SPOTLIGHT: Parental Rights, Religious Liberty and American History

Written by Benjamin Smith

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

When It Comes To China, We All Need Renewed Moral Clarity

Written by Julie Tisdale

The U.S Senate unanimously passed a bill this week to support pro-democracy efforts in Hong Kong, a move that prompted an angry response from Beijing. According to Reuters, the measure requires that the U.S. “certify at least once a year that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to qualify for special U.S. trading consideration.” A separate bill, also passed unanimously, places a moratorium on selling crowd control “munitions” (such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns) to Hong Kong police, who have been accused of brutality in dealing with protestors.… Continue Reading

NO to Voluntary Christian Prayer in Schools. YES to Mandatory Muslim Prayer

Written by Daniel Horowitz

“Separation of church and state.” There may be no reference to, inference of, insinuation of, or display of religion anywhere in any government operation or public school, even if there is no coercion to participate in any Christian event or prayer. That is enshrined in every clause of the U.S. Constitution.

That is essentially what the Left has been telling us for years, and those principles have been enforced to varying degrees in many lower courts and, intermittently, even by the U.S.… Continue Reading

Speech Police and ‘Safe Spaces’

Written by L. Brent Bosell III

Freedom of speech is in the First Amendment for a reason. Freedom begins with the ability to speak your opinion without fear of censorship or violent reprisal or imprisonment. This is a precious human right, not something that most countries in the world revere like we have. But here in America, free speech is most dangerously under attack in the one place you would not expect: the universities.

Dennis Prager and Adam Carolla have created a new documentary on the subject called “No Safe Spaces.”… Continue Reading

Franklin Graham Responds to Threats by Regressive Presidential Candidates

Written by Laurie Higgins

In a recent town hall meeting on sexual deviance co-hosted by the destructive Human Rights Campaign and only slightly less destructive CNN, the question of whether churches in which intrinsically non-marital homosexual “marriage” ceremonies are not allowed to be performed should lose their tax-exempt status was posed. Well, I paraphrased the question for precision and clarity.

With fervor and inauthenticity, one of the respondents declared “Yes!” Fearing the backlash, “progressives” everywhere began pedaling backwards with equal fervor and inauthenticity, declaring how preposterous a notion it is to think theologically orthodox churches would EVER lose their tax-exempt status.… Continue Reading

Networks Endorse Taylor Swift’s ‘Equality’ Lobbying

Written by L. Brent Bozell III

At the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 26, Taylor Swift won the video of the year award for her latest song “You Need to Calm Down.” It’s a song that trashes anyone still dissenting from the LGBTQ agenda and begs them to “control your urges to scream about all the people you hate / ‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay.”

The network news shows gushed over her leftist activism and the “Taylor Effect” they expect it to provide.… Continue Reading

Pete Buttigieg: Fool or Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing?

Written by Laurie Higgins

Claiming to be a Christian, faux-married, homosexual Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg wields the Bible as a political weapon with which to bludgeon conservatives. It’s odd then that fellow “progressives” don’t chastise Buttigieg for violating the separation of church and state as they do when theologically orthodox Christians cite their faith as informing their public policy positions. Let’s not forget the chilling words of homosexual New York Times writer Frank Bruni who re-envisions the First Amendment in such a way as to circumscribe narrowly the heretofore free exercise of religion:

I support the right of people to believe what they do and say what they wish — in their pews, homes and hearts.

The Attacks on Christians and America’s First Freedom

Written by David Horowitz

The Islamic State (ISIS) has now taken credit for the Muslim massacre of Christians in Sri Lana. On average over 300 Christians a month are killed for their faith globally. This is the end result of a campaign of disrespect and hate towards Christians that have become a significant theme of American politics as well.

Is it merely coincidental that the most rapidly rising candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, Pete Buttigieg launched his campaign with an unfounded and unprovoked attack on America’s vice president because he is a Christian?… Continue Reading

What Part of “No Religious Test” Don’t We Understand?

Written by Jerry Newcombe

The U.S. Constitution says there can be no religious test applied to those seeking office at the federal level (Article 6, clause 3). But lately some on the left are trying to apply a type of religious test against some would-be Trump nominees.

Two years ago, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) raked a Trump nominee over the coals because of the man’s theological views. Russell Vought, a nominee to the Office of Management and Budget, attended Wheaton College.… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: How to Prevent Illinois’ Collision With Legal Pot

Written by Benjamin Smith

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Spotlight podcast of 2019! For this edition of Spotlight we are revisiting highlights of an earlier episode featuring IFI’s own Monte Larrick and J.D. Mesnard, Regional Director with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Church Alliance. This interview took place in May 2018 at IFI’s fourth annual Worldview Conference. Mesnard begins the podcast by detailing the range of vital legal assistance the ADF Church Alliance provides to churches.… Continue Reading