In this episode of Spotlight, Pastor Caesar LeFlore sits down with Bishop Arthur Geis to discuss a bold prayer movement, Project 2026.

Bishop Arthur Geis is a renowned Bible teacher, pastor, prayer advocate, and the visionary behind Project 2026.

Project 2026 is a bold initiative to mobilize one million intercessors to prayer for one million souls to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior from Passover to Pentecost (April 5- May 24).… Continue Reading

In this special edition of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Dave Smith and Alyssa Sonnenburg sit down with Katy Faust to discuss her newly launched child-advocacy campaign, “Greater Than.”

Katy Faust is founder of Them Before Us, a foundation with one goal in mind: to protect the right of a child to their mother and father.

In her new “Greater Than” campaign, organizations, including Illinois Family Institute, are joining the movement to overturn the devastating Obergefell decision, a landmark Supreme Court decision which guaranteed the “right” of two men or two women to enter into a legal “marriage.”… Continue Reading

In this week’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Dave Smith sits down with Elaine Demoulos and Angela from Alliance Family Services.

Serving the large area of Elgin and Schaumburg, Alliance Family Services is dedicated to protecting the preborn and proclaiming the Gospel to every woman that walks through their door.

“The majority of our clients have never heard the true Gospel. Alliance Women’s Clinics are front-line mission fields, partnering with the local church to reach women vulnerable to abortion with truth, compassion, and hope.

James Talarico is 36 years old. He now serves in the Texas House of Representatives. Last week, he defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

If Mr. Talarico wins in the November general election, here is a prediction you can take to the bank: In 2028, this freshly minted senator will be a featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and just a handful of months thereafter, he will announce his candidacy for the presidency of the United States.… Continue Reading

Texas State Representative James Talarico has emerged as an apostate “Christian” whose progressive ideology runs contrary to two thousand years of orthodox Christian teaching. Unsuprisingly, he has become something of a media darling on the Left, promoted as a thoughtful Christian voice who can reconcile progressive politics through a reinterpretation of Scripture.

Talarico, who recently won the Texas Senate Democratic nomination, describes himself as a “secularist seminarian.” He has gained attention for using biblical language and religious imagery to defend a host of progressive political causes, including abortion and transgender ideology.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Jenna Smith and Alyssa Sonnenburg sit down with special guest, Dr. Greg Gifford.

Dr. Gifford is a biblical counselor, Chair of Biblical Studies at the Master’s University, Fellow of Fortis Institute, and host of Transformed, a podcast where everyday issues meet the truth of the Bible.

Recently, Senate Bill 4832 was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly, a bill which would define “transgenderism” as a mental illness under the Illinois Health Code.… Continue Reading

On Feb. 23, Candace Owens released the trailer for her upcoming “investigative series,” called “The Bride of Charlie,” whereby she removes all doubt (if any remained) that she is either an unhinged, delusional moonbat or just plain evil.

Here is just a smattering of the loony nonsense Ms. Owens continues to peddle as she proves more and more every day that she is completely deranged.

Despite zero evidence to support her claims, Candace Owens persists in suggesting that Erika Kirk and/or other Turning Point USA insiders have been complicit in a broader plot and subsequent cover-up of Charlie Kirk’s murder.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features a conversation between IFI’s David Smith, Pastor Michael Johnson and Pastor Ceasar LeFlore.

Recently, Illinois Senator Neil Anderson introduced Senate Bill 3572, a bill with the express goal of abolishing abortion in the state of Illinois.

“Women are currently being told by the law that it is okay to kill their babies. That is unjust. We want to inform peoples’ conscience with a just law.

In this week’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Dave Smith sits down with Pastor Brandon Myers and Pastor Calvin Lindstrom to discuss SB 3572, a bill with the express goal of abolishing abortion in Illinois.

Because of its serious language, this bill has many pro-lifers standing against it. It is vital that we, as believers, are not controlled by our emotions but are instead controlled by the Word of God.… Continue Reading

Have you ever wondered how we got into the mess we’re in, how Minneapolis became so ungovernable, how anarchy replaced civility and how rioting replaced the rule of law?

Have you ever asked yourself how this societal meltdown happened and how so many people have come to hate American culture, values and heritage so much that they would rather tear it all down than work together to preserve it?

Have you ever wondered how we became the “divided states” rather than the “United States” and how e pluribus unum (out of many, one) became “us against them” almost overnight?… Continue Reading

Illinois State Senator Neil Anderson recently announced that he will be introducing legislation in Springfield to abolish abortion in the state of Illinois.

In this episode, IFI’s David Smith, Jenna Smith, and Alyssa Sonnenburg discuss this legislation and unpack the reality of the abortion practice in Illinois.

Did you know that in the state of Illinois,

• abortion businesses do not need to undergo inspections,
• when a woman dies during an abortion, the coroner is not required to be notified,
• a medical professional cannot be disciplined for performing an abortion on a non-pregnant woman, and
• medical professionals with a revoked medical license from another state will be allowed to perform abortions in Illinois.

Riley Gaines Barker is a 12-time all-American collegiate swimmer who gained national notoriety for her common sense stand that men and women are different.

In her collegiate swimming career, Riley faced firsthand the harm that “gender-affirming care” brings to women when she and her teammates were forced to share a locker room with a biological male during NCAA competitions.

In her speech from the 2025 Faith, Family & Freedom Banquet, Riley affirms the biblical realities of gender, sexuality, and life in the womb.… Continue Reading

Last week, a friend sent me an article and asked for my opinion. The author of the essay in question is a “progressive Christian” named Tripp Fuller. His long, verbose column is titled “Bonhoeffer’s Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism.”

Painful though it was, I read all 7,300 words of Mr. Fuller’s musings, and here is what he said in a nutshell: Today’s “White evangelicals” are like the German Christians of the 1930s, and, like them, we are “sequentially complicit” in the evils of a Nazi regime.… Continue Reading

What happens when the state becomes God?

Dr. Erwin Lutzer, pastor emeritus of the Moody Church in Chicago, answers this exact question in today’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight.

“It is the role of the pastor to speak about the controlling realities of the culture.”

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, consider purchasing Dr. Lutzer’s book, The Church in Babylon.

Listen to this episode anywhere you find podcasts or click the link!… Continue Reading

I was quite saddened to learn of the death of my friend Michael Reagan, the oldest son of Ronald Reagan. Mike was adopted by Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman (their first child was daughter Maureen) shortly after his birth in March 1945. He was not a biological son of Reagan. The biological son of Reagan is Ron, born to Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1958. Nonetheless, as I told Mike a hundred times, he was truly his father’s son.… Continue Reading

This week’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Dr. Frank Turek’s speech at Illinois Family Institute’s 2017 Worldview Conference.

Dr. Turek is the President of Cross Examined, a ministry dedicated to apologetics of the Christian faith. He is the author of the book, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” and is the host of the podcast, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist.

In his speech, Dr.… Continue Reading

Illinois Family Action would like to wish all of our friends a very Merry Christmas!! Enjoy this special time of the year with your families.

Below I’ve included a Christmas essay by Chicago Pastor Thorin Anderson that proclaims the good news of our Savior, Jesus Christ, yet at the same time reminds us that the world is far from being ready to accept the Truth, that we all are sinners in need a Savior.… Continue Reading

The adage “It’s always darkest before the dawn” is a perfect fit for this week in the Northern Hemisphere.

The winter solstice was Sunday. At less than eight hours, it was the shortest day of the year, leading to the longest, darkest night.

Then, four days later, we celebrate the entrance of divine light into the world on Dec. 25, with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Down Under, it’s summertime because of the tilt of the Earth, but Christians in Australia, South America and Africa are also celebrating Christmas.… Continue Reading

Last week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley, along with his wife Erin Hawley, a constitutional attorney affiliated with the Alliance Defending Freedom National Law Center, announced the launch of a new political action committee (PAC) – the Love Life Initiative.

According to its mission, the Love Life Initiative embodies:

“ [the] desire to restore a conviction that life is sacred, life is good, and life is worth protecting.”

Sounds like a message that every Republican can get behind, right?… Continue Reading

Last week, the National Association of Evangelicals published its monthly newsletter, whereby it heralded the Christmas season not by celebrating “joy to the world” but by repeating its annual Yuletide claim that because Christ was a “refugee,” all Christians are obligated to welcome all immigrants (regardless of status) into our country, our towns and our neighborhoods.

How are we to do this? How exactly are some 60 million American evangelicals purportedly represented by the National Association of Evangelicals to welcome the “sojourner” and “foreigner” in our midst?… Continue Reading

Join Spotlight for a special, hope-filled episode where we feature Walt Heyer’s testimony of how Christ saved him out of his lifestyle in sexual sin.

Walt Heyer underwent gender reassignment surgery at age 42 and lived for 8 years as a woman. In his testimony, Walt shares how Christ saved him from gender dysphoria, homelessness, and drunkenness.

“It is so important that when you hear that people can’t come back out of this lifestyle that you actually see a witness that says you can.

During this weekend, as we gather together with relatives, friends and neighbors to thank God for His many blessings, we want to thank you so much for your prayers and support over the years.

Our national Thanksgiving holiday dates to 1789, when Congress unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming a National Day of Thanksgiving, “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God…”

It is good and right to pause from business as usual to give God honor, worship and our sincere gratitude for His many blessings in our lives and for His blessings of family, friends, and freedom.… Continue Reading

November 7, 2025 featured Illinois Family Institute’s annual Faith, Family & Freedom banquet.

In his address to over 700 attendees, Executive Director, David Smith, outlined IFI’s mission to standing firm against the spiritual battles that Illinois is facing.

“Illinois is now poised to become the 12th jurisdiction and the first midwest state to normalize suicide…

We must pray… that Governor Pritzker would veto this legislation.”

This is an episode that you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

Our culture is in desperate need of a biblical perspective on marriage and family.

In this episode of Spotlight, Scott Phelps, head of the Abstinence and Marriage Partnership organization, discusses how to restore a biblical perspective of marriage and family in Generation Z and the future generations.

“The purpose of abstinence isn’t to avoid problems… it is to prepare you for the marriage relationship.”

This is an episode you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

No matter their claims, Nick Fuentes and those who sympathize with him are not Christians.

How do we know this? Because what matters to true Christians is Jesus. Christ is our “highest good.” He is the most important aspect of our lives. He is our summum bonum. He and nothing else — not politics, not popularity nor personal animus — is our “first thing.”

Christ, not clicks, drives every decision of a Christian’s life.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight episode features a conversation about Christian education between Pastor Caesar LeFlore and Pastor Courtney Lewis of Cornerstone Baptist Church located in Chicago.

Five years ago, pastor Courtney Lewis was involved in starting a school out of his church– Cornerstone Baptist Academy.

“[Chicago public schools] have failed our youth…

People nationwide were exiting public schools to the tune of about a million people over the past ten years.

We had no money, no facilities, and no staff… In the course of three months, we watched the Lord bring in all of those resources to allow us to open our doors.”

In his book “What Americans Believe,” George Barna points out that 87% of non-Christians and 77% of self-described born-again believers agreed with the statement “People are basically good.” In other words, our culture, by and large, has discarded the idea of original sin.

The sophisticated among us roll our eyes at the concept of innate human corruption. We snicker at the notion that certain actions, thoughts and behaviors are still deemed to be sinful.… Continue Reading

In this episode, Rev. Caesar LeFlore is joined by Cynthia Morales from Pro-Life Champions.

Cynthia, and her husband John, started their pro-life advocacy with the “40” film, a powerful documentary featuring Abby Johnson and others on the reality of the aftermath of abortion.

This project led them to start “Shout My Story,” a campaign started to combat Shout My Abortion:

“The Shout My Story campaign was created in response to websites like ShoutYourAbortion.com

On Monday, President Donald J. Trump said we should want to prove to God that we’re good so we can get “to that next step.”

Christians should roll our eyes at the stunted theology, but before dismissing the comment outright, behind it lies a truth our culture desperately needs to hear.

“If a country doesn’t have religion, doesn’t have faith, doesn’t have God, it’s going to be very hard to be a good country.

I was listening in the car the other day to an old Jackson Browne album.

Don’t judge. The man has talent, even if, in his 70s, he still suffers from chronic liberalitis.

Contracted in adolescence, liberalitis is a mental block against reality that usually fades in most people with the passing of time. For some reason, people in show business seem more inclined than others to have an antibiotic like resistance to the kinds of life lessons that constitute a cure.… Continue Reading

In memory of Dr. Voddie Baucham, this week’s episode of Spotlight features IFI’s interview with Voddie Baucham at the 2023 Black Conservative Summit.

Dr. Baucham was a husband, father, pastor, author, was the dean of the school of divinity at African Christian University in Zambia for 9 years, and he also served as the first president of Founders Seminary in Cape Corral, Florida. He and his bold ministry will be greatly missed by the staff at Illinois Family Institute.… Continue Reading

While the country has witnessed many funerals of national prominence, I think it’s fair to say that few have carried the kind of attention, emotion, and gravity as Charlie Kirk’s memorial service Sunday. And for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, it revealed a striking contrast between humanity’s two most influential faiths.

In the wake of losing her husband in the most brutal and public of ways, Erika Kirk stood before a grieving crowd and, as a Christian clinging to her faith, spoke words that sounded impossible:

On the cross, our Savior said: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

Today’s episode of Spotlight features Dr. Frank Turek and his 2017 IFI Worldview presentation on Sex in America. Dr. Turek is an author of 7 books, the host of the podcast “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” & Founder & President of CrossExamined, an Apologetics-based ministry.

Dr. Turek was a close friend and mentor of Charlie Kirk, and his wisdom and insight into our culture is undeniable.… Continue Reading

Have you ever questioned the Judeo-Christian teaching that mankind is evil? Have you ever recoiled at the Old Testament’s claim that “the heart is deceitful above all things” or felt uncomfortable with St. Paul’s accusation that, apart from Christ, all of us suffer the curse of a “reprobate mind”? Well, if you have, then the response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week should remove all doubt. We are indeed a wicked and broken race.… Continue Reading

The The Middle East Media Research Institute report states in part:

Imam Mazhar Mahmood of the Islamic Foundation of Peoria, IL, said in his August 8, 2025 Friday sermon that “alleged” Muslims suggest building “political situations” with the Zionists for the sake of stability, and he asked whether Muslims have “stooped so low.”… Continue Reading

One of the most dishonest attacks on the pro-life movement is the charge that pro-life people care only about the baby in utero – not about the mothers or their delivered babies.

