Any parent knows that trying to raise children is difficult. Especially if you are trying to raise your kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord in a post-Christian society, such as our own. Everywhere you turn it seems like the world is trying to destroy any semblance of innocence in the hearts and minds of the youngest in society. How is a parent supposed to compete when the world is so dark? One of the most important decisions a Christian parent can make is where their children are going to go to school – who is going to be teaching them, and what are they going to be taught?

Well, the Village Church of Barrington recently held a seminar that helped to answer this question entitled: “Parenting in a Godless Culture: Educating Parents and Grandparents,”

Elder Greg Nash kicks the seminar off by discussing what the Bible says about educating children and why so many young adults and kids have a worldly worldview. Videos of each speaker have been posted online, and we’ve linked the first video here. Please be sure to watch and share!

There is no denying that it is God’s command to train up a child in the way he should go. To be faithful to His Word, He calls for us to spend a lot of time in this critical endeavor: when we’re sitting, when we’re walking, when we’re lying down, and when we rise up (Deuteronomy 6:7-8 and 11:19).

Therefore, it should be obvious that one hour of church on Sunday will not be enough to instill Christian values on the little ones God has entrusted to our care. Sadly, that’s all the time many children have to learn about the things that matter the most to God. Approximately ninety percent of children attend government schools. That boils down to 40 hours per week of sexualization and character-corrupting political indoctrination versus one hour of religious training.

The Village Church of Barrington is a model for Proverbs 22:6 that other churches can emulate. They are serious about ensuring children in their church and community have every opportunity to hear the gospel while providing exceptional Christ-centered education in core subjects.

They started opening their doors during the week to children in their congregation and now serve over 300 children from their church and community every week.

If you are not yet convinced that much of what’s taking place in government schools is wicked and the antithesis of what God wants His precious little ones to learn, you haven’t been paying attention to the evidence IFI has been providing for almost thirty years.

But there’s good news and a proven solution.

Jennifer Burns is the founder of Classical Consortium Academy as well as the homeschool enrichment program HEART. These are the programs available at the Village Church of Barrington to disciple over 300 children in their community. This Christ-centered education is equipping God’s little ones for the world.

In this very short video, Jennifer describes some of the features of Classical Consortium, its partnership with the Village Church of Barrington, and why it would be beneficial for any gospel-believing church. Just consider the affect this would have on your own families, your community, and future generations.

Jennifer is willing to help interested churches. For more information, call IFI during normal business hours at (708) 781-9328.

There has been a sustained assault on truth with regard to sexuality for the last 55 years. For the last 45 years that assault has included successful efforts to normalize homosexuality and gender dysphoria, efforts that have intensified over the last decade.

While this has been happening, many church leaders have failed to address adequately or at all issues related to homosexuality. Some have failed because they remain ignorant of the nature and implications of the “LGBT”-affirming juggernaut, which undermines truth and respect for the authority of Scripture and threatens the temporal and eternal lives of those who experience homoerotic feelings. Other church leaders have failed because of their own cowardice.

Thankfully, there are pastors who are steadfast in their exposition of biblical truth even in the face of harsh criticism. IFI is occasionally posting sermons by men of faith who seek to honor Christ in all things, which includes preaching sermons that the world will hate.

One of these wise and courageous pastors is David Jones who is the senior pastor of the Village Church of Barrington and who also served as the associate editor of The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Crossway, 2001).

Please take 50 minutes of your time to hear some truths that are too rarely spoken by pastors and priests. Better yet, watch and discuss this video together with your children, grandchildren, friends, or in your church small groups:

Worldview Conference with Dr. Wayne Grudem
We are very excited about our second annual Worldview Conference featuring world-renowned theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem on Saturday, February 20, 2016 in Barrington.

Click HERE to register today!

In the morning sessions, Dr. Grudem will speak on how biblical values provide the only effective solution to world poverty and about the moral advantages of a free-market economic system. In the afternoon, Dr. Grudem will address why Christians—and especially pastors—should influence government for good as well as tackle the moral and spiritual issues in the 2016 election.

We look forward to this worldview-training and pray it will be a blessing to you.

Click HERE for a flyer.

Palatine resident and pastor of the Village Church of Barrington, David W. Jones, attended the District 211 Board of Education meeting on Wednesday night and sent the following letter to the District 211 School Board immediately following the meeting. If only every pastor, priest, elder, and lay person would follow Pastor Jones’ example, perhaps further harm to children and truth can be prevented.

Make no mistake, the kind of assault on truth and reality that is taking place in District 211 is coming to all public schools—including elementary schools. The issue of how biological sex is treated in public schools should not concern just families with children in schools. It should concern every follower of Christ. First, the children in school today will be our culture-makers tomorrow. Second, if we love our neighbors as ourselves, we should care deeply about the dissemination of body- and soul-destroying lies. And third, what our taxpayer-funded schools teach through curricula, policy, and praxis is a stewardship issue.

Please read, be inspired by, and emulate Pastor Jones:

I am writing to express my disagreement with the outcome of last night’s school board meeting vis-à-vis the OCR agreement. I was present at the meeting. It was clear that a significant majority were opposed to settling with the OCR. Although I did not keep score, I would estimate that at least 80 percent of those who spoke—some eloquently—were opposed to any compromise with the federal government on this issue. It grieves me that the board caved in to the OCR’s unlawful demands. The OCR cannot redefine our society’s legal definition of gender. What will the federal government demand next? (I acknowledge the previous sentence to be a type of “slippery slope” argument. But that form of argument is not always invalid, if one can demonstrate the mechanism by which further changes will likely happen.)

It was also surprising to find the D211 website updated shortly after the meeting with several statements that appear to have been worded carefully and approved by legal counsel. This suggests that the decision was a fait accompli before the hearing began. If this is true, then it was not a hearing at all but rather only the appearance of one. It is hard not to feel betrayed as a resident and taxpayer. This feeling only increased when I read the board’s statement: “We have implemented practices surrounding transgender student access to restrooms for two-and-a-half years, without incident.” Is this the first time that policy has been made public