So, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about Christian Nationalism this summer. Why? Last week, Karen Park1 joined the show to talk about radical traditional Catholicism - because Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita swims in that milieu and very plainly governs like it. Previously, we have hosted Matthew Taylor2 on the dangerous New Apostolic Reformation, a charismatic Pentecostal offshoot deeply entwined in Trump world - because Republican lieutenant governor candidate Micah Beckwith speaks the exact same language they do. We began this exploration back in June with Indiana’s own Andrew Whitehead,3 who gave us a crash course on Christian nationalism because the Beckwith nomination was a real kick in the ass. I might be biased, but I think they’re all informative, captivating, and worth a listen.
Now, I don’t want you to get the impression I’m some God-hating, venom-spewing atheist who thinks there is no place for religion in public life. I am, in fact, non-venomous, and the Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock even had me saying AMEN on the first night of the recent Democratic National Convention.
But I am an atheist and I’ve told you all that before. I’ve studied all the world’s major religions - East and West, but can’t get myself over the supernatural hump to actually “believe” in any of them. I am incapable of blind faith. But you know what started me questioning in the first place? The hypocrisy of American Christians.
I do not mean to disparage Christianity, The Bible, or Jesus of Nazareth - in fact, I’m a big fan of his work - but Christianity is the dominant religion in this country and therefore most deserving of a critical eye. And from my youth onward, all I can remember is the most vociferous Christians being least like Christ. Hateful, bigoted men like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Franklin Graham. Charlatans like Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and Benny Hinn. Grifters like Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and Creflo Dollar. The whole Catholic Church child abuse scandal. All of the Republican officials using God as a cudgel on behalf of the billionaire class. This was the outward face of Christianity to me. And now, these Christian nationalists we’ve learned about at the center of an authoritarian movement?
With all of that in mind, it’s easy to forget that there actually are Christians in public life who actually took that healing the sick, feeding the hungry, loving thy neighbor stuff seriously.
Like Warnock, who preaches from the pulpit once occupied by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Like my State Senator, Shelli Yoder, who received her Masters in divinity from Vanderbilt4 and previously ministered at Bloomington First United Church of Christ.
Like the Democratic candidate for my Indiana State House district, pastor Thomas Horrocks5, who preaches at Beechwood Christian Church in French Lick and serves as a chaplain in the Army National Guard.
and like my guest today, Joel Levi.
Having grown up in Anderson, Indiana and attending Indiana Christian Academy from kindergarten through 12th grade, he went on to study at Anderson University, where he met his wife Megan. In 2013 they moved to Nashville, Tennessee. After seven years in the Music City, the Levis moved back to Indiana with their son Mitchell, settling in Cicero, a town in northern Hamilton County.
In his own words from his campaign website6,
“What if faith wasn’t used as a weapon?
What if politics were rooted in empathy?
What if legislation was crafted around caring for our fellow neighbor?
These questions are why I’m running for office.”
picking up a few paragraphs later,
“My family and I currently attend Genesis Church in Carmel. Yes, I am a Christian. This does not mean that I want to use my faith as a weapon. We see enough of that in current American politics. I want to use my faith as a way to unlock new empathy. Empathy to see others in a political party not as an enemy, but as an American citizen, mother, father, daughter or son.”
In today’s interview, Joel talks about what faith means to him, and why his religion pushes him in a democratic, pluralistic, inclusive direction. We’ll discuss the tragic events that told him he needed to get up and do something, and his top issue: gun reform. We also get his thoughts on the affordable housing crisis, abortion rights, environmental protection, and public education.
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[Interview]
So, a few weeks ago, I spoke to candidate for State Rep up in District 83, Kyle Thele7 and toward the end of that interview I set him up to bash the Republican incumbent Chris Judy. And Kyle, being the kind, thoughtful gentleman he is, basically took the high road. So I took the liberty of getting down in the dirt and slinging mud8 at Judy myself. It was a good time.
And today - again - compassionate Christian Joel Levi demonstrated the kind, empathetic leadership he hopes to bring to the State Senate, when provided the opportunity to smear his opponent, Scott Baldwin.
It looks like I’m gonna have to get dirty again.
In my takedown of Judy, I listed a whole slew of his worst legislative offenses - the anti-LGBTQ bigotry, the gun-nuttery, the wholesale gutting of public education. One thing I didn’t get to was the fact that his name was one of 23 Hoosiers that popped up9 in 2022, when the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism10 - looking for elected officials, law enforcement, and military personnel - combed through 38,000+ entries in leaked membership lists from the Oath Keepers.
You remember the Oath Keepers, right? Members of this “large but loosely organized collection of right-wing anti-government extremists” were heavily involved in the planning and coordination of the January 6 Capitol Insurrection. Among the at least two dozen Oath Keepers charged was Founder and leader Stewart “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out” Rhodes, who was sentenced11 to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to that day.