A new report, “Pregnancy Centers Stand the Test of Time,” by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the Susan B. Anthony List, puts the lie to that assertion.

In 2019, the latest year tabulated, about 2,700 pro-life pregnancy centers nationally served nearly two million people.… Continue Reading

As a university president, I had a front-row seat as I watched hundreds of students descend onto my campus every year. Each fall, I watched with growing discomfort as the increase in self-centeredness became more apparent.

From the athlete who was upset because his coach was too harsh, to the student who failed a test because the professor was “unfair,” to the coed who was incredulous because a faculty member dared to penalize her for skipping class, over and over again, I watched as one generation after another strutted into the classroom with the confidence that they were God’s gift to the ivory tower, regardless of their academic performance (or lack thereof).… Continue Reading

One of the great truths that history teaches us is this: your means define your end. The methods you employ in pursuit of power reveal not only your character, but the kind of world you intend to create.

For years now, we have watched the political Left justify political violence and arson, widespread looting, heavy-handed censorship, and even election manipulation under the banner of “saving democracy.” During the 2020 riots, many progressives quietly admitted that movements like Antifa and BLM were destructive—but excused them as necessary to stop Donald Trump, whom they continue to equate with Adolf Hitler and Nazism.… Continue Reading

In his excellent history of the 20th century, Modern Times, Paul Johnson quotes one of Stalin’s economists: “Our task is not to study economics but to change it. We are bound by no laws.” I believe this describes the general tenor of the Democratic regime that rules Chicago and Illinois. They are people who believe that they can transcend the order and laws God has established, hence their support for abortion, the mutilation of children, and a host of other evils.… Continue Reading

Self analysis can be helpful. Or harmful. Discovering and admitting to weaknesses should lead us to making changes that will move us forward. Failing to make that honest assessment can bring us to a sense of failure and even despair.

The political fallout from the 2024 elections has forced Democrats into some heavy self analysis. It’s even created a sense of helplessness to some degree. Pinpointing the core problem seems to be a mystery.… Continue Reading

Did you know that Sharia is actively being taught in your child’s public school?

“If you say anything bad about Islam, if you mock Mohamud, if you say anything bad about muslims then you’re a racist, you’re islamaphobic, you’re a bigot.”

Anni Cyrus is a human rights activist and survivor of the Islamic regime in Iran living under Sharia. She was forced into a marriage by her father at the age of 13 & beaten & imprisoned several times before escaping to Turkey.… Continue Reading

In this two for one podcast, you’ll hear remarks from Evangela Pringles, director of Pregnancy Aid Illinois during a 40 Days for Life Celebration, and from pastor Caesar LeFlore during the 2020 Rally for Jesus held on the campus of Cavlary Church in Orland Park. These two leaders touch on why advocating for life is so important, and how you can gain real peace to anchor you throughout any storm in life.… Continue Reading

Last week’s major kerfuffle in the conservative Christian world centered around the announcement by Chip and Joanna Gaines, of Magnolia Network fame, that they will proudly feature a “family” of two “married” men and the men’s young, surrogacy-purchased boys in an upcoming episode of their show.

Upon receiving predictable criticism for this decision, Mr. Gaines defiantly posted the following message on X:

“Talk, ask questions, listen … maybe even learn.

Recorded live from the 2025 Illinois Christian Homeschool Convention (ICHE), Monte Larrick converses with Abraham Hamilton III. Hamilton is a husband, Bible teacher, a national radio host & TV host, a lawyer & homeschool father who was a keynote speaker for ICHE’s 2025 Conference, themed “This We Believe.”

Hamilton encourages listeners to prioritize homeschooling, because:

“For far too long, people have failed to recognize that mind cultivation is essential to disciple making.

When we abandon the most basic of truths–man & woman–what do we have to stand on?

Today we’re featuring a Spotlight interview conducted in 2023 with conservative icon and activist, Riley Gaines Barker. Riley is a 12x all-American collegiate swimmer, praised by President Trump for leading the fight for fairness, safetey & the protection of women in women’s sports.

Riley will be our keyenote speaker at our annual Faith, Family & Freedom banquet on November 7th of this year. … Continue Reading

“If Americans are going to reject abortion, they need to know what happens in an abortion. Who are the victims of abortion? What impact does it have on those mothers and fathers who choose abortion and on society as a whole.” – Anne Scheidler

Standing on the side of a busy highway, Monte Larrick talks with Anne Scheidler, vice president of the pro-life action league during the organization’s Face the Truth tour.… Continue Reading

Illinois is the abortion capitol of the Midwest. Women from states that have safegaurds to protect babies are choosing the land of Lincoln for surgical abortions or, increasingly, aboriton drugs. Donna Williams is trying to counter that. As the executive director for PASS network for Life, she leads the pregnancy based care center in Tinley Park to protect and promote life.

Pregnancy Aid South Suburbs offer services designed to address the needs of both mothers in crisis pregnancy situations and the father.… Continue Reading

With a culture as willfully depraved as 21st-century America, it’s hard to be surprised by much anymore … but I still found myself doing a double take when I saw this headline in my inbox:

Is God calling you to queerness?

If you want a primer in the long-suffering graciousness of a merciful God, just consider that such things can be written by ostensibly “Christian” authors and yet God hasn’t chosen to dispatch His legion of angels to incinerate the earth.… Continue Reading

Recording from the annual Illinois Christian Home Educator’s (ICHE) Convention at Olivet Nazarine University in Bourbonais, Monte Larrick conducts his annual interview with ICHE’s executive director, Kirk Smith.

The Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) is a not-for-profit Christian organization dedicated to supporting families who choose to home educate their children throughout Illinois. Founded in December 1983 by four Christian families, its core mission is to encourage and equip parents to glorify Jesus Christ by discipling their children through home-based education.… Continue Reading

It’s June, and it’s that wonderful time of year when liberal pastors and priests across the country take to their pulpits to declare that conservative Christians, whether they be Catholic or charismatic, are bigots if we still believe that men engaging in sodomy are depraved or that women having sex with women are wrong. Yes, for the entire month, we will be harangued with messages from the church itself extolling the wonders of “same-sex love” and the virtues of 57 genders.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Dan Marquardt of We Love Police, an organization that dedicates itself to highlighting the untold good of police officers.

“We Love Police… spotlights the untold GOOD of our police officers… Through various resources, we uplift our police and their families holistically. Story by story, we will elevate the way Americans view our police…”

It has been well-documented that police officers have increasingly become demonized in our culture– especially since the George Floyd incident and BLM riots in 2020:

“A growing body of research has found that, after protests draw public attention to officer-involved killings, police officers become less proactive, pulling back from enforcing the law or other practices aimed at ensuring public safety due to fear of criticism, lawsuits, or low morale.”

If America’s elite universities want to racially discriminate, they shouldn’t receive taxpayer money.

On Tuesday, Harvard University’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias released its final report. The 300-plus-page document reveals the depth of the university’s systemic bias against Jewish students.

Many students “described experiences of being bullied or shunned by fellow students, singled out for negative attention by instructors, and feeling ignored by administrators,” the report said. It continued,

“Fear of encountering hostility has led some Jewish students to conceal their Jewish identity from classmates.”

Today’s episode on Illinois Family Spotlight features Dr. Mark Zumhagen’s presentation at Illinois Family Institute’s Assisted Suicide Forum.

Dr. Mark Zumhagen is a family medicine physician with over four decades of practice and experience. In 2009, he co-founded Fearfully & Wonderfully Made, a holistic medicine center based in Orland Park, where he currently practices.

In this segment, he discusses how pro-suicide legislation has its roots in Darwinism and that life is a precious gift from God.… Continue Reading

I legitimately don’t understand. Christianity Today, the flagship evangelical publication founded by the late Billy Graham, declares its method is:

To deliver biblical wisdom and beautiful storytelling from the whole world to the whole world across all media.

That publication published THIS on Eater weekend:

The Bible doesn’t say Jesus was nailed to a cross.

One evangelical Bible scholar thinks the crucifixion may have been done with ropes. https://t.co/jXxKuvyo2a

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) April 19, 2025

Christianity Today had to be community-noted by Christians to correct a grievous biblical error.

In this episode of the Illinois Family Spotlight podcast, Monte Larrick is joined by Attorney Will Estrada who highlights the dangers associated with HB 2827, the ominous “The Homeschool Act.”

Will Estrada works as Senior Council to HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) and is himself a homeschool graduate along with his wife.

“One of the arguments that we’ve seen from the sponsors of HB2827 is that homeschooling is unregulated, and that is not true…

There are educational neglect laws on the books in Illinois, so there really is no problem that HB2827 is needed to fix.”

The assault on America’s children from the Democratic Left is unprecedented on our history.  Considering our long and storied history of favoring and protecting children, it is shocking and disgusting; and it must not be ignored!

Until I had children of my own, I did not fully understand how they would change my life and the joy they would bring.  I was always fond of children, but it is not the same as having little ones of your own.… Continue Reading

The Homeschool Act, also known as HB 2827, poses a grave danger to all homeschooling families across Illinois.

If passed, this bill would stifle the freedoms of homeschooling families through heavy regulations. If these regulations are not followed, families would face hefty fines and possible jail time.

Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) is an organization that is passionately leading the charge against this dangerous legislation, and Kirk Smith, executive director of ICHE, sits down to discuss the consequences of the bill and how to oppose it.… Continue Reading

With all of today’s hubbub about separation of church and state, it’s refreshing to hear someone invoke Scripture on the floor of a state legislature. … Continue Reading

In this special episode of Spotlight, Pastor Ceasar LeFlore sits down with Latasha Fields to discuss education and the exciting upcoming event, Chicago Home Educators’ Summit.

Latasha Fields has been a home educator for over 18 years and her passion for parental rights and quality education is evident. She is a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, is a critic of the public school system, and has even testified before the U.S.… Continue Reading

On February 18, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order that expands access to In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

According to the White House,

“The Order recognizes the importance of family formation and that our Nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.”

The executive order goes on to cite the dangerously low fertility rate America is currently facing, as well as the difficulty many families are having as they try to have children.… Continue Reading

Forgive me if I’m late to the party, but I just became aware of a Christian preacher named James Murray who leads a congregation in Australia called Abide Church. A peripheral scan of their webpage indicates the church has multiple campuses, but again I know next to nothing about it.

What I do know is that a clip Murray just posted to his Instagram account is one that resonated with me, and is a message Christians the world over need to hear.… Continue Reading

There was a time that little Wheaton College, located in a sleepy town just 30 miles west of Chicago, Illinois, had a dynamic reputation for excellence in Christian scholarship. While I can’t fairly speak to whether the scholarship remains, the administration of the small liberal arts school signaled to the world last Saturday that the “Christian conviction” part may be negotiable.

Wheaton College got shredded over the weekend for backstabbing a former student who was appointed to the Trump adminhttps://t.co/4xcGiTOHW6

Illinois has long been held as a blue state and a powerful one for the far-left liberal cause.

But things are changing. You can feel it in the air and see it in the way people are acting and talking.

Not long ago, conservatives in Illinois often felt and acted as though we needed to hide in the corners. We were grateful when people stood up, but for the most part, we kept quiet.… Continue Reading

This special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight highlights Pastor Douglas Wilson’s remarks given at the 2015 Illinois Family Banquet.

Pastor Douglas Wilson preaches at Christ Church in Moscow, ID, and is senior fellow of theology at New Saint Andrews College. He is a prolific author of many books and his blog, dougwils.com, is home to his witty and rapier thoughts on culture, the church at large, and politics.

In his speech, Pastor Wilson challenges Christians to fight for biblical sanity and morality.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Pastor Ceasar LeFlore sits down with Latasha Fields to discuss education, parental rights, and community empowerment.

Latasha Fields has been a home educator for over 18 years and her passion for parental rights and quality education is evident. She is a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, is a critic of the public school system, and has even testified before the U.S. Congress on “Poverty in America: Economic Realities of Struggling Families.”… Continue Reading

In this fun episode, Spotlight highlights remarks from multiple different podcasts and events over the years including Dr. Karl Benzio, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, and more!

Dr. Benzio struggled with anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, gambling, and spent time in jail for aggravated assault. Yet God intervened in his heart and completely transformed his life.

Now, Dr. Benzio is a board-certified psychiatrist. He is the co-founder and medical director of HoneyLake Clinic, which provides Christ-centered mental health treatment programs in a supportive, healing environment.… Continue Reading

January 20, 2025, marked the 60^th Inauguration Ceremony of an American President.

At this Inauguration, President Trump made history by becoming the second President in American history to serve two non-consecutive terms. The other President was Grover Cleveland, who served as America’s twenty-second and twenty-fourth Presidents near the end of the nineteenth century.

Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, of 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan, delivered the concluding benediction at this historic inauguration.… Continue Reading

On January 14, 2025, Thomas More Society attorneys submitted to the incoming Trump administration formal requests for presidential pardons on behalf of 21 pro-life advocates who have been unjustly prosecuted, convicted, and in several cases, imprisoned, by the Biden Department of Justice.

In their letter submitted to President Donald J. Trump, Thomas More Society attorneys

“urge that these pro-life Americans are deserving of full and unconditional pardons.”

Governor J.B. Pritzker is pledging to “Trump proof” Illinois through keeping Illinois open to transgender surgeries and drugs for minors, which is one of the issues that took center stage during the Presidential campaign.

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with Thomas Hampson to discuss Governor Pritzker’s plan and the harmful effects it will have on children.

Thomas Hampson is a contributing writer for IFI serving as an intelligence analyst, U.S.… Continue Reading

Is legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Illinois really that dangerous?

In this edition of Spotlight, Dr. Stephen Smart will answer that exact question. Dr. Stephen Smart is a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois college of medicine, and is in private practice at the Springfield clinic in Peoria.

Illinois Family Institute and other pro-life organizations are actively watching the Illinois state legislature for the inevitability of physician-assisted suicide legislation coming to the state of Illinois.… Continue Reading

Recently, the 40 Days for Life pro-life activist, Catherine Walker, spoke outside of Illinois’ Flossmoor Planned Parenthood.

Catherine Walker is a post-abortive, pro-life warrior and she has dedicated her life to helping women through the ministry of sidewalk counseling. In this episode of Spotlight, Catherine shares how she is seeing a positive impact in her community as a result of sidewalk counseling.

