An Important Win for Religious Liberty: Espinoza v. Montana

Written by John A. Sparks

Sometimes, the facts of a case have an emotional appeal in addition to a strong constitutional basis. Espinoza v. Montana certainly qualifies.

Kendra Espinoza, a hard working (three jobs) and determined single mom, decided to take her two daughters out of the local public schools and enroll them in Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell, Montana. She explained that she “wanted them to be able to read the Bible and be taught how to pray, and taught from that faith-based perspective.”… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: Pastor Cassell Discusses His Lawsuit Against Gov. Pritzker

Written by David E. Smith

Give me your young, your old, your faithful masses yearning to worship freely. This revision of The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus could well be the rallying cry of Pastor Steve Cassell of The Beloved Church in Lena, Illinois. On this edition of Spotlight, Pastor Steve joins me for a timely discussion regarding the perilous intersection of COVID-19, governmental “authority,” and Constitutionally-guaranteed personal liberties.

Pastor Steve and I consider how churches and people of faith should respond to Illinois’ lockdown and examine the dangerous precedent that could be established by our governor’s abuse of his executive power.… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: Religious Liberties are Essential in Illinois

Written by David E. Smith

While numerous businesses have been designated as “essential” and allowed to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois’ governor has deemed houses of worship for all faith traditions as non-essential entities, denying people of faith access to these facilities for corporate worship and prayer.

Illinois Family’s Monte Larrick recently spoke with Pro-Life Action League’s Ann Scheidler at a May 1st prayer vigil, held outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, to protest Governor JB Pritzker’s overreach.… Continue Reading

Why Online Church Could be a Bad Thing for Religious Freedom in the Long-Term

Written by Jorge Gomez

Let’s start by giving credit where it’s due.

It’s admirable that houses of worship can adapt so quickly in times of crisis. Millions of Americans are staying spiritually engaged thanks to the incredible effort of churches and faith leaders who harnessed the power of technology, social media and the Internet. Even more remarkable is that churches surpassed virtual attendance records even though the quarantine forced them to transition overnight to online services.… Continue Reading

Greatest Threat America Faces During COVID-19 Pandemic is Loss of Liberty

Written by Dr. Everett Piper

The biggest threat to the United States today is not a virus, but rather “virus-shaming.” The greatest challenge the American experiment faces in this dark hour is not our need for safety but our loss of liberty. And the complicity of the church in the wholesale abandonment of this self-evident truth is no less than stunning.

While governors across the nation fall over themselves to break their oath of office, the church remains quiet.… Continue Reading

A Spectacle of Bigotry: LGBT Objections to Christian Aid in NYC

Written by Peter Heck

In a 2017 USA Today op-ed, journalist Jonathan Merritt, who has distinguished himself by persistently undermining the authority of Scripture while wearing the name of Jesus, fretted over a potential Christian boycott of Disney and its LGBT activism. He wrote:

It risks making Christians look like antiquated bigots, and it reeks of moral hypocrisy. Worse, it diverts energy from a more worthwhile effort: teaching Christian children to coexist in a pluralistic society.

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