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

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

That Giant Liberty-Sucking Sound From the Tolerant Left

Written by David Limbaugh

Various leftist grievance groups have insisted for years that they just want equal treatment and equal rights, that they only want to end discrimination and that they come with an attitude of “live and let live.” Nope.

We’ve long known that the “tolerance” police don’t merely want equal rights and to be treated with civility. They require that you honor their ideas as superior, reject your own contrary ideas and do penance for ever having held your own ideas.… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: Free Exercise of Religion on Display in the Capitol

Written by David E. Smith

This week’s edition of Spotlight begins with a focus on the importance of the nativity display at the Illinois state capitol – as well as the value of nativity scenes in state capitols and public places across the US — as Thomas Brejcha (from the Thomas More Society) joins our host, Monte Larrick.

Brejcha and Larrick discuss the connection between free exercise of religion and free speech, and they consider whether religious freedom is at risk in Illinois, especially in light of a democratic governor-elect and the supermajorities in the Illinois legislature.… Continue Reading

Lefty SPLC, Soros Foundations Build Coalition to Ban ‘Hate Speech’ Online

Written by Corinne Weaver

The anti-conservative hate group, Southern Poverty Law Center, wants to censor people it disagrees with and it’s asking the top social media companies to help.

On Thursday, October 25, the liberal organization announced that it had formed a coalition with five other groups to encourage the prohibition of so-called “hate speech” online. SPLC partnered with four George Soros funded organizations: the Center for American Progress, Color of Change, Free Press and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, as well as the National Hispanic Media Coalition.… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: Preserving Religious Freedom

Written by David E. Smith

In this week’s podcast, Monte Larrick interviews Alliance Defending Freedom’s (ADF) Regional Director J.D. Mesnard. This interview took place at IFI’s fourth annual worldview conference in early May. In the first half of the podcast, J.D. identifies the importance of ADF’s Church Alliance program, which supports the legal needs of churches across the nation during a time in which attacks on religious liberty are increasing.

During the second half of the podcast, in his capacity as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, J.D.… Continue Reading

Anthony Kennedy Has Important Parting Advice for Liberals

Written by David E. Smith

This week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in NIFLA v. Becerra should drive a stake into the heart of an Illinois law that requires pro-life medical professionals to refer patients for medical procedures/services they find morally objectionable such as abortion, sterilization and certain end-of-life care protocols.

This tyrannical legislation (SB 1564) was signed by Republican impostor Bruce Rauner and sponsored by Chicago Democrats. In writing the majority opinion of the Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy offers some constructive criticism to totalitarian policy-makers:

[B]egin by reading the First Amendment as ratified in 1791; to understand the history of authoritarian government as the Founders then knew it; to confirm that history since then shows how relentless authoritarian regimes are in their attempts to stifle free speech; and to carry those lessons onward as we seek to preserve and teach the necessity of freedom of speech for the generations to come.