AUDIO: Nathan Peternel church message on sex videos, son's arrest
No bond posted, or lawyer entered one week after son of top adviser to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith arrested in child porn case
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Pastor Nathan Peternel, a top adviser to Indiana’s lieutenant governor whose son was arrested last week on child sex abuse material charges, delivered a tearful plea to one of his four congregations, in an audio recording of his speech obtained by 24sight News.
In his speech last Sunday, the close adviser to Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith condemned child sex trafficking, called for justice and delivered a brief sermon from Luke 15, citing the parable of the prodigal son, in relation to his own son.
Peternel also addressed the discovery of more than 50 pictures and videos of him and his wife having sex or naked that police found on their son’s phone.
“In the affidavit from Madison County Court references over 50 private photos and videos of my wife and me in intimate settings. And though what occurs within marriage is not sinful, some may see that as otherwise and reflecting poor choices on our part and we hear you and we appreciate it,” Peternel said in his appearance last Sunday.
Peternel, who retained a lawyer after his son was arrested, delivered the message in person to one of the four campuses of Life Church in Indiana, according to a person familiar with his appearance. A second person familiar with Peternel’s speech confirmed its authenticity to 24sight News.
“We immediately contacted the church board (inaudible) we convened an emergency board meeting, the board has been briefed on the emergency situation,” Peternel said in his Sunday message, which is being published for the first time by 24sight News.
Peternel’s Life Church regularly livestreams its services and posts videos of its services to its website and YouTube channel, but last Sunday one of Peternel’s deputies announced on Facebook they had technical problems and could not post his message online.
Peternel did not return requests for comment. A lawyer associated with the church did not return requests for comment. Requests to identify anyone who would speak with the press or provide the contact information for Peternel’s lawyer also went unanswered Thursday and Friday. In addition to previous requests for comment which went unanswered.
A spokesperson for Beckwith said last week that the lieutenant governor, who has been beating the drum recently in favor drawing a new Congressional map in Indiana, was unaware of the criminal charges against his adviser and friend’s son until it was reported last week.
Nathan Peternel’s son, Jonathan Peternel, was arrested last Thursday on four felony charges of possessing and distributing videos of children being raped and tortured. Police also recovered videos of his father, Nathan, and mother having sex. It’s unclear who made the videos or how they ended up on the son Jonathan’s, phone.
The arrest has rocked a church community at the center of Indiana politics which could also play a big role in the state’s upcoming redistricting battle pushed for by President Donald Trump. Beckwith, who recruited almost all of his top staff from Life Church, has been lobbying relentlessly for the new White House maps and could be the tie-breaking vote in his role as the state Senate president.
Jonathan Peternel was still being held in Madison County, Indiana jail Thursday, no one had posted the $25,000 bond for him to be released, and no lawyer had been entered as his defense yet, according to an official with the Madison County Prosecutor’s office.
Jonathan Peternel initially said in court that another member of the church, the lawyer for Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith who is himself embroiled in a separate deepfake porn scandal at the statehouse. But that lawyer, Devin Norrick, told 24sight News last week his law firm would not be representing Jonathan Peternel.
Nathan Peternel announced last Sunday, in a video message played before one of his congregations, that he would be stepping back from leading church for a bit as his family coped with the arrest of their son.
Beckwith and Nathan Peternel have co-hosted a podcast titled “Jesus, Sex and Politics” for four years, since Nathan Peternel hired him to lead the Noblesville campus of Life Church. The most recent episode of the show is from Sept. 12, two days after Nathan and Jonathan Peternel let a police office into their Pendleton home to conduct a search warrant and were advised of the child sex abuse investigation into Jonathan Peternel.
A December 10, 2021 episode of Beckwith and Nathan Peternel’s podcast, in which they interviewed an expert on human sex trafficking, was taken down from the show’s page recently.
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Recent Indiana coverage:
Indiana child sex abuse case coverage:
Beckwith adviser was with son in September when police executed warrant in child porn case - 10/24/25
Beckwith adviser Peternel responds to son’s child porn charges in Sunday video - 10/26/25
Indiana deepfake porn scandal stories:
Topless deepfake video roils Indiana office, lawmaker’s wife targeted, per sources - 8/2/25
Indy prosecutor probes topless deepfake, Haggard blasts ‘pornographic smear’ of his wife - 8/5/25
BREAKING: Lt. Gov. spokesman quits amid deepfake probe - 8/7/25
Lawmaker whose wife was targeted launching Congressional bid - 8/11/25
Lt. Gov.’s office adopts new employee handbook, Gov. calls in Beckwith for meeting - 8/14/25
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*** Important Update! *** I had to pull back from the daily noon shows to work on projects which pay the bills here. (The show takes a lot of work to plan, produce, perform, edit, post, etc.) Tom LoBianco Reports is dialing back to a couple times a week. This also gives me more time to report important stories like what’s happening in the church family which effectively catapulted Indiana’s lieutenant governor, Micah Beckwith, on to the national stage. (More coming on that front.)
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