It might not be a surprise to many to hear that our public education system is failing. However, it may come as a surprise to hear that it is creating illiteracy. The depths of the problem came to light during the years of the pandemic. Now critics of poorly developed reading curriculums and parents of struggling children are asking why we are not doing a better job teaching students how to read.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, recently had a warning for the Christian church: be cautious of the infiltration of the false doctrine of the progressive Christian movement. "Progressive Christianity denies the divinely inspired, authoritative truth of the Bible as it intersects every facet of living," Graham states in his article, “The Eternal Peril of Christianity.” Graham says that the distortion of the gospel is potentially causing confusion and ultimately sending people to Hell.

The supply chain shortages have caused bare shelves throughout the nation. Most of us remember the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, searching for household cleansers and hand gel. Although low cleaning supplies are aggravating, the new shortage could be serious for the most innocent among us. The U.S. is facing a severe lack of baby formula.

Initially drafted by President Donald J. Trump in 2018, the Healthcare Workers' Conscience Rights allowed healthcare workers protection from retribution after refusing to participate in a medical procedure that violated their religious beliefs. This rule meant that medical professionals could refuse involvement in abortions, gender reassignment surgeries, or dispensing medications that go against their religious beliefs. A federal judge blocked the original rule, so it was not fully implemented. However, now President Joe Biden wants to remove any remnants of protection for healthcare workers.

Children are a blessing from God. For almost 50 years, the left has supported the destruction of those blessings through legalized abortion. Roe v Wade, the law which initially endorsed abortion only in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, has over the years opened up states to new and more extensive abortion laws. Several states have even introduced legislation that legalizes abortion in the 3rd trimester and  up to birth in recent years. But now we have a new level of depravity. States are calling for legislation to legalize infanticide.

Gas stations across the country are filled with annoyed drivers who are incensed by the rising prices at the pump. In the last year, gas prices have risen by nearly 50 percent and are currently at the highest level since 2008. Several factors have caused the soaring prices of gasoline, but in Illinois, we can blame the left's proclivity toward excessive taxation.

Psychiatrists Call for Assisted Suicide for Patients with Anorexia Terminal illness is a difficult subject for most people to approach. No one wants to think of themselves or their loved ones suffering from a debilitating illness. Patients with these diagnoses worry about the pain and decreasing levels of independence and hope to limit the suffering they and their families may experience. However, some politicians and physicians believe that assisted suicide is a solution to end the suffering of these terminal patients. After years of debate, several states have legalized physician-assisted suicide. Now, members of the medical community would like to extend the definition of terminal illness to include several mental illnesses, including anorexia nervosa.

The leftist assault on life is unbridled. In 1992 then-President Bill Clinton said that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” This idea was repeated in 2008 by Hillary Clinton. Since the early days of legalized abortion, the left has assured Americans and the rest of the world that abortion was only suited for extreme cases and rarely implemented. However, in recent years the left has started to change its rhetoric.

College can be one of the most exciting times in a young person's life. They are leaving home, often for the first time, and venturing off to learn who they might become as adults. It is also a frightening time for both the students and their parents as these young adults test their independence. It is not uncommon to hear about students from loving Christian homes that find themselves in a predicament because they were unprepared to deal with the peer pressures of alcohol, drugs, or sex on the college campus. Despite these students' stress, the Illinois General Assembly would like to make matters worse by mandating that all public college campuses offer emergency contraception in vending machines.

In the last week, several Democratic-led states have announced that they would be pulling part or, in some cases, all of their masking mandates within their states. States that have removed or changed their regulations include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Most will be ending the mandates within the next several weeks.

After-school clubs for elementary school children have become prevalent throughout the United States in the last few decades. As more families have either two working parents or, too often, a single working parent, the need for supervised care at the end of the school day has become essential. Although after-school care is vital to these families, we must ask who runs these programs? In two Midwest elementary schools, the answer is unnerving. The Satanic Temple has started an after-school program, and its pilot schools are in Ohio and Illinois.

Alarm bells are ringing on the plans pro-abortion advocates are creating for the country if Roe v Wade is overturned. Fearing that medical abortions will be restricted or even eliminated in some states, Planned Parenthood and other abortion advocates have changed gears to push for more chemical abortions – what supporters call “self-managed abortions.” Planned Parenthood has even advocated mailing the necessary drugs to women without a medical professional ever seeing the patient in person. The dangers of these drugs and this plan are staggering.

The growth of the federal government’s power over the last two years is problematic. Increasingly lawmakers are using the pandemic as an excuse to control every aspect of their citizens’ lives. It now seems that they want to further control and surveillance the health records of their citizens. The US House of Representatives passed HR 550, the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021, on November 30, 2021. The bill is a complex idea that will create a network of computers and databases capable of further tracking immunization for the local, state, and federal governments.

Christmas is a time of reflection on the gift of Christ and the salvation that He provides through the cross. For generations, Americans have displayed nativity scenes in front of churches and in public settings. Yet, these displays have not gone without opposition. In Illinois, the Satanic Temple of Illinois constructed a display in the Capitol rotunda, near the nativity display. Despite their dark representation, the light of Christ remains on full display and the gospel is proclaimed.

The crisis along the US-Mexican border continues with little effort from the Biden administration to stop the flood. In September, Del Rio, Texas, was nearly overrun when 30,000 illegal immigrants poured over the border into the town. This action meant illegal immigrants almost outnumbered actual citizens and, as a result, Del Rio’s public areas and living conditions deteriorated noticeably.