It was wonderful to work alongside my friends, Anna Cecil and Chloe White at TheStatehouseFile.com. Be sure to follow along to see what else The Indiana Citizen and TSF put out this week on the special session on redistricting.

The rally drew fewer than 100 people, many wearing red shirts or hats while carrying laminated paper signs with slogans like “Give Us a Roll Call Vote!” and “Let’s Go 9–0!” Attendees chanted “9–0!” while gathering for a group photo after Beckwith prayed over the group.

Beckwith was among the headline speakers at Thursday night’s “FlashPoint Live” rally, an event that is part of a national tour that blends worship, political messaging and calls to Christian activism.

The event, organized by Muncie Resists with support from the League of Women Voters of Muncie-Delaware County and the Secular Education Association, came as LifeWise Academy plans to launch its school-hours Bible study programs at Muncie Community Schools and other nearby districts.

Last year, IndyStar reported that LifeWise planned to operate in 52 Indiana counties during the 2024–25 school year. By this fall, The Indiana Citizen confirmed, the group has at least one participating school in all 92 counties, with ambitions to add more sites in each.

The state statute requires schools to approve parental requests for up to 120 minutes of weekly off-site religious education.

The Ohio-based nonprofit provides “released-time” religious instruction that takes children off campus during the school day—a practice permitted under a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision and a 2024 Indiana law.

“This moment will be remembered as a turning point for America,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith and other Indiana politicians at the state and national level quickly posted their condolences and prayers for the family after the news of Kirk’s death was confirmed.

The first-term Republican told Fort Wayne’s WOWO that he had not “flip-flopped at all” on his previous description of Haitian immigrants as an “invasion.” But, he said, their presence is the result of former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.

The controversy began Friday, when Beckwith posted about the meeting, praising members of the community for their resilience and willingness to work hard, describing them as determined to “assimilate to the American way of life.”