Well, you know who else’s name had appeared previously in that same data leak? That’s right. Scott Baldwin.12
Now the ADL does add this caveat on their website,
“It's important to acknowledge that some individuals in the Oath Keepers database may have initially joined because they were sold a watered-down version of the group, and some may have disavowed the group since signing up.”
Judy claims he hasn’t had anything to do with the group since 2015. Baldwin since 2010. But the ADL continues,
“Even for those who claimed to have left the organization when it began to employ more aggressive tactics in 2014, it is important to remember that the Oath Keepers have espoused extremism since their founding, and this fact was not enough to deter these individuals from signing up.”
Given the time that had passed in his case, I might have been inclined to let Baldwin slide on this, but he didn’t exactly denounce the organization13 when given a chance, and then in 2022, he really let the hood slip.
That January, he authored (and by authored, I mean put his name on a bill handed to him by ALEC14 or another such organization) Senate Bill 167, one of a whole host of stupid, inane, worthless pieces of legislation introduced in “red” states across the country in response to the manufactured15 Critical Race Theory controversy. In a committee hearing16, Fishers history teacher Matt Bockenfeld voiced his concerns,
“For example, it’s the second semester of U.S. history, so we're learning about the rise of fascism and the rise of Nazism right now. And I'm just not neutral on the political ideology of fascism. We condemn it, and we condemn it in full, and I tell my students the purpose, in a democracy, of understanding the traits of fascism is so that we can recognize it and we can combat it. Of course, we're neutral on political issues of the day. We don't stand up and say who we voted for or anything like that. But we're not neutral on Nazism. We take a stand in the classroom against it, and it matters that we do.”
Well, that was a bridge too far for Baldwin, who responded,
“I have no problem with the education system providing instruction on the existence of those isms. I believe that we've gone too far when we take a position on those isms ... We need to be impartial. I’m not sure it’s right for us to determine how that child should think and that’s where I’m trying to provide the guardrails.”
To paraphrase, Scott Baldwin said it’s wrong to tell children the fascism was bad. You report. They decide. Fair and balanced.
This rightly drew a ton of criticism17, from the Indy Star to the Jerusalem Post, and he had to backtrack. It seems like these Indiana Republicans keep telling us what they really believe until they get called out.
Scott Baldwin has only held his seat in the Indiana State Senate for one term, but it should already be painfully obvious by this point that his politics are too extreme for a rapidly-diversifying Hamilton County and too extreme for Hoosiers. Let’s send him packing before he gets too comfy. And hey, I’m sure he’ll land on his feet. With that kind of talent for lazy, both-sides-are-the-same, false moral equivalence, there’s surely a job waiting for him in mainstream media.
Cited in the interview:
Beckwith’s church: https://lifechurchin.com/home
Beckwith library controversy: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/2024/01/12/indiana-pastor-micah-beckwith-book-removal-policy-hamilton-county-resigns-hepl-library-board/72202384007/
10 Commandments in Louisiana schools: https://www.npr.org/2024/06/30/nx-s1-5024117/louisiana-ten-commandments-classroom-requirement-how-funded-and-enforced
IVF in Alabama: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-the-alabama-ivf-ruling-is-connected-to-upcoming-supreme-court-cases-on-abortion/
Ryan Walters & Oklahoma schools: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2024/04/23/everything-not-ok-oklahoma-public-schools
James Briggs Indystar (piece referenced is unpublished at time of this writing"): https://www.indystar.com/staff/2647532001/james-briggs/
Trump Hill in Cicero: https://cbs4indy.com/news/cicero-man-who-cut-trump-into-lawn-after-having-lawn-signs-stolen-adds-pence-to-the-display/
State Senator Andrea Hunley: https://indianasenatedemocrats.org/senators/s46/
Even NRA members want tighter gun laws: https://time.com/5197807/stricter-gun-laws-nra/
Why are housing costs so high? https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/why-are-house-prices-so-high-184935574.html
Rental market collusion: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/12/justice-department-rental-market-collusion-lawsuit-00167838
Prosperity Indiana: https://www.prosperityindiana.org/
Vienna public housing: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/10/the-social-housing-secret-how-vienna-became-the-worlds-most-livable-city
Wetlands Bill: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/briefs/holcomb-signs-first-bill-of-2024-rolls-back-wetlands-protections/
Challenges faced by rural schools: https://www.edweek.org/leadership/report-outlines-the-distinct-challenges-facing-rural-schools/2023/11
Police want more gun control: https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/16/politics/police-organizations-gun-control/index.html
Moms Demand Action: https://momsdemandaction.org/
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Episode 49: What If Politics Were Rooted In Empathy?