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.… 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

“Parental Rights, Religious Liberty and American History” (Illinois Family Spotlight #187)

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

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

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.

“Choosing Style over Substance” (Illinois Family Spotlight #097)

Featured in this edition of Spotlight, the Q & A portion of the Illinois Family Institute’s 2018 Worldview Conference featuring John Stonestreet. John is the President of the Chuck Colson Center and a co-host for daily BreakPoint commentaries.

Following his presentations, Stonestreet took questions from the audience ranging from pending Supreme Court rulings, division in America, Facebook, and even Kanye West.

“Getting Off the Fence” (Illinois Family Spotlight #095)

Monte Larrick and Dave Smith sat down with Reverend Dr. Joey Krol, Dr. Krol is an author and the senior pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Decatur. He is also the morning host at WLUJ, a christian radio station in Springfield.

They discuss pastors getting their churches to speak up and get involved in politics, the role prayer plays in our nation’s spiritual health, giving President Trump a pass on his past behavior, religious liberty and increasing government pressure on churches.… Continue Reading

Candidate Burt Minor’s Answers to Pro-Family Questions Raises Concerns

Written by John Biver

Keeping a candidate’s policy positions straight isn’t easy when the candidate appears to come out on both sides of an issue. Sometimes it is due to a simple mistake, as people can misspeak without even realizing it.

When the issue is taxpayer funding of abortion, however, a person is either for it or against it. The same comes to religious liberty and conscience rights.… Continue Reading

The Terrifying Changes Britain has Seen Since Instituting Same-Sex “Marriage”

Written by Joshua Denton

Roughly four years ago, then Prime Minister David Cameron announced that MP’s would decide whether or not to redefine the meaning of marriage. The announcement came as somewhat of a surprise as David Cameron had not made any mention whatsoever in his pre-election manifesto (or platform) signalling his intention to initiate this possible shift.

In the ensuing chaos leading up to the vote, David Burrows MP, a mild-mannered supporter of the ‘Coalition for Marriage’, had excrement thrown at his house.… Continue Reading