“My job is to be faithful and be a warrior in the army and go and try to save one life at a time.

Merry Christmas!  May the peace and love of “the baby born in Bethlehem” be in your heart this season and throughout the year. It is an amazing gift to be able to freely celebrate our faith and to proclaim the birth of our Savior who came to give life and give it abundantly (John 10:10).

Our Christian faith is centered on the belief that our perfectly holy, omnipotent God had a virgin give birth to His only Son who became a carpenter, a healer and a teacher.… Continue Reading

In 1990, the rock band Poison released one of its signature songs, “Something to Believe In.” The song was a call for something positive, something of substance.

In desperation and sorrow, the band called out for something to believe in. Throughout America and beyond, it became an anthem sung by hundreds of thousands of fans who were frustrated with reality as they saw it. The song resonated with many in the early 1990s as it spoke of the tangible emptiness of a life devoid of purpose.… Continue Reading

Did you know that the abortion industry is trying to shut down SouthSide Pregnancy Center and other crisis pregnancy care facilities?

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, we feature remarks by Frank Pavone given at SouthSide Pregnancy Center’s 2024 Banquet. Reverend Frank Pavone serves as the national director of Priests For Life and president of the National Pro-Life Religious Counsel and pastoral director of Rachel’s Vineyard.

“There is nothing that takes more life than abortion.

Should Illinois legalize assisted suicide?

To answer this question, this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight will feature Dr. Benjamin German and the remarks he gave in a special forum on assisted suicide to answer this important question.

Dr. German is a primary caregiver in the Lawndale Christian Health Center on Chicago’s West side. He is also an Illinois Representative in the Academy of Medical Ethics, the biomedical arm of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.… Continue Reading

“Every Home a School. Every Church an Academy.”

Reverend Ceasar LeFlore is the pastor of Spirit of Liberty Church of God, is an IFI Board Member, is the field director for Public School Exit in Illinois, and is the executive director of the Good Soil Good Seed Christian Education Foundation.

Good Soil, Good Seed is an education foundation that is dedicated to enabling families to take their children out of the public school system, and they accomplish this through generous grants and scholarships.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with Reverend Elmer Harris.

Elmer Harris is the pastor emeritus of Second Baptist Church in Joliet and serves as a chaplain for the Bolingbrook Police Department. He also ministers to hundreds of people in the community through the ministry, Blessing Table. Blessing Table is a food pantry that was started in June of 2020 to help feed needy people across many communities.… Continue Reading

Does sex outside of marriage have any consequences?

Pam Stenzel answers this vital question during her keynote remarks at Illiana Right To Life’s 2024 Fall Banquet. Pam Stenzel has been a pro-life advocate since the 1980s and currently helps to operate four pregnancy resource centers in the state of Florida.

She is the author of “Sex Has a Price Tag” and co-author of the book, “Nobody Told Me: What You Need to Know About the Physical and Emotional Consequences of Sex Outside of Marriage”.… Continue Reading

In case you missed it, the week of September 22nd was announced as Banned Books Week according to the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA wants the public to believe that raising concerns about obscene material in children’s books is the same as Nazi book banning.

Thomas Hampson sits down with Monte Larrick to combat this false narrative. Thomas Hampson is a contributing writer for IFI serving as an intelligence analyst, U.S.… Continue Reading

We’re in the final days of the election season now.

Maybe you’ve already voted. Maybe you’re still trying to decide. Regardless of anything I or anyone else writes to sway you one way or another, I pray God gives you the wisdom to honor Him in good conscience with your ballot. Walk before Him in righteousness.

Yet, I do think that He often uses other human voices to help guide us into wisdom, and I hope I’m able to contribute a little truth here and there to that end.… Continue Reading

Though some foolish, uniformed, and lazy voices would claim otherwise, there is little to no moral equivalency between the platforms and positions of the left and the right.

The Democrats and the Republicans are at odds with one another on a number of vital issues.

The Democrats are a proud, death-cult political party that celebrates what God hates.

As Dr. Andrew Walker notes, the Democratic platform, written by their key leaders, is the most radical platform in U.S.… Continue Reading

A Christian brother recently told me that he was originally planning not to vote in this presidential election. He obviously wasn’t going to vote for Kamala, and given Trump’s support for abortion pill access, he couldn’t bring himself to vote for Trump either.

Abortion is so morally repugnant that he couldn’t see himself supporting a candidate who supported access to even the pills. For him, abortion was a reason to not vote in this election.… Continue Reading

As I mentioned in a recent article, Kamala’s appeal comes from portraying herself as a more normal, mainstream, and civil choice than Trump. As she remarked to one audience,

“a lot of what I think is happening . . . is that people are exhausted about the division and the attempts to kind of divide us as Americans.”

And, when running against someone as idiosyncratic as Trump, it’s an obvious—and pretty smart—marketing choice.… Continue Reading

Praise God that Jesus is still on the throne! But let us not lose sight of the mission He has given us to be salt and light in a darkening and decaying nation!

According to a recent study as many as 41 million (!) born-again Christians may not vote in this upcoming election. A leading reason for their decision to sit out and not exercising their God-given and blessed right of voting: apathy.… Continue Reading

Is it a Christian’s duty to vote?

According to research conducted by Barna, 41 million professing Christians and 32 million mainline Christians are not planning on voting in the upcoming general election.

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with David Smith, Executive Director of Illinois Family Institute and Illinois Family Action, to discuss the results of this research study.

“Romans 13 tells us that all authority is ordained by God… Who is the authority in America?

A recent national survey conducted by George Barna of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University indicates that many Christians do not plan to vote on Nov. 5. Mr. Barna says that about 104 million religious people will not bother to vote in this election, and of those, 32 million are theologically defined as born-again Christians.

Why do so many conservative believers plan to sit this one out?

Mr. Barna’s survey answers that question.… Continue Reading

Women’s rights are the central theme of the Harris/Walz campaign and central to Eric Sorensen’s campaign for reelection to Illinois’ 17^th Congressional District.… Continue Reading

“Operation Swing State” is in full gear for the upcoming general election on November 5^th.

The goal of this operation? To convert as many people as possible to the pro-child sacrifice side not only in Illinois but also in key swing states like Wisconsin.

NPR Illinois recently covered the work of this operation:

“On a hot sunny day in September, Elizabeth Posner and Mark Steen, two volunteers from Illinois, drove around the politically purplish city of Racine, Wis.,

It appears that many people are voting for Kamala Harris as a reaction against Donald Trump. Is that you? Some people don’t care for politics and pay little attention to the issues until the election is upon them. Maybe you are one of them.

You simply follow the lead of your friends. You trust them. Whoever they support you support, or you trust whatever media voices you have tuned in to.… Continue Reading

In this exciting episode of Spotlight, we are featuring Allie Beth Stuckey’s keynote speech that she delivered at the annual Faith, Family & Freedom Banquet! Allie is a dedicated wife, mom, cultural commentator, and is the beloved host of her podcast, Relatable.

In her speech, Allie breaks down her popular catchphrase: politics matter because policies matter because people matter. Politics affects policy, policy affects people, and people matter.

“While it is absolutely true– yes and amen– that Jesus is coming back one day, He is not here yet.

As followers of Christ, we are challenged with navigating the complexities of living in a world that is not our ultimate home. Yet, while our citizenship is indeed in Heaven, we are also called to be active participants in the societies where God has placed us. As we contemplate these complexities, the question arises: Should Christians engage in civic and political activities? Drawing from Scripture and early Christian writings, the answer is a resounding yes.… Continue Reading

IFI recently produced a document comparing the stances of the Democrat and Republican party platforms on eight major political issues.… Continue Reading

Dr. Erwin Lutzer is the pastor emeritus of Moody Church in Chicago and is the author of the highly acclaimed books including The Church in Babylon, When a Nation Forgets God, and The Eclipse of God.

In this special episode of Spotlight, Dr. Lutzer sits down with Monte Larrick to discuss what inspired his newest book, The Eclipse of God.

“If the baboon is our grandfather– if we are only animals on a continuum with animals… we have no argument against abortion, euthanasia.

The idea of an election sermon may seem new, or perhaps odd, but in the founding era of our nation, election sermons were very common in the pulpits across the colonies and states and for more than a century thereafter. Many of them can be read at Wallbuilders.com using the search word sermon.

Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Virginia recently gave an outstanding Biblical sermon about voting, certain issues, and civic duty from a Christian Worldview.  … Continue Reading

A Newsweek article from August chronicles the many Republicans who have openly pledged their support for Kamala Harris.

Their list includes former Vice President Dick Cheney, former U.S. Representatives Liz Cheney (Wyoming), Adam Kinzinger (Illinois), former Trump White House official Stephanie Grisham, and a group of over 200 staffers for previous presidential Republican candidates.

Enough Republicans are feeling likewise that Newsweek reports a program started by the Harris campaign—”Republicans for Harris”—which is intentionally catering to Republicans who are rejecting Trump.… Continue Reading

As a young girl, Anni Cyrus was sold as a child bride in Islamic Iran. Because of the courage of her grandmother, Anni was able to escape the horrors that she faced at the hands of Islam and make her way to America– to freedom.

As a legal American citizen, Anni Cyrus is now a human rights activist that speaks out against the horrors and oppression that Islam brings.

In this special episode, Anni specifically addresses Christians in America and how they can embrace their God-given freedoms.… Continue Reading

What is a worldview and how do you know you have the correct one?

In this special episode of Spotlight, Ken Ham answers these pivotal questions.

Ken Ham is the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis and it’s two popular attractions: The Ark Encounter and The Creation Museum. He’s an author and the #1 expert on the topic of Biblical creation.

“There are only two religions. There are only two foundations that build your worldview.

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features remarks from the Go Public for Pro Life rally, organized by Vision 2020.

Julie Garofalo, executive director of the women’s crisis pregnancy center, Waterleaf; Matt Yonke of the Pro Life Action League; and Veronica Janiszewski with Students for Life, all speak on the vital importance of speaking truth and hope into the lives of women facing unexpected pregnancies.

“Our voices are a gift from God, and we must use them for good.

Are you a faith voter? Do you want to know how President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have approached the issues that matter to you?

First Liberty has a side-by-side comparison of their records. Here’s a quick look at how both candidates fare on religious liberty:

Donald Trump and the Trump Administration on Religious Freedom

• Created a religious liberty task force at the U.S. Department of Justice
• Provided religious exemptions from the contraceptive mandate
• Advocated for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment
• Supported wedding vendors and faith-based foster care providers in Supreme Court cases
• Strengthened religious liberty protections in the military

Kamala Harris and the Biden/Harris Administration on Religious Freedom

• Introduced a bill to weaken the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
• Opposed religious exemptions from the contraceptive mandate
• Co-sponsored the ‘Equality Act,’ which some view as the most serious threat to religious freedom ever considered by Congress
• Opposed free speech for religious wedding vendors and business owners
• Opposed a landmark Supreme Court ruling that held Americans do not lose their religious freedom when they open a business

Our legal experts also break down how Trump and Harris approached the Supreme Court, judges, free speech, families, life and other important faith-related issues.… Continue Reading

Recently, one of my former students sent me a link to a video. It comes from a TikTok account, canceledchristian, which contains content from a young woman raised in a Christian fundamentalist family who attended Pensacola Christian College.

The purpose of her account is ”Exposing Christian Fundamentalism.”

In the video linked above, this young woman asks two main questions of Christians who support Donald Trump.

1] Why do Christians believe Donald Trump is a Christian?… Continue Reading

Illinois Family Institute is calling for Christians throughout the state to a penitential period of prayer this fall, starting with a corporate prayer event, and followed by 40 days of individual prayer and fasting.

Sadly, Illinois has become the child sacrifice (abortion) epicenter of the Midwest while Chicago is, once again, experiencing shocking levels of street violence.

Government schools are not just failing students academically, but the focus of school time is now on social engineering, humanistic training, sexual immorality, teaching racism, revisionist history and other godless subject matters.… Continue Reading

How can Christians faithfully live in a culture that is actively opposed to God?

Martyn Iles, Attorney and Chief Ministry Officer at Answers in Genesis, answers this question at the 2024 ICHE Convention.

They [Daniel and his three friends] were now living in a pagan culture, in a pagan society. And the question they had to face is: How then shall we live? What should we do? How do we live fruitfully and faithfully for God in a culture that is completely different– that is actually God-opposing?

I shouldn’t have done it, but I couldn’t resist.

This week, I got into an exchange on social media with an evangelical pastor who was critical of Megan Basham’s new book, “Shepherds for Sale.” The book is a New York Times bestseller, and it exposes the overt leftward lurch of America’s evangelical denominations, publications, organizations and their leaders, also known as Big Eva.

In her book, Mrs. Basham does an excellent job of following the money and highlighting a fact: Influencers such as Russell Moore (editor in chief of Christianity Today magazine) and David French (contributing writer for The New York Times) and organizations such as the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and the Trinity Forum are politically compromised because they are funded or influenced by billionaires such as George Soros who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to infiltrate the church with pro-abortion politics.… Continue Reading

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke before the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) last Thursday. This was her first speech as a presidential candidate, since President Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.

Rather than hiding the fact that the AFT has had a tremendous amount of power and influence on the Biden administration and the country, Harris proudly announced it, thanking AFT president, Randi Weingarten, in particular saying that she has been a “great force” and “an incredible friend and adviser” to the president and her.… Continue Reading

In this edition of Illinois Family Spotlight, we are highlighting a special news conference from the 2023 Black Conservative Summit featuring Dr. Eric Wallace, Robert Woodsen, Ken Blackwell, Larry Elder and Lt. Col. Allen West.

All five guests will focus on how to build a better America.

“The number one problem facing the black community was not systemic racism, not police brutality, but the large number of kids who enter the world without a father in the home married to the mother.”

In this week’s episode of Spotlight podcast, Dr. Benjamin German discusses physician-assisted suicide from his perspective as a medical-care provider.

Dr. German is a primary caregiver in the Lawndale Christian Health Center and serves as an Illinois Representative in the Academy of Medical Ethics, which is the biomedical arm of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.

Dr. German’s speech will discuss how medically-assisted suicide works and the ethics surrounding medically-assisted suicide.… Continue Reading

This special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features an interview with Ken Ham at the 2024 Illinois Christian Home Educators conference.

Ken Ham is the CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, a Christian organization aimed at giving Christians real answers to deep questions about the world. He is the author of over thirty books and is also the founder of the two popular attractions: The Creation Museum and The Ark Encounter.… Continue Reading

There have been a lot of laughs at President Joseph R. Biden’s expense since his disastrous debate with former President Trump on Thursday, June 28.

Democrats have been in a state of panic since then.

USA Today on June 30 reported the shocking results of a CBS/You Gov National Survey in which 72% of voters –  as well as nearly half of his party – said they do not believe Biden has the mental or cognitive capacity to serve as president.… Continue Reading

This special episode of Spotlight features Nancy Pearcey’s presentation at the 2023 Worldview Conference based on her bestselling, critically acclaimed book, Love Thy Body.

Nancy Pearcey is an Apologetics Professor and scholar at Houston Christian University. She is dedicated to bringing a biblical worldview to cultural issues such as gender, transgenderism, abortion, masculinity, agnosticism, and more.

“If there is no God…, there is no meaning to life.”

This is an incredible presentation you don’t want to miss.… Continue Reading

Since the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, the pro-life issue has become more important than ever before.

With the Republican National Convention coming up on July 15^th in Milwaukee, Students for Life Action (SFLAction) understands this crucial moment and is demanding that the Republican Party (Grand Old Party, GOP) maintain its pro-life stance.

While the GOP has been dedicated to the pro-life cause for decades, there are some Republicans (Republicans In Name Only, RINOs) that stand as a hindrance to the pro-life mission.… Continue Reading

How did our Founders view freedom?

In this episode of Spotlight, former Illinois state representative, Peter Breen, tackles this question.

Peter Breen is the executive Vice President and Head of Litigation for the Thomas More Society, a non-profit national public interest law firm that is dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, religious liberty, and election integrity.

In his speech, Breen proves that the Founders not only tolerated Christianity, but they also directly promoted it.… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight focuses on the topic of homeschooling.

Kirk Smith, ICHE’s (Illinois Christian Home Educator) executive director, gives encouragement to parents who don’t know how to homeschool, gives direction on how to choose good curriculum, and much more.

Parents, especially moms, feel like they’re unworthy- that they are not capable of homeschooling… if it’s [homeschooling] is a principle of God, it works– regardless of how good or how unprepared we feel as parents.

Did you know that the 11 words inscribed on the Liberty Bell, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the Land Unto all the inhabitants thereof,” were written by Moses?

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams originally proposed that the Great Seal of the United States include an image of Moses with the motto “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God”?

Did you know that when the nine justices of the U.S.… Continue Reading

You have to give media commentator Ana Navarro credit. She found a career loophole. Anything but profound or insightful, Navarro has continued to find work by capitalizing on her gender, ethnicity, and her willingness to wear a Republican label while criticizing every conservative policy idea.

It provides networks that want to avoid airing any actual conservative content the ability to claim they’ve “balanced” their coverage with a “Republican,” despite the fact that Navarro voted for Hillary Clinton, hosted fundraisers for Joe Biden, promotes transgenderism in the military, advocates for the killing of preborn humans, and opposes 2nd Amendment rights.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight episode features Dr. Scott Lively and his speech, “Recovering Biblical Manhood” from IFI’s 2024 Worldview Conference.

Dr. Scott Lively is an author, attorney, commentator, activist, and the founder and leader of Scott Lively Ministries.

In his speech, Dr. Lively starts with giving his personal testimony and relates his personal experiences to the importance of recovering biblical manhood.

Listen to “Recovering Biblical Manhood” anywhere you find podcasts or click the link!… Continue Reading

The government spent decades trying to make fathers unnecessary. The failure of that experiment put society on the long-term path to collapse.

Sunday was Father’s Day. It’s much less popular than Mother’s Day for a sad reason.

Fewer fathers are involved in their children’s lives. That’s caused by two main factors.

The first is children born to single moms. In 2022, almost 40% of births were to unmarried women, according to the CDC.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, David Smith and Richard Hartian continue their discussion on fatherhood with Kent Evans.

Kent Evans is the co-founder of the ministry, Manhood Journey and is the author of Bring Your Hammer, a book that gives fathers tools on how to biblically disciple their children. Kent notes, “The only way we know about Jesus Christ is through discipleship.”

When asked why discipleship is so important, Kent notes,

I disciple my boys because God told me to, and if I am going to be faithful like Jesus was faithful, then I am going to do what God said… If I have children in this world, I am their primary disciple-maker.

Do you believe evil exists?

Over the past several months, as you read countless stories about college students aligning with the butchery of Hamas, did you think you were witnessing something blatantly wrong? Did you know in your heart that you were watching something beyond the pale, something that was just bad, something that was evil?

These past few days, as you’ve been bombarded by our nation’s celebration of the seventh deadly sin of “pride” and our denial of biology, our denial of genetics, our denial of science, and our denial of self-restraint.… Continue Reading

This edition of Illinois Family Spotlight features a conversation with Kent Evans surrounding biblical fatherhood.

Kent Evans is the executive director and co-founder of Manhood Journey, a ministry that aids fathers in intentionally discipling their children.

Fatherlessness is on the rise in homes across the nation, and the effects of fatherlessness are very real.

A definition for a godly father is: Am I exhibiting to my children the image of God the Father as close as I can represent it?

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews Pastor Myles Holmes of Revive Church.

In this interview, Pastor Holmes tackles the issue of the 2024 election.

Making America great again actually means making America godly again. We need to get back to the Constitution, but even before that, back to the Bible and what has made America great, which is faith in God.

Listen to “What to Expect in the 2024 Election” anywhere you find podcasts or click the link below:

… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight features Pastor Myles Holmes and his speech at the annual IFI Worldview Conference.

Pastor Holmes is the pastor of Revive Church located in Collinsville, Illinois.

In his speech, Pastor Holmes highlights the vital importance of manhood and the need for good, godly, and strong men.

We’re talking today about recovering biblical manhood. Not just recovering manhood– recovering manhood biblically.

Listen to “Why Manhood Matters” anywhere you find podcasts or click the link!… Continue Reading

Last week, what remains of the United Methodist Church voted to reject the authority of God’s Word on matters of human sexuality and publicly affirm and embrace sin as a tenet of their denomination.

There was nothing particularly surprising about the move. In fact, after having chased all of the God-honoring, Christ-worshipping, Bible-submitting believers out of their group, it was completely expected.

Not the Bee reported on their convention/rainbow circus HERE several days ago when it happened.… Continue Reading

This Spotlight episode features Nancy Pearcey’s Worldview Conference speech, “The Toxic War on Masculinity.”

Nancy Pearcey is the director of the Francis Schaeffer Center for Worldview and Culture at Houston Baptist University. She is also the author of several, critically-acclaimed books including Total Truth, Love They Body, and The Toxic War on Masculinity.

We are failing to nurture boys and then we blame them for their toxic behavior… researchers now tell us that male unemployment is at Great Depression era levels… and male life expectancy has gone down.

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Tom Brejcha discusses President Biden and his State of the Union address.

Tom Brejcha is the Founder, President, and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Society. He is a legal expert with over 50 years of experience in the federal and state courts.

Abortion is a top issue for the 2024 election, and Brejcha comments on states who are codifying abortion into their state laws and gives insight on how Christians and conservatives can counter this.… Continue Reading

On Sunday, April 21^st, Governor J.B. Pritzker appeared on CNN to discuss the 2024 Biden Presidential Campaign.

During his segment, Pritzker relayed a series of factually incorrect statements. For the sake of time, only three of these statements will be briefly discussed here.

Pritzker’s first claim was that adding Robert F. Kennedy to the presidential ballot would not affect Biden’s campaign. But a recent New York Times article noted,

Fears among Democrats are particularly acute this year, with polls suggesting that Mr.

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with IFI Springfield Lobbyist, David Curtin, in order to get his perspective on the upcoming Illinois legislative sessions.

A bill that has a lot of conservatives in Illinois concerned is SB 3499 (Physician-Assisted Suicide). David Curtin comments,

The assisted suicide legislation is a very coordinated national effort and they’ve already done it in a few other blue states, and Illinois is the next state they usually stop at to try to pass something like this… [Physician Assisted Suicide] would allow physicians to dispense some pills to a person who is diagnose with a terminal illness to kill themselves at home.

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Reverend Ceasar LeFlore.

Reverend LeFlore is the director of Public School Exit , an IFI-affiliated organization dedicated to facilitating the exit of children from government schools. He is also the director of Good Soil Good Seed (GS2), a scholarship foundation designed to help children afford to attend Christian schools.

Reverend LeFlore has an event on April 18th, called “Saving Our Children for God.”  Attendance is free and the discussion will focus on the danger of Illinois government schools.… Continue Reading

This edition of Illinois Family Spotlight features Mark Houck, a devout Catholic and peaceful pro-life protestor who was falsely accused of violating the FACE Act.

Houck was arrested and handcuffed in front of his wife and children by the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice.

With legal representation from the Thomas More Society and a unanimous jury verdict, Mark Houck was declared to be innocent.

This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.… Continue Reading

In this episode, Spotlight is featuring remarks made by former state representative Peter Breen at the 2024 Speakout Illinois Pro-Life Conference.

Peter Breen is the executive vice-president and is the head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, which is a non-profit, public-interest law firm that champions the causes of life, family, and freedom.

In his speech, Peter Breen remarks on the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision, which overturned Roe v.… Continue Reading

The most recent surveys by George Barna, the Gallup organization and the Pew Trust show that approximately two-thirds of American adults define themselves as Christians. Given this fact, it should be safe to assume that millions of us also still care about what is indisputably the key premise of Christianity: the historical fact of Jesus Christ‘s resurrection.

The resurrection of Christ is not an allegory. It is not political propaganda.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews Scott Lively, author and founder of Biblical Worldview Resource Center.

Scott Lively emphasizes the importance of pushing against the status quo of the culture. He also has a strong message to send to parents who continue to keep their kids in the public school system:

If you are intentionally keeping your kids in public schools, you know the children are being indoctrinated in secular humanist presuppositions in every field.

In this episode of Spotlight, Pastor Charles Moodie recounts the ministry of City Life Center, located in Englewood, Illinois.

Recently, City Life Center Church opened a pregnancy resource center for the community of Englewood.

The Pregnancy Resource Center is a space for expectant mothers to receive prenatal care and support. The resource center, located in our church office, offers free pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and other maternity resources.

Adjacent to our initiative to support families in the Southside Chicago community, the Pregnancy Resource Center aims to show love to mothers who need it most, providing childcare options for children ages 3 and under as well as basic infant necessities like strollers, diapers, and clothing.

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, we are featuring a speech given by Alex Schadenberg which was given at the 2023 Speakout Illinois conference.

Alex Schadenberg is the Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition based in Canada.

Illinois recently introduced HB3499 (currently SB3499) which “Authorizes a qualified patient with a terminal disease to request that a physician prescribe aid-in-dying medication that will allow the patient to end the patient’s life in a peaceful manner.”… Continue Reading

If you’ve driven anywhere in the last week or so, turned on a tv or radio, or gone to the mailbox, then you are probably well aware that the 2024 election season has officially begun. Campaign signs are on every street corner, political ads are airing on tv, debates are being held, and campaign mailers are hitting mailboxes. Over the last decade, politics have felt increasingly tense, so how should we navigate the election season as Christians?… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight features a conversation between IFI’s David Smith, IFI board member Richard Hartian, and Scott Phelps.

Scott Phelps is the executive director of A&M Partnership (Abstinence and Marriage Partnership). A&M Partnership was founded in 2004, and exists to ensure that every teenager in the country has the opportunity to hear a clearly reasoned, positive presentation on the benefits of abstinence until marriage and instruction on preparing for a healthy, future marriage.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Dr. Karl Benzio, a Christian Psychiatrist who serves with the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors). He is s the co-founder of Honey Lake Clinic, a board certified Christian mental health treatment facility located in Greenville, Florida.

In this interview, Dr. Benzio focuses on how God designed the mind to work and how we can properly steward our mind in our decision-making process.

This is an amazing interview you don’t want to miss.… Continue Reading

In 2013, author John S. Dickerson wrote about the troubling condition of the American church in his book “The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors That Will Crash the American Church and How to Prepare.”

Mr. Dickerson‘s key premise was that Christian orthodoxy in the United States is in rapid decline. The evidence he presented to support what, at first glance, seems to be a terminal diagnosis is multifaceted.

According to Mr.… Continue Reading

At first blush, one may think that “reparations” are entirely something that has arisen with the context of 21^st century American politics, but this is incorrect. The legal concept has been around for quite some time going back centuries here in America and even further in other countries.

Yet to simplify our current discussion, we will focus on the American examples of it, and future demands for it. Equally, we will define it to get our terms correct:

Reparations:

A : a repairing or keeping in repair

B reparations plural : REPAIRS

2 a : the act of making amends, offering expiation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury

b: something done or given as amends or satisfaction[i]

Historically, the first example of “reparations” in America was in the year 1773 and involved a kidnapping case of one man (white) and another man (molatto).… Continue Reading

If you don’t know what the after party is, you should, because it could determine who wins the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the presidency this year.

Indeed, this movement is so insidious and potentially so powerful that it could determine the direction of the United States for decades to come. If you care about issues such as border security, confiscatory taxes, sex trafficking, how we educate our children, religious liberty, the right to bear arms, private property, energy independence, women’s right to have their own athletic competitions, drag queens grooming first graders in our public schools, and whether or not you can buy a gas stove, you should care about the after party.… Continue Reading

This past week, as we watched the unfolding stories of illegal immigrants beating police in New York, chaos on our southern border, and the Middle East teetering on the edge of World War III, one of the most insidious bits of news that might have escaped your attention is called “the after party.”

What is this “after party,” you ask? It’s a curriculum funded by Democratic billionaires that “evangelicals” such as David French and Russell Moore are promoting in churches across the country.… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight features the legacy of Joe Schiedler, who passed away at the age of 93.

Joe Schiedler leaves a 50 year legacy of peaceful, pro-life activism that took him around the nation and the world. Schiedler and his wife, Anne, co-founded the Chicago based Pro-Life Action League, and he authored Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion and Racketeer for Life.

Back in 2017, IFI hosted a Pro-Life Forum where Joe Schiedler reflected on his work and his calling in the pro-life movement.… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight the IFI Forum for pastors & leaders, hosted by the Spirit of Liberty Church of God in Markham, IL.

