Written by Benjamin Smith
In light of Governor JB Pritzker’s avowed priority to legalize “recreational” marijuana in Illinois, this week’s Spotlight podcast is definitely worth listening to as well as sharing with family and friends – especially anyone who might be on the fence about the subject of legalization.
As a long-time Emergency Room physician (with a certificate in Cannabis Science and Medicine from the University of Vermont), Dr. Karen Randall brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table as she describes to Monte Larrick and David Smith the devastation legal access to high-potency marijuana has brought to her community of Pueblo, Colorado.… Continue Reading
Tags: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, Cannabis-Induced Psychosis, Homelessness, JB Pritzker, Jo McGuire, Karen Randall, overdose, psychotic break, recreational marijuana, SB 7, scromiting, Suicide
Drugs/Alcohol/Addictions | David E. Smith | 
January 16, 2019 6:00 AM | 
Comments Off on SPOTLIGHT: Until It Affects You
Written by Antonio R. Chaves
Elections have consequences, but social stratification and media spin often make it difficult for the average citizen to evaluate the outcomes of many policies they support. Take for example increasing minimum wage: how many restaurant employees would continue to support this policy when their employers can no longer afford to keep them employed? How many middle-class customers paying higher prices at restaurants will believe that their loss in purchasing power is “helping” the poor? … Continue Reading
Written by Benjamin Smith
This week on Spotlight, the Rev. Dr. Eric Wallace returns to join Monte Larrick and David Smith for an important conversation on a destructive divide in our society and in the Church. As the co-founder and president of Freedom’s Journal Institute for the Study of Faith and Public Policy, Dr. Wallace reveals two exciting projects that are in the works with FJI: Racism in America and the Role of the Church and Repent Chicago.… Continue Reading
Written by Auguste Meyrat
Whether Americans like it or not, abortion has become the defining issue of the two main parties. A Democrat can be many things – a moderate; a corporatist; or a shrill, uninformed socialist – but he must be pro-choice, as shown in the recent move to repeal the pro-life Mexico City policy, which prevents foreign aid going to organizations that fund or encourage abortions. The same applies to the Republicans, who range from government-friendly “moderates” to staunch say-no-to-all-spending libertarians but who all must try to uphold the rights of the unborn – except Gov.… Continue Reading
Written by Larry Elder
This is not our first partial government shutdown. Somehow, someway, from 1976 through 2017, the nation has survived 18 shutdowns, the longest lasting 21 days. In this case, President Donald Trump insists that the next budget deal contain $5 billion to construct a wall on part of our southern border with Mexico.
Trump, say the Democrats, is “unwilling to compromise.” But when he asks for only $5 billion for a project with a U.S.… Continue Reading
Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Build the Wall, Cash for Clunkers, Chuck Schumer, Congressional Budget Office, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Donald Trump, George Herbert Walker Bush, government shutdown, immigration, James Carville, Lyndon Johnson, Melissa Harris-Perry, MSNBC, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Lieu, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Vanity Fair, War on Poverty
Political | David E. Smith | January 5, 2019 7:33 AM | Comments Off on Government Shutdown: Money, Money Everywhere, But Not a Drop for a Wall
Written by Peter Heck
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome begins with an indictment of the corruption surrounding them that is chilling in its parallels to contemporary American society. If you doubt me, go read Romans 1, verses 21 through 32, and just try to pretend it isn’t as though Paul is writing a response to our frontpage headlines.
I find myself being drawn back to this passage nearly every time I go to write on the most recent pop culture trend or societal debacle brought on by Orwellian-named progressivism. … Continue Reading
Tags: False Teachers, gender confusion, Gender Dysphoria, Jim Wallis, non-binary, Peter Heck, Stephens College, Transgender
Faith & Religion, LGBTQ Agenda | David E. Smith | January 4, 2019 7:00 AM | Comments Off on What Can a Christian Do When Up is Down, Right is Wrong, Regressive is Progressive, Boy is Girl?
Written by Gary Bauer
The past two years have witnessed some of the most brutal political battles in modern American history. Leftists refused to accept the 2016 election results. They disrupted the inauguration. And the Deep State has been attempting to undermine the Trump presidency every day since he was elected.
After having been AWOL for much of this fight, U.S. Senator-elect Mitt Romney (R-UT) has published an opinion piece in the Washington Post offering his critique of Washington. … Continue Reading
Written by Benjamin Smith
Happy New Year and welcome to the first Spotlight podcast of 2019! For this edition of Spotlight we are revisiting highlights of an earlier episode featuring IFI’s own Monte Larrick and J.D. Mesnard, Regional Director with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Church Alliance. This interview took place in May 2018 at IFI’s fourth annual Worldview Conference. Mesnard begins the podcast by detailing the range of vital legal assistance the ADF Church Alliance provides to churches.… Continue Reading
