a stand against Islam,” he continued. “This is just a winning issue for America. It’s not because Americans hate Muslims; it’s because we recognize the wicked ideology and a lot of people just don’t know how to address it.”
About dealing with the backlash, Beckwith said, “I’m like, ‘I’m doing great. I love it. I think this is fantastic.’ This is exactly what I got elected to do, and I’m doing it and I’m not going to back down.”
Beckwith has continually warned about the supposed threat of “radical Islam” in the United States, proposing the need for an outright ban on Shariah law and arguing that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has no right to “force his [Muslim] values on New York” because “we are a Christian nation.” He also recently said that U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Ind., needs to find Jesus, professing, “You’ll be a better U.S. representative if you do that, because you’ll actually be governing from a place of truth, rather than a place of lies.”
In a December appearance on “FlashPoint,” Beckwith postulated that there was a “seven step plan” for “radical Islam” to take over America and said the Book of Revelation foretells Islamic extremism and the beheading of Christians who refuse to “bow” to it.
Beckwith is a staunch Christian nationalist, openly embracing the label, and is a pastor at an evangelical church in Indiana. In his role as lieutenant governor, he has boosted initiatives to expand the role of religious institutions in civic life, including pastoral roundtables and a joint effort with the attorney general’s office to produce a “Churches’ Bill of Rights” resource.
Beckwith has now earned his third stint as “Theocrat.” The lieutenant governor was first named “Theocrat” for his argument that abortion bans should only include rape exceptions if the rapist is executed for causing an abortion and therefore killing an innocent life. His second “Theocrat” title was for his appearance on an extremist anti-immigration podcast, where he insisted that the United States is a Christian nation with a Christian heritage.
The FFRF Action Fund chastises Beckwith for his overt Christian nationalism and demonization of Islam and for his use of hateful rhetoric as a tool to prop up his extreme religious beliefs.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.