In the first segment of this episode, IFI’s Executive Director, David Smith, explains why Christians should be active in politics, public policies, and the 40 Days for Life campaigns that operate outside of abortion facilities. In his speech, David Smith emphasizes the first three words of the Constitution: “We the people…”

We have lots of opportunities as American citizens.

Creatio ex nihilo is a Latin phrase used to describe a central theological point of Christianity. It’s an axiom that captures the first event of Genesis: “In the beginning, God created.”

It says it is God and God alone who can take nothing and turn it into something. He’s the one who sets the field and draws the boundaries. He’s the one who puts the goals in place. He is responsible for the rules and the definitions.… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight features Pastor Charles Moodie’s speech given at the Foundations of Faith and Family Conference.

Charles Moodie is the pastor of Chicago City Life Center church, and congregation is deeply involved in outreach ministries within Englewood. Currently, Pastor Moodie is building a Crisis Pregnancy Care Center in Englewood. The purpose of this Pregnancy Center is to provide pregnancy support for women dealing with unexpected pregnancies, family support through counseling, and transitional support through offering classes.… Continue Reading

I am very disappointed to have to send this email alert to you today, but you need to know what is going on in our village. Crete Village Trustee Katrina Seifert recently proposed updating the Village seal, thinking it would help bring people and businesses into our community.

Thankfully, Trustees Steve Bruns and Steve Johnson voted against making a change to the village seal.

At the January 8^th meeting, Trustee Seifert presented the new village seal.… Continue Reading

In this edition of Spotlight, David Curtin, IFI’s Illinois General Assembly Lobbyist, gives insight into the coming legislative session.

One piece of legislation that is likely coming to Illinois is Assisted Suicide. Medical Aid in Dying, or Assisted Suicide, is authorized in states such as Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, California, Colorado, Washington D.C., Hawaii, New Jersey, Main, and New Mexico.

According to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine,

Excellent medical care, including state-of-the art palliative care, can address and help alleviate many sources of suffering.

It was several years ago that in preparing a speech for an upcoming event, I flipped on the local evening news.

The first story of the night was a double homicide on the city’s northeast side. The second story was that police feared a serial rapist had struck again. The third story involved a string of armed robberies. And then it happened: The anchors turned to the fourth item on their laundry list of bad news, and detailed the removal of the Ten Commandments display at the local courthouse following a legal challenge.… Continue Reading

This Episode of Spotlight features an address given by Pastor Douglas Wilson of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho.

Not only is Pastor Wilson the Pastor of Christ Church, but he is also a senior fellow of theology at New St. Andrews College in Moscow and is the author of several books including Rules for Reformers, Mere Christendom, and Future Men. He is also the Proprietor of Blog & Mablog, a website that is dedicated to satirical cultural commentary.… Continue Reading

I understand that average Americans travel as many miles each year as their great grandparents did in their lifetimes, largely thanks to a man named Henry Ford.  The free world owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Ford because he radically altered life experiences for millions, making it possible for average citizens to travel to places they would never see otherwise. Being able to afford an automobile has made us all more free.… Continue Reading

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

Every year, it tops the list of America’s favorite Christmas films. The American Film Institute cites it as one of the 100 best cinema productions ever made. Hollywood historians have celebrated it as an inspirational classic. Frank Capra said it was his favorite among all the films he directed, and Jimmy Stewart added that playing George Bailey was one of his most cherished roles.… Continue Reading

In case you missed it last week, it seems some small outfit called the Satanic Temple won the right – on religious freedom grounds – to display a statue of Baphomet, a satanic occult figure, in the Iowa capitol building. The spectacle was to appear for a period of two weeks, but thanks to a Navy veteran named Michael Cassidy, the freakish ram’s head-on-a-mannequin didn’t quite make it that long.

Claiming he was outraged by the “blasphemous statue,” Cassidy said his conscience drove him to chop the thing’s head off and topple it.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Peter Breen’s speech at the Will County Republican Banquet in the first half and a Q&A session with Scott Klusendorf, President of the Life Training Institute, in the second half.

Peter Breen is a former state representative and currently is the executive vice president & head of litigation for the Chicago based Thomas More Society.

Breen speaks on the unconstitutional nature of Senate Bill 1909, which causes pro-life pregnancy centers to undergo litigation and fines.… Continue Reading

This Spotlight episode features Shannon Adcock’s speech that she presented at Foundations of Faith and Family Conference.

Shannon Adcock is the founder of Awake Illinois, a grassroots organization that was founded to expose the public schools’ sexualization of children.

In her speech Shannon highlights the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment, which protects the “fundamental right of parents to direct the care, upbringing, and education to their children.” She comments,

This [parental right] is fundamental.

The first segment of this episode of Spotlight features remarks made by IFI’s Executive Director David Smith at the annual banquet. The second segment features a Q & A time with Eric Metaxas. You will love how he answers some pressing questions from notable Illinois pastors.

Though our present situation in Illinois celebrates radical abortion policies, an “untenable” immigration crisis, foolish gender confusion and sex-education in our government schools, Dave has encouraging words for his audience:

“Be encouraged.

This episode of Spotlight features a conversation between Monte Larrick and Eric Metaxas on how Christians should live in present-day America.

Eric Metaxas is a broadcaster and a New York Times Bestselling author of prominent books with his recent being “Letter to the American Church.”

In this book, Metaxas calls on the American church to wake up and be the church. This is an interview you won’t want to miss.… Continue Reading

I recently finished reading a very timely and hard-hitting book zeroing in on the American church called, Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity by Lucas Miles. Much of what Miles writes about in Woke Jesus rings true with me and my experiences with what passes as a Christian response to the evil we see all around us and all over the world today.

The battle against evil is heating up, especially when we consider what happened just a few short weeks ago on October 7th in Israel.… Continue Reading

This week’s episode of the Illinois Family Spotlight podcast features a message from Reverend Stephen Broden that he gave at the Foundations of Faith and Family conference.

Stephen Broden is the senior pastor of Fair Park Bible Fellowship in Texas and is the chairman of the Gone Too Far movement.

In his message, Pastor Broden speaks on the spiritual conflict that is in America and how to heal a nation in decline.… Continue Reading

Just when you think it’s all over and that America has gone over the edge, some good things are happening.

Let’s start with the ascent of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) to Speaker of the U.S. House. This has stunned observers who thought that pro-life, pro-marriage, conservative Christians were forever barred from such offices thanks to the left’s takeover of virtually every major institution.

The Louisiana Republican is being assailed, of course.… Continue Reading

It’s been another week of what seems to be terrible news for people of the Bible. From the shameless antisemitism on our college campuses to the blatant anti-Christian bigotry in Congress, the message from the cultural intelligentsia is clear: If you are one of those rubes who still believe in the Old Testament, the New Testament — or both — you are anathema, you should be silenced, you are unworthy of leadership and, in the case of Israel, you should be killed.… Continue Reading

This Spotlight episode features Scott Phelps, executive director of Abstinence and Marriage Partnership, and his speech on The Success Sequence– the three steps to a successful life.

The first step to a successful life is to complete a high school level of education. The second step is to get a stable job.

Finally, the biggest indication for a successful life is to keep sex and children in the context of marriage alone.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews Phil Price and Catharine Walker outside the Aurora Planned Parenthood clinic, where more than 400 surgical abortions are performed every single month.

Price and Walker are two of the leaders of 40 Days For Life Aurora. 40 Days For Life is a powerful Christian prayer campaign that brings 24-hour prayer vigils outside abortion centers in Illinois, across the nation, and around the world.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, we are featuring Part 2 of David Smith and Monte Larrick’s conversation with Dr. Mark Zumhagen, MD.

As noted last week, Dr. Zumhagen has been practicing family medicine since 1986. In 2009, he opened his private, holistic practice in Orland Park called Fearfully and Wonderfully Made with the mission of re-activating “the body’s own healing ability that God put in there.”

In this segment, Dr. Zumhagen goes back to the basics– the foundation of science.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, Monte Larrick and David Smith sit down with Dr. Mark Zumhagen, MD, to discuss the resurgence of COVID-19.

Dr. Zumhagen has been practicing family medicine since 1986. In 2009, he opened his private, holistic practice in Orland Park called Fearfully and Wonderfully Made with the mission of re-activating “the body’s own healing ability that God put in there.”

In this episode, Dr. Zumhagen discusses the banning of Ivermectin, the outlawed use of Hydroxychloroquine, the emergency use of the vaccine, and the side effects of this experimental vaccine.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Dave Smith and Monte Larrick sit down with Evelyn Stenzel.

Evelyn works with the Southside Pregnancy Center and travels throughout the greater Chicago area for the purpose of equipping Christians with the pro-life message.

Part of Evelyn’s ministry, “Equipped!”, includes informing pro-life advocates of abortion procedures and the impact abortion has on both the unborn baby and the mother. In the interview, she comments,

Many people that are pro-life honestly are unfamiliar with abortion procedures, the impact of abortion– of course on the unborn but also on the mother…

Mentioned in the podcast is Evelyn’s Equipped!… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, we are featuring the second part of Scott Klusendorf’s speech at the 2023 Worldview Conference.

Scott Klusendorf is the founder and president of the Life Training Institute, which is an organization that is dedicated to equipping pro-life advocates to effectively defend Life in the public square. He is the author of The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture.

In this portion, Klusendorf tackles the topic of how one’s church can effectively engage the culture with pro-life apologetics.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Scott Klusendorf at the IFI 2023 Worldview Conference.

Scott Klusendorf is the founder and president of the Life Training Institute, which is dedicated to equipping pro-life advocates to effectively defend their view of life in the public square. He has taught pro-life apologetics at over 80 colleges and universities, and he is the author of The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick sits down with award-winning swimmer and speaker, Riley Gaines.

Riley Gaines was a member of the University of Kentucky’s NCAA swim team and the 2022 Southeastern Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar of the Year.

In March of 2022, Riley Gaines, along with her teammates, was forced to share a locker room and swim alongside a biological male, Will Thomas.… Continue Reading

According to The Atlantic, over the past 25 years, 40 million Americans have stopped attending church.

Professor Ryan Burge of Eastern Illinois University states that 45% of members of Generation Z (persons born in the 1990s or later) have no religious affiliation. On the basis of this fact and of other data, Professor Burge asserts that nearly one-third of America’s 350,000 churches are “‘on the brink of extinction’” and that thousands of churches will close in the next few decades.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features remarks from Ariella Del Turco on the topic of religious liberty in the first half, along with a question and answer segment with Ambassador Sam Brownback during the second half.

Arielle Del Turco is the director of Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council (FRC) and is the co-author of FRC’s “Hostility Against Churches” report.

Sam Brownback is the former governor of Kansas, formerly representing Kansas in the U.S.… Continue Reading

In this episode, Illinois Family Spotlight features remarks and insights made by the honorable Sam Brownback that took place during an IFI Forum on religious liberty.

Sam Brownback served as governor of Kansas, represented the people of Kansas in the U.S. House & Senate during President Trump’s administration, served as the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, and is currently the chairman for the National Committee for Religious Freedom.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features remarks made by Kevin Sorbo during IFI’s 2022 Faith, Family & Freedom Banquet.

Kevin Sorbo is an actor, director, author, and is best known for his role in Hercules: The Legendary Journey, Andromeda, and God’s Not Dead, to name a few. He has also become an outspoken and witty conservative pundit with 1.7 million Twitter followers. We recommend that you follow him @ksorbs.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features remarks given by Sam Sorbo at Illinois Family Institute’s 2022 Faith, Family, and Freedom Banquet.

Sam Sorbo is an actress, filmmaker, radio host, and a staunch advocate for educational freedom. Her book, They’re Your Kids: An Inspirational Journey from Self-Doubter to Home School Advocate, chronicles her family’s experience with homeschooling.

In her speech, Sam insightfully notes the lies of the educational framework in America, what true education is, and how parents can fight for their child’s education.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews Horace Cooper. Cooper is a senior fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research, chairman of the Project 21 National Advisory Board and a legal commentator.

In response to the attack that Christianity and the Church is facing, Cooper notes,

As Christians, one of things we need to understand… American Christians are one of the most powerful forces on the planet.

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews attorney David Shestokas, a former 2022 candidate for Illinois Attorney General. Mr. Shestokas is involved in the battle for election integrity, and is the author of two must-read books: Creating the Declaration of Independence and Constitutional Soundbites.

In this episode, Shestokas emphasizes the important role that the Declaration of Independence currently plays in preserving American freedoms. He notes,

“What the Constitution is intended to do is to execute the ideals that are found in the Declaration of Independence… the Constitution itself is a pretty mechanical document, but the Declaration of Independence defines really what it means to be an American.”

Independence Day is a good time to take America’s measure. The United States is the first nation created with secured rights derived from nature and nature’s God — not man. We grew rapidly and providentially into a world power with unrivaled liberty and wealth.

Along the way, we endured a bloody civil war and got rid of slavery. We defeated Nazism, Japanese imperialism and the Soviet Union.

We’ve seen unprecedented material progress and such varied marvels as an end to polio and the introduction of digital timers to speed up the game of baseball.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, we are featuring remarks made by Dr. Jonathan Diggs during Illinois Family Institute’s 2023 Worldview Conference.

Dr. Jonathan Diggs has been practicing medicine for over thirty-five years, is an American Board of Internal Medicine diplomat, is a motivational speaker, and is a guest on national television and radio programs.

In his speaking segment, Dr. Diggs outlines three consequences of sexual immortality, which include the following:

1) unwanted pregnancies,
2) sexually transmitted diseases (STIs),
3) and the disruption of social cohesion.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick discusses the pro-life movement with Eric Scheidler, who is the executive director of Chicago’s Pro-Life Action League. During their annual “Face the Truth” tour, dozens of volunteers line sidewalks adjacent to streets near busy intersections in Chicago and the suburbs, silently and often prayerfully holding photographs of aborted babies.

When asked about the public reaction to these photographs, Scheidler notes,

We expected to see more hostility and anger and we’ve had some incidents… But, what I’ve found more notable is kind of a lack of curiosity… it seems more difficult to get people to take a piece of literature from you… That’s troubling.

In this episode of Spotlight, we are featuring remarks from Dr. Michelle Cretella given at IFI’s 2019 Worldview Conference. During her presentation, she points out the differences between true, biological science, which supports pro-life and pro-family propositions, and the anti-science cult of gender ideology, which is preached by mainstream medicine, psychiatry, public and private education systems, and social and mass media.

Dr. Cretella also addresses the serious implications of the transgender movement: erasure of parents’ rights, women’s rights, and religious freedom; establishment of gender identity as a protected class; as well as potential legal action that awaits anyone who persists in using “discriminatory” language, i.e.… Continue Reading

Pride Month is obviously upon us. From the ubiquitous rainbow flags and public drag celebrations to the quasi-aborted attempts by retailers such as Target to normalize what, just five seconds ago, every average American would have said was absurd, the message is clear: “Join us in celebrating every sexual deviancy known to man, or we will cancel you, shun you, shame you, and punish you, for your intolerable intolerance.”

In the face of such societal deconstruction, how are we to respond?… Continue Reading

With June 1^st marking the start of Pride month, numerous woke corporations and government institutions wasted no time in raising pride flags and rolling out social media profile pictures to match the occasion.

However, many companies are beginning to think twice before pledging their allegiance to the LGBTQ lobby.

After Bud Light and Target suffered significant losses from boycotts for pushing gender ideology nonsense, many companies seem to be a bit more cautious and hesitant, and rightly so.… Continue Reading

In this podcast episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews Dr. Voddie Baucham regarding the issues of education, worldview, and critical race theory. The latter threatening to divide the Church and nation. There is an agenda to push a “false divide” between black and white people. In an interview with Christianity Daily, Dr. Baucham points out:

“So the Jew-Gentile divide that Paul talks about in the latter half of Ephesians 2, that is a real divide that God established.… Continue Reading

In this edition of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick has an interesting conversation with Kirk Smith, executive director of the Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE). Over the weekend of May 20th, ICHE hosted their annual homeschool conference at Olivet Nazarene University where families were not only encouraged to educate their children academically, but educate them spiritually.

When asked about the difference between public school and home school, Smith points out that children in government systems are often being taught anti-Christian morals and deceptive worldly philosophies.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Monte Larrick interviews former state representative, Peter Breen, who now serves as the Executive Vice President of the Thomas More Society, which is a non-profit national public interest law firm that is dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, religious liberty, and election integrity. They discuss at length the tyrannical Senate Bill 1909, which is designed to shut down pro-life pregnancy care centers through litigation, fines, and more.… Continue Reading

Larry Elder, in this interview, capitalizes on the importance of black fathers being present in the home, as this is the greatest threat that is facing black America.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, David Smith and Pastor Ceasar LeFlore interview Pastor Charles Moodie, who is the head of the Chicago City Life Center. This center is located in the middle of one of Chicago’s darkest neighborhoods– Englewood.

Chicago City Life Center’s mission is to change the city of Chicago, one life at a time. They implement this mission through “offering discipleship and life skills training, spiritual treatment, job training, pre-school, and several programs for children, youth and young adults.”… Continue Reading

First Liberty’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court victories in our Coach Joe Kennedy and Treat Children Fairly cases continue bearing fruit.

Thanks to these wins, our legal experts predicted this would be a school year with more religious liberty than ever before. By God’s grace, our prediction is turning out to be true. Multiple states are moving to protect religious liberty in schools.

For decades, public school districts often misunderstood their obligations under the First Amendment.… Continue Reading

In this Spotlight episode, David E. Smith and Self Evident‘s Jenna Smith continue the conversation with Eric Hovind, President and Founder of Creation Today, and Helmut Welke, President of Quad City Creation Science Association. This conversation includes discussion on faux fossils, the importance of training your children to ask the right questions, and why a young earth perspective is crucial to a Biblical worldview. Eric Hovind capitalizes on the importance of sharing one’s faith in order to strengthen one’s faith.… Continue Reading

Self Evident’s Jenna Smith co-hosts this week’s episode of Spotlight with David Smith to converse with two special guests about the importance of Scripture and the necessity of knowing the Creator.

One of these special guests is Eric Hovind, the President and Founder of Creation Today, an organization based in Pensacola, Florida. Eric has a deep passion to reach people with the life-changing message of the Gospel and this has driven him to speak in five foreign countries and all fifty states.… Continue Reading

In a recent interview on “The Daily Show” President Joe Biden said that the legislature in Florida was both “cruel” and “close to sinful” for not allowing people to indoctrinate and groom young children in sexual perversion. The proposed Senate Bill 254 in Florida protects children from gender mutilation, and prohibits the use of public funds for such procedures. The President is adamantly against this Bill.

Biden said, “It’s not like a kid wakes up one morning and says, ‘You know, I decided I wanted to become a man or want to become a woman or I want to change.’… Continue Reading

One thing we learned from the courts throughout COVID is that there is almost nothing state and local government officials cannot do to your life, liberty, and even body under the guise of public health. Yet for years, these same courts have placed limitations on the ability of government officials to pray in public when nobody is coerced to join them. Pagan groups have been empowered to shake down cash-strapped local governments in cumbersome lawsuits over the issue of public prayer, and Justice Clarence Thomas is finally calling for an end to this insanity.… Continue Reading

“Every Republican who lives in Illinois
who really wants to see the strength of the party grow
needs to be at the Black Conservative Summit. . .”
~Rev. Ceasar LeFlore (aka “Bishop of Truth”)

Dr. Eric Wallace, the founder and executive director of the Freedom Journal Institute, is hosting a very important event this month that every conservative should endeavor to attend. He is hosting The Black Conservative Summit on the weekend of March 24th & 25th at the Tinley Park Convention Center in the southwest suburbs.… Continue Reading

Over the years of writing this column, I’ve been chastised many times for sounding like I believe Christians can vote only for “right-wing conservatives.”

“You should be more open-minded,” some have chided, “after all, Jesus wasn’t a Republican.”

How should I (or you, if you tend to agree with me) respond?

Well, first, let’s be clear. No one ever said Jesus was a Republican. That’s an absurd retort that hardly warrants a response.… Continue Reading

Big news: The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear our case involving former postal worker Gerald Groff, who was wrongly forced out of his job because of his religious beliefs.

Along with First Liberty, he is represented by Baker Botts LLP, the Church State Council and the Independence Law Center.

The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is not required to grant a religious accommodation for an employee to observe the Sunday Sabbath.… Continue Reading

Many Americans would agree that 2022 was a bizarre, contentious, and challenging year. And with only a few days into the New Year, 2023 doesn’t look like it will be much different.… Continue Reading

In this week’s IFA Spotlight podcast, we’re highlighting remarks made at IFI’s Medical Freedom Forum held earlier this year at Jubilee Bible Church. Dr. Mark Zumhagen explains how our culture has replaced God with science, medicine, and government.

In his presentation, Zumhagen gives an illustration of two chairs. In one chair, there’s science that acknowledges that there is a Creator, and in the other chair, science that denies His existence. Which chair is objectively better to sit in?… Continue Reading

Have you ever boarded an airliner during a rainstorm and then, minutes later, broken through the clouds to bright sunshine? It can be quite startling. People blink like moles emerging from their burrow.

The sun has been there all along, of course, but when we’re unable to see it from below we can forget how bright it can be.

That’s how believers view this world under God. No matter how bad things get, there is a Creator God who loves us and inspires hope in this life and the next.… Continue Reading

The label “Christian nationalist” is appearing more frequently and is being used to silence people of faith, according to experts.

Dr. Mark David Hall, an author and professor at George Fox University, recently discussed the history behind the term. He argues that the political Left started using it well over a decade ago “to label Christians who bring their faith into the public square for ends they don’t like.”

National security and intelligence expert Dr.… Continue Reading

Radical cancel culture is one of the most destructive forces in America today. It’s no secret it has infiltrated virtually every sphere of our lives, whether our public schools, colleges, government institutions or corporations. There is an ever-growing number of religious employees and business owners—many whom First Liberty represents and is fighting for—who’ve lost their livelihoods at the hands of this extreme and toxic ideology.

Woke corporate culture, however, is moving beyond purging religious employees.… Continue Reading

With the midterm elections just a couple of days away, the woke cries of Christian nationalism are again on the rise. We hear the portents from coast to coast. Everyone from California’s dear leader, Gavin Newsom, to George Soros’ sock puppet, President Biden, is warning that “Christian nationalists” are perhaps the greatest threat to our country.

“Beware of the heartland conservatives,” they shout! “These Bible-thumping rubes are dangerous. They’re destroying democracy and must be stopped, or the next shoe to fall will be forced conversions, inquisitions, public floggings and witch hunts.”… Continue Reading

“Information is power” and the Medical Freedom vs. Medical Tyranny Forum hosted by Illinois Family Institute was clearly an evening of empowerment! Attended by an estimated 500 people–young and old alike–the audience, rapt with attention, benefitted from the insights of Dr. Simone Gold*, MD,FD, founder of America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS).

In her presentation on May 17, 2022, Dr. Gold provided energy-packed insight around this idea penned by Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, ironically on January 6, 1816:

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

Deep in the Swiss Alps, a legendary retreat center is a spiritual oasis in an otherwise secular desert. And, no, regrettably, I am not writing from there.

Called L’Abri, it was founded by Christian thinker and writer Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith, also a gifted writer. Since the 1950s, it has been a pilgrimage stop for thousands.

Visitors often have to do dishes and light housework, but they get to hear profound discussions of the Things That Matter.… Continue Reading

Reader discretion is advised.
Some of the images contained in this article may be disturbing for some readers.  

Republican congressional candidate Susan Hathaway-Altman (R, unincorporated Geneva) had a very big June 14 as the primary campaign in the 11th Congressional District winds down to its June 28 conclusion.

Early in the morning, the Chicago Tribune published its endorsement of Altman’s candidacy in the IL-11, stating:

“…our endorsement goes to Susan Hathaway-Altman, a business executive…who supports a rollback in federal spending and jump-starting the economy through tax cuts.”

One thing I’ve learned by living in the reality of rural America as opposed to the concrete and neon of Washington or New York City is that freedom can be deceiving. Or maybe better said, freedom is often the opposite of what it appears to be.

For example, when I drive through the ranches of Kansas and see cattle roaming freely in the fields, they are always surrounded by a fence.… Continue Reading

American culture is unraveling. Few would argue otherwise. Whether you stand on the right or left of the political divide, we all seem to agree on one thing: Something is desperately wrong.

The United States has become the divided states. “E pluribus unum” has become “ex uno plures.” Where we were once a diverse people coming together in common cause, we now seem to be a fractured country with no social and moral glue to hold us together.… Continue Reading

We all know as Christians we should be reading our Bibles. But life seems to get in the way, and then we become discouraged and feel like we’re a horrible child of God when we miss a day or don’t understand a passage.… Continue Reading

The Republican primary race in the Illinois 11th Congressional District enters the beginning of early voting and vote-by-mail ballots hitting the street with a flurry of activity which will crescendo to its finish on June 28.

As previously written, the six Republican candidates vying to challenge Congressman Bill Foster (D, Naperville) this fall are, in ballot order:

• Jerry Evans of Warrenville
• Andrea Heeg of unincorporated Geneva
• Catalina Lauf of Woodstock
• Susan Hathaway-Altman of unincorporated Geneva
• Cassandra Tanner Miller of Elgin
• Mark Carroll of North Aurora, who was endorsed by Illinois Family Action

As shared at the end of April, while there are six candidates on the ballot, at this point, only three candidates have a legitimate chance to win and in this ranking of 1) Lauf, 2) Evans and 3) Carroll

This article is going to focus on the frontrunner Lauf since she’s the frontrunner.… Continue Reading

As originally published in late February, the Illinois 11th Congressional District Republican primary election presents the Republican Party with a solid chance to flip the U.S. House seat currently held by Congressman Bill Foster (D, Naperville).

Here on Illinois Family Action, discernment was stressed to be applied to the six Republican men and women who filed in IL-11.

The candidates include:

• Mark Carroll, 48, North Aurora
• Jerry Evans, 38, Warrenville
• Andrea Heeg, 55, unincorporated Geneva
• Catalina Lauf, 29, Woodstock
• Susan Hathaway-Altman, 55, unincorporated Geneva
• Cassandra Tanner Miller, 35, Elgin

The 11th District includes portions of 8 counties, as shown on the map above.… Continue Reading

In man’s continuous effort to try to supplant God’s purposes and instructions and replace them with his own, we’ve witnessed incessant attempts to erect ideological and philosophical towers of Babel. Through Modernism, generally speaking, or Enlightenment Humanism, man asserted that reason and science provided the accurate, objective, and reliable foundation for knowledge, truth, and life’s meaning. Then, once the glaring deficiencies of Modernism were exposed, many who ascribed to it were left with their lives in utter ruin.… Continue Reading

Since the founding of this country, Americans have believed in local individuals helping those in need… not government programs administered by Federal bureaucrats.

Unlike Europe where charity is dispensed by government and state-subsidized and approved churches, America had a very different approach.

For this reason, the Federal Government has allowed individuals to deduct contributions to 501 (c) 3 approved churches and charities on their federal income tax return.

In 2017, as a result of major changes in the IRS tax code, tax rates were lowered on both individuals and corporations.… Continue Reading

Every parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle – anyone who loves and cares for the children in their family or sphere of influence – will want to listen to the second half of Dr. Rob Rienow’s presentation from IFI’s 2022 Worldview Conference! In his address entitled The Church, The Family, and The Kingdom of God, Dr. Rienow states that, while the church is doing a good job of investing in the next generation of Christ followers, the family is neglecting to hold up their end in their partnership with the church to reach the world.… Continue Reading

(See also: Revelation 21:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17 & Isaiah 43:18)… Continue Reading

In this week’s edition of IFA Spotlight, we feature a fantastic presentation from IFI’s recent worldview conference, delivered by our good friend Dr. Rob Reinow, founder and director of Visionary Family Ministries. Dr. Reinow begins this session with an amusing anecdote of how awful the reality of the blind leading the blind really is, and how it seems that many churches today are doing just that with their congregations. The reason is that we’re slipping up on a essential part of our faith, which is not believing the Scriptures are enough.… Continue Reading

Over the past couple of years, as I have been writing for The Washington Times, I have repeatedly argued that ideas have consequences. I have stated over and over again that what we believe always influences how we behave and that you can’t separate the head from the heart, fact from faith or attitudes from actions.

For good or for ill, ideas matter. As sentient creatures, we are unavoidably blessed or cursed by our guiding principles and the import of our ideas.… Continue Reading

After one year of the Biden presidency, it is clear that his administration is focused on weakening and even removing the constitutional underpinnings of America. The same underpinnings that our Founding Fathers put in place to safeguard us from human nature. 

The question is – are we surprised to see where we are as a country? I’m not. When I look around at our culture, I see darkness. A culture made up of people that have little regard for biblical morality.… Continue Reading

This past week I was contacted by a reporter from the Religion News Service. His reason for calling me was to get my views concerning critical race theory. He wanted to know why I opposed it.

I told the reporter that I am against CRT because it is the exact opposite of the Gospel of Christ. “How so?” he asked.

“Well,” I said, “First of all, CRT is grounded in revenge.… Continue Reading

IFI was honored to have theologian, pastor, and courageous truth-teller Doug Wilson speak at our September 2015 banquet, after which he continued his critique of culture in an interview with Pastor Derek Buikema of the Orland Park Christian Reformed Church. Pastor Wilson addressed the cultural issues to which Christians must respond: abortion and same-sex “mirage.”

Take a break from the holiday bustle to relish and challenged by words that more Christian leaders should be speaking.… Continue Reading

Jackie Gingrich Chushman‘s article titled, “It is Time for a Spiritual Revival,” resonated with me as she lamented the challenges of COVID-19 “lockdowns, masking, sickness, death, fear, overwork, underwork, government stimulus, vaccine creation, the fast-tracking of new antiviral technology, work from home, school closures, supply-chain snafus, tight political elections, protests and rapidly changing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just to name a few items.”

As Illinois Family Action continues to monitor legislative activities in Springfield and Washington D.C.… Continue Reading

A couple of weeks ago I wrote that it’s that time of year, that “most wonderful time of year,” when our country’s thought police come out of the woodwork to tell us what we can and cannot say. I wrote of stories too numerous to count where our culture’s minions of mind control stand barricaded behind their cash registers at Target and Starbucks, telling us what greetings we can and cannot use.… Continue Reading

For as long as I can remember, Family PAC’s Paul Caprio has strongly urged conservative candidates to send Christmas cards to primary voters in their districts. At first I thought this wasn’t the best use of campaign resources and not a very policy-centric way to communicate to would-be voters. Yet, as I considered the up-side of a pro-Christmas, pro-family mailer, I became convinced of its genius. In fact, I now believe that my initial response severely underestimated it’s importance.… Continue Reading

Thanksgiving is past. December is once again upon us. It’s that time of year – that most wonderful time of the year – for our nation’s thought police to remind all of us heartland rubes, you know, the unwashed masses, that at the top of the “you-cannot-say-that” list is saying “Merry Christmas.”

It doesn’t matter that Christmas has been celebrated in the Western world since the fourth century. It doesn’t matter that Christmas has been a national holiday since 1870.… Continue Reading

One of my political detractors called me a “right-wing religious wing nut” this past week. It seems that my conservative views on everything from the right to life to the right to bear arms and the right to self-governance warranted his opprobrium. Implicit in his condemnation was this: “Piper, and his ilk, are ‘nut jobs.’ These conservative rubes are the bane of our existence. They are to blame for all that ails us.… Continue Reading

Thanksgiving is past, and Advent is once again upon us. Yet, the daily headlines prove our world is a broken mess, one that we are apparently helpless to fix.

The conflict we face between our dreams and reality can cause a peculiar mix of emotions. Gratitude is mixed with grief. Anticipation gives way to antipathy. Fortitude is compromised by fear.

This tension is addressed in one of my favorite stories from C.S.… Continue Reading

One of the principles of conservativism is conserving things. Conservatives are conservationists. Yes, we believe in clean air and clean water. Yes, we believe in hugging a tree once in a while or maybe even an owl or a whale. We manage our livestock and land well, not just out of prudency but because of principle. We know that one of God’s first charges to mankind was to be good stewards of God’s creation.… Continue Reading

…and Is Now Working to Transform the Lives of Offenders.

Our Thanksgiving week Spotlight features an interview Monte Larrick conducted with Dr. Eddie Kornegay at the 2021 National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Texas. Dr. Kornegay describes his transformation from a highly educated, liberal and unbelieving theologian to a born-again follower of Jesus. You won’t want to miss his salvation story!

Dr. Kornegay is affiliated with Living Word Center in Forest Park, IL and is the director of R.I.S.E.… Continue Reading

On Sept. 30, Michael Kruger, writing for the Gospel Coalition, an organization that describes itself as “a fellowship … deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to… conform fully to the Scriptures,” wrote the following: “Submission is a Christian virtue… [Christian] citizens are called to submit to… government. And [faithful] men should be leading the way in doing so.”

And, thus, Dr. Kruger doubles down on a passage of Scripture that has become more ubiquitously quoted in our COVID-times than even John 3:16.… Continue Reading

Over the past several months, while our nation burns and our emperor fiddles, there is one story that has escaped the media’s attention: America’s churches are literally being set on fire. At least 93, to be exact.

Consider this from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Between May of 2020 and August of 2021, churches in no less than 28 states have reported incidents involving “arson, statues beheaded, limbs cut, smashed, and painted, gravestones defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned.”… Continue Reading

Last week, I wrote an article about the recent research of George Barna, who has concluded that America’s religion is no longer one of orthodox belief but rather a new syncretistic faith that he called moralistic therapeutic deism – a nonjudgmental don’t-worry-be-happy “fake Christianity” where self-actualization and personal affirmation are now our highest goods. The result of my article? My critics came unglued.

“First and foremost, you need to get your facts straight,” said one.… Continue Reading

America was founded on the principles of Holy Scripture. The Puritans and Pilgrims socially embodied these principles by espousing early, and largely universal, marriage; high fertility rates; complementary gender roles; family autonomy and family independence. Continuing an earlier conversation, Dr. Allan C. Carlson, founder of the World Congress of Families, joins Monte Larrick to explore the connection between strong, biblical families and healthy societies.

Monte and Allan discuss the obstacles to reconstructing a culture of marriage and pro-family civilization, as well as how to most effectively express and promote social conservatism.… Continue Reading

While America has unquestionably had deep racial problems and an agonizing history of oppressing Black people through slavery, Jim Crow, and other outrages, it seems that there are some among us who do not ever want to see the problems solved—or to admit progress in any form. There are those who make enormous profits, both monetarily and socially, by perpetuating the friction caused by America’s racist past, in contrast to Martin Luther King Jr.… Continue Reading

As we survey our rotting cultural and political landscape, it is tempting, from a worldly perspective, to lose hope for our way of life and our nation. As Christians, we have a greater Hope, one that transcends these worldly problems.

We must always train our focus on Jesus Christ, especially during this holiest of weeks, but let’s not in the meantime abandon our earthly duties — our responsibilities to family, friends, country and values.… Continue Reading

“All we can do is pray.” How many times have you heard someone utter these words, often with a somewhat defeatist attitude? Our Spotlight guests this week want you to know that the first thing, the most important thing, Christians can do is pray!

Speaking at an online event hosted by the Illinois Prayer Caucus Network in celebration of National Religious Freedom Day, Randy Forbes and Peter Breen stress the preeminent priority of prayer, especially as the practice and proclamation of our faith increasingly comes under fire.… Continue Reading

Now, perhaps more than ever before, Christians must be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in us. (1 Peter 3:15) If you need to brush up on or strengthen your defense of the faith, or if you are new to the realm of apologetics, this highly informative and humorous edition of Spotlight is for you!

In his presentation at IFI’s 2017 Worldview Conference, Dr. Frank Turek shares the one question to ask a non-Christian.… Continue Reading

Ideas have consequences, and the worse the idea, the more widespread the resulting catastrophe.

The socialist theories of the 19th century – the most influential of which was The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels – led to terrifying slaughter in the century that followed. In terms of a death toll instigated by the mind of man, the 20th century was the worst ever experienced by humanity.

“Nothing in the long span of human history comes close to the tyranny, terror, and mass genocide caused by Marxism in power – nothing,” declared C.… Continue Reading

Not that long ago, surveys reported that over 90% of Americans claimed to believe in God and to be moderately religious. However, with the ascendency of the Left and the vitriol of the media and academia against Christianity over the last few years, the percentage of Americans identifying with Christianity has dropped significantly. But the Left is no longer content to merely mock Christians. They now openly hate us and seek to silence us.… Continue Reading

Difficult questions deserve wise, well-reasoned, and truthful answers. During the Q&A session of the 2020 IFI Worldview Conference, Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Robert Gagnon provided just such answers to some tough questions. Drawing from the authority of Scripture and their areas of expertise, Drs. Brown and Gagnon addressed queries regarding pro-life activism, freedom of speech and religious freedom, the Equality Act, homosexuality and transgenderism issues, and the implications for Christians in the upcoming election.… Continue Reading

Over the past couple of months, while the world has been distracted by all-things-COVID-19, a very important bit of news slipped under our radar and went virtually unnoticed. The contemporary church sold its soul to the Devil for a pot of political porridge.

Consider the evidence.

Last week “pro-life” evangelicals across the land started stumbling over themselves to endorse a political party and a candidate who is openly against life and against evangelicals.… Continue Reading

As a Christian and a pastor, I have spent a lot of time getting to know God. It goes with the territory! But it raises a serious question in my mind. Why do so many have such a visceral hatred for God? Of course, I know the answer, but I think everyone needs to understand what this attitude is really about.

First, I have known since I was young that God is good, but my studies have helped me to understand more accurately how good He is. … Continue Reading

Is 2020 the worst year ever? With the combination of a global pandemic, violence, looting, rioting, and devastating wildfires, plus the drama of a fiercely contested general election, this year might seem to be a strong contender for such a dubious honor. So, what should a Christian do when faced with 2020’s chaos and uncertainty? According to Rev. Franklin Graham we must put our trust in Almighty God!

Although this interview took place just prior to IFI’s 2019 Faith, Family & Freedom Banquet, Rev.… Continue Reading

If you’re in need of encouragement (and truly, who among us isn’t), this edition of Spotlight will speak to your soul as we feature more prayer and exhortation from the recent Rally for Jesus. Rev. Ron Citlau references 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 as a model for Christians to engage with the world and strengthen the Church.

After the break, Rev. Ceasar LeFlore encourages us to claim the peace that Jesus promises to His followers and he passionately asks us to consider how the righteous people of God should respond when the foundations of our nation – truth, righteousness, sanctity of life, and family – are being destroyed.… Continue Reading

As Election Day approaches, American Christians may be weighing their options for U.S. president and may have reservations about voting for either President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden. Despite these concerns, there are good reasons why American Christians might consider supporting President Trump in November. Let’s consider evidence from Old Testament history and President Trump’s first-term accomplishments.

The Old Testament is filled with accounts of God’s faithfulness.… Continue Reading

This edition of Spotlight features Illinois State Representative Darren Bailey and IFI Executive Director David Smith as they address attendees at a recent Rally for Jesus at Calvary Church in Orland Park. David relates how the current moral and cultural climate of our state and nation is expressed in Matthew 24:12 and he calls for individual and national repentance from sin that distracts us from serving and glorifying God.

Representative Bailey recounts his journey from farmer to school board member to state representative and he issues a challenge to the Church and her members to wake up and become involved in the political process.… Continue Reading

As we dive into the last month of summer, David Smith and Monte Larrick welcome Jim Davids, attorney and chief counsel for the newly-formed Justice & Freedom Law Center, to this week’s Spotlight. Jim, David, and Monte explore the concept of “muscular Christianity” and a possible Christian “protest” response – Jesus’ Life Mattered. They also consider J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders that have limited religious liberty, recent legal cases involving religious discrimination and restriction of religious freedom, and concerns regarding how legal rulings that were made during the pandemic might affect a post-pandemic world.… Continue Reading

Last weekend I overheard two recent grads (both musicians) discussing America’s greatest composers. The usual names were raised: Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein, Sousa … Foster.

“Who?” said one.

“Stephen Foster,” replied the other.

Only one knew who Foster was, and neither knew he was from Pittsburgh. Both, ironically, recently spent a lot of time in Oakland, where the Stephen Foster statue once stood outside the Carnegie.

That statue, depicting Foster above a banjo-strumming Black man, representative of his song “Uncle Ned,” was removed in April 2018 after a contentious debate.… Continue Reading

At a Black Lives Matter protest in Cary, North Carolina, a white woman takes to her megaphone. “We repent on behalf of, uh, Caucasian people,” she shouts, as she calls upon the crowd to kneel before two Black pastors seated before them on a park bench. Several audibly weep as they bow in obeisance.

At a church in Atlanta, Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, genuflects before a Black colleague while shining his shoes in a ritual atoning for the collective “shame” of being White.… Continue Reading

Home education and private schooling, specifically Christian schooling, are becoming first-choice options for many families as parents realize that their educational goals and priorities for their children don’t match up with those of government schools. John Stonestreet joins Monte Larrick to discuss the responsibility sphere; proactive education of discernment; the LGBT history mandate in Illinois and other states; and convictions, conscience rights and consequences.

Switching gears, the discussion moves to the Equality Act and increasing pressure on the U.S.… Continue Reading

Our final Spotlight for the month of May features a recent conversation between Monte Larrick and Pastor Dan Haas, a well-known Aurora community activist. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Haas wonders what is God’s message to believers in Christ and what is the Church’s task. Dan stresses the opportunity the pandemic presents to re-evaluate and prepare for what ministry could look like inside and outside of the physical church facility in the months to come.… Continue Reading

People of faith are sensing something is very wrong with our government right now. In Illinois, the newspapers might as well publish Jeremiah Chapter 36 as their front page cover story. After all, his Biblical account sounds like it’s taken directly from today’s headlines.

Pending disaster, dire warnings, arrogant leaders, cowardly representatives, people of faith banned from their place of worship, untrustworthy people turning each other in and an increasingly godless society, tempting God’s wrath every step of the way.… Continue Reading

According to Dr. Michael L. Brown, whether you realize it or not, war is raging in our nation. This war is not with a flesh and blood opponent, but rather with what he terms the “spirit of Jezebel” – demonic forces that are at work in individuals today, just as those same spirits were at work in individuals in biblical times. In his address to attendees of IFI’s 2020 Worldview Conference, Dr.… Continue Reading

Many things about Christianity are counterintuitive but none more than this: God the perfect Father sent Jesus the perfect Son to Earth as a human being to suffer and die for the sins of imperfect human beings so that those who believe in the Son would receive the perfect Holy Spirit and live in eternal love with God.

Scripture makes all this clear.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.   I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust (Psalm 91:1-2). 

In a perilous world filled with diseases such as the flu and now the Coronavirus (COVID–19) many are very fearful.  Inner cities and many other communities are simply dangerous places to be – with drug and human trafficking, muggings, murders, physical and sexual abuse, etc.  … Continue Reading

Latasha Fields, founder and director of CHESS – Christian Home Educators Support System, joins IFI executive director David Smith on this edition of Spotlight. In the first half of the podcast, David and Latasha discuss egregious legislation pending in the Illinois General Assembly that aims to eviscerate parental rights and eliminate religious liberty.

State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) recently introduced HB 4870 would mandate the HPV vaccination for ALL Illinois students at the 6^th grade level.… Continue Reading

David Smith and Monte Larrick welcome Pastor Ron Citlau, lead pastor of Calvary Church in Orland Park, to this edition of Spotlight. Pastor Citlau shares how a 1997 encounter with the Lord transformed him and freed him from a life marked by sexual abuse, addiction to alcohol, drugs and pornography, and same-sex attraction.

In the second half of the podcast, our guest and hosts discuss Illinois’ gender-related legislation that misleads and corrupts public school students.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight podcast features the speech David E. Smith, executive director of IFI and IFA, presented at the 2019 Faith, Family, and Freedom banquet. In keeping with the banquet’s theme, “Boldness,” Dave emphasizes the need for Christians to be bolder in the public square, especially in the face of increasing pressure from the radical, regressive, and relentless left.

The theme verse highlights that quality: “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). … Continue Reading

The rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol is the setting for this edition of Spotlight. Monte Larrick interviewed Delbra Pratt of the Illinois Prayer Caucus Network following the December 3^rd dedication of the nativity scene on display in the rotunda. They discuss the important messages that a nativity scene sends when featured in the public square and contrast that with the messages of the displays of the Freedom from Religion Foundation and the Chicago chapter of The Satanic Temple.… Continue Reading

I’m fine with the fact that I disagree with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on virtually every political issue. We can debate those.

Even though as a Hoosier myself, I am more intimately aware of the mismanaged manure pile his administration has produced, I know that can be endured and fixed.

I am annoyed by his politically-motivated doublespeak regarding Vice President Mike Pence – claiming a positive working relationship with the “nice” Vice President, before sharpening his tongue to stab him as a “fanatical” homophobe when it was expedient.… Continue Reading

Monte Larrick and David Smith welcome the Reverend Dr. Wes Modder to this week’s edition of Spotlight. Pastor Modder is a former Navy chaplain and a retired lieutenant commander who served as a Marine in Operation Desert Storm. He currently is the lead pastor of the Rock Church in Orland Hills, Illinois.

On the eighteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is fitting that the podcast begins with a discussion of how Americans, specifically Christians, ought to live in light of the events of that horrific day.… Continue Reading

To start off September, this edition of Spotlight features part two of Monte Larrick and David Smith’s conversation with Pastor Calvin Lindstrom. The gentlemen stress the need to prioritize Christian education and explore various ways parents can implement faith-based education for their children. Pastor Lindstrom also details the important distinctives, advantages and opportunities of an academically-sound and biblically-solid education.

After the break the discussion turns to the recent, spectacular collapse – due to either moral failure of falling away from the faith – of several high-profile Christian leaders.… Continue Reading

In this week’s Spotlight, Pastor Calvin Lindstrom sits down with Dave Smith and Monte Larrick to discuss the distorted message and disastrous impact of the growing weed wave that is flooding the nation and the incestuous relationship between our elected officials (and their family members) and Big Marijuana. They also offer information about the “opt-out” option for counties and detail how you can encourage your local officials to opt-out of retail marijuana establishments in your area.… Continue Reading

In a crowded field of competitors I get what he’s doing.  And politically I don’t blame him.  South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a longshot candidate who lacks the pedigree, chops, and experience for the office he seeks.  But that doesn’t always matter in presidential primaries.  Often times outsider candidates who find a niche, tap into a core group of committed supporters who are willing to ride with them through thick and thin, can take advantage of the splintering nature of crowded race demographics and pull the upset.… Continue Reading

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and its co-founder Morris Dees, who was recently fired by the organization, have long and sleazy pasts. Over the years, they have been sharply criticized for their tactics, priorities, and mistreatment of employees.

Despite this, the federal government has regarded the SPLC as an expert on extremism and has a long history of coordinating with law enforcement at the federal and state level. SPLC sources were among those used to draft the Department of Homeland Security right-wing extremism memo in 2009.… Continue Reading

I’ve made the case that truth, goodness, and beauty are objective features of the world we live in. Hopefully, you’ve found that to be interesting. But please don’t think this is just an esoteric triviality. It’s not. We are living in a post-truth culture. But it’s a place where the objective nature of truth, goodness, and beauty are deeply relevant. Our view of objective truth affects everything about how we live our lives.… Continue Reading

The 101st Illinois General Assembly has adjourned and the results are in. The state of Illinois is a moral disaster and about to get worse. Our lawmakers seem to be doing everything in their power to encourage and facilitate evil and debauchery.  This legislation has the full support of Governor JB Pritzker, and further institutionalizes lying, vice, addictions, greed, corruption and bloodshed.

However, if we conservative Christians are honest with ourselves, we cannot simply place all the blame on our lawmakers.  … Continue Reading

Our guest on this edition of Spotlight is Pastor Doug Wilson of Moscow, Idaho. Pastor Wilson recently spoke at the fifth annual IFI Worldview Conference which focused on “trans” ideology. He joins Monte Larrick and David Smith to discuss the cultural/creation mandate, the genesis of worldliness, socialism (especially as it relates to the decline and failure of public schools), the value of a classical, Christian education and the growing LGBTQ agenda in government schools, appropriate responses to liberal overreach and civil disobedience.… Continue Reading

I am a pastor and board member of Illinois Family Action (IFA). I am happy to serve with IFA because I believe that Christian principles have an application for politics and society. Man’s main problem is not political. All men and women enter the world as sinners and need a Savior and salvation. The main thrust of God’s Word is to show the only way of salvation that is found in Jesus Christ, but God’s Word also gives guidance and direction to families and civil governments.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight we are honored by the presence of the Reverend Dr. Erwin Lutzer, pastor emeritus of the Moody Church in Chicago.

Dr. Lutzer joins hosts Monte Larrick and David Smith to give an inviting preview of an upcoming speaking engagement which will feature his self-described legacy book, “The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness.” Drawing parallels between the Jews in captivity in Babylon and the present-day Church besieged by worldly culture, Dr.… Continue Reading

The Founding Fathers believed one thing was absolutely essential to a free society: virtue. Sometimes the term they used was “self-government.”

What did it mean? Informed by thousands of years of philosophy and theology, first with Greeks like Aristotle, and later by Christian theologians such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, the Founders understood “virtue” to be behavior (more specifically, habits) in accordance with the good—which both Aristotle and Aquinas, among others, defined as behaving according to “right reason.”… Continue Reading

Without public morality, government must grow.
When government grows, freedoms contract. Freedom requires morality.

There’s a commonly understood, even if unspoken, rule for most opinion columnists, and that is: don’t read the comment section. It’s not that those forums can’t ever produce good thoughts or insightful observations. It’s that those sections are far more often havens for nameless trolls who are far more interested in name-calling and pejoratives than in seriously engaging the argument being made.… Continue Reading

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

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

Tucker Carlson pointed out a few days ago how the already insufferable leader of the Congressional Democrats has recently been “ordained….an archbishop in the church of progressive sanctimony.”  For a while now, Nancy Pelosi’s been the country’s expert on morality (e.g., border wall: immoral; abortion on demand: moral).  She’s now taken to telling the country how much she prays, and she’s urging others to do it, too – at least that old sinner, Donald Trump.… Continue Reading

I know my title may be a bit presumptuous but something dawned on me as I watched the Kevin Hart being unceremoniously forced out of his gig as host of the Academy Awards show: the same people who for years have insisted that Bible-believing Christians are sour, stuff-shirt, legalistic prudes have been projecting.  It’s a little embarrassing that it’s taken me this long to figure it out.

And I don’t just mean the obvious hypocrisy.  … Continue Reading

Make no mistake, this is a monument to evil next to a depiction of the most holy of nights.  David Drucker, spokesman for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office said the Satanic Temple-Chicago has the right, just like any religious organization, to put up their display in the rotunda.… Continue Reading

Highlights from the recent Call to Pray observance in Springfield are the focus of this week’s Illinois Family Spotlight. IFI is partnering with Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall to assemble pastors and faith leaders at the state capital, on a regular basis, to pray. In a display of unity in the body of Christ, pastors came from churches throughout Illinois to praise God, confess our corporate sin, and petition Him for His continued blessing on our land.… Continue Reading

Many of the nation’s colleges have become a force for evil and a focal point for the destruction of traditional American values. The threat to our future lies in the fact that today’s college students are tomorrow’s teachers, professors, judges, attorneys, legislators and policymakers. A recent Brookings Institution poll suggests that nearly half of college students believe that hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment. Of course, it is.… Continue Reading

Ms. FioRito received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1993. Upon conferral of her degree, she was chosen by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin to serve as Director of Pro-life Activities for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She subsequently served the Archdiocese as its first female Vice-Chancellor and then as Executive Assistant to the late Francis Cardinal George, until his death in 2015.… Continue Reading

“Here’s What Happened the Last Time the Left Got Nasty,” is the title of David Greenberg’s Politico piece which briefly delves into some of the left’s highlights.

Just a few years later, though, America’s political culture had changed dramatically. Despite the movement’s historic achievements—and the success of liberals in securing scores of other major reforms—young radicals grew impatient with the pace of change, especially in Vietnam. Peaceful protests continued, but growing numbers of militants now styled themselves revolutionaries and adopted tactics to match.

The “author” of the piece was Starbucks Executive Chair Howard Schultz. The op-ed mocked how Starbucks was shamed into closing all of its 8,000 stores because leftist social justice warriors claimed that one Philadelphia store manager’s decision meant the entire company was full of racists.

This is the same Starbucks which endorsed left-wing ideologies on LGBT issues long before they were popular.… Continue Reading

Monte Larrick interviewed John Stonestreet at Illinois Family Institute’s Fourth Annual Worldview Conference. Stonestreet is the president of the Chuck Colson Center and BreakPoint Radio co-host. They discuss why Christians should be concerned about the Culture when we have seemingly lost; the next major cultural shift after the Sexual Revolution; the continued attacks on religious freedom; and when it is right for Christians to engage in civil disobedience.

Monte and John also discuss the cost of following Jesus, and legalization of recreational marijuana.… Continue Reading

On Monday, George Yancy, a black professor of philosophy at Emory University, wrote a lengthy piece in The New York Times detailing the awful death threats he has received from white racists. I can sympathize — throughout 2016, I received my fair share of death threats. But Yancy sees those death threats as representative of a deeper malignancy plaguing all of white America, not a sickness within a subset of the population.… Continue Reading

America’s in trouble, we’re told.

Our politics is coarse and divided.  The media have been driven mad by the need to break scoops first, leading to clumsy and embarrassing errors.  Social media are turning us all into Narcissus, staring distractedly into digital pools, erasing our ability to think critically.  The world’s rising powers no longer fret over our might.

Doomsaying is prominent, but not all are saturnine.  Haley Britzky of Axios recently tried to lighten the country’s dark skies by listing “9 things America is getting right.”… Continue Reading

When most people think of intolerance, they imagine a racist taunting a black person. Or they think of the white supremacist who killed a demonstrator in Charlottesville, Virginia.

It seldom occurs to them that intolerance comes in all political shapes and sizes.

A protester storming a stage and refusing to let someone speak is intolerant. So, too, are campus speech codes that restrict freedom of expression. A city official threatening to fine a pastor for declining to marry a gay couple is every bit as intolerant as a right-winger wanting to punish gays with sodomy laws.… Continue Reading

There’s an App for That!

It’s no secret that social liberals have been winning the publicity battle in recent years. Whether it be the life or marriage issue, conservatives have been routinely out-spent, out-marketed, and out-publicized. Why? A substantial part of the reason is that we’re being out-funded—miserably out-funded.

For example, the Humans Rights Campaign, the powerful force advancing the homosexual agenda, has an annual budget of over fifty million dollars, an amount that pro-family groups such as IFI only dream about.… Continue Reading

It seems every week there is another accusation and admittance of sexual misconduct. It is discouraging, disheartening, and disgusting to learn the men we welcomed into our homes through television and movies were doing these things.

On a personal level, I think these stories should come to light. Men who violate women should face justice and be held accountable.

But as these stories develop and new stories are told, we must remember these are fruits of much bigger and deeper problems.… Continue Reading

The chickens of the era of moral relativism are coming home to roost in the scandals that have rocked the studios of Hollywood, the green rooms of media moguls, and the cloak rooms of Congress. Are the cases of Matt Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, John Conyers, and Charlie Rose et al any surprise in an era where traditional marriage and fidelity to one spouse of the opposite sex have been under assault and routinely mocked?… Continue Reading

Reformed theologian and author John Piper has tackled a question on whether the Nashville Statement on sexuality is too divisive for society and is driving liberals further away by explaining that biblical truth is always controversial.

During a podcast posted on the desiringGod.com website Monday, Piper read an email he received about the Nashville Statement which talks about some of the pushback the statement has generated, even among conservative circles.

In the email, a listener identified as Amy listed her two main concerns about the August deceleration, which Piper signed, that affirmed conservative theological positions on issues of gender and sexual orientation:

“(1) Is hot-topic orthodoxy, announced and affirmed in the wide-open public realm, appropriate in a ‘casting pearls before swine’ kind of way?

In the Spotlight this week, Dave Smith talks to Rev. Ceasar LeFlore, the Founder and Executive Director of the Beloved Community Development Coalition and the Midwest Regional Director of the Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN). Pastor LeFlore is working towards a national pro-life prayer network and his goal is to unite a million prayer intercessors to daily pray for the end of abortion.

They discuss racial tensions in America, from the NFL’s move to take a knee, to uniting the American church.… Continue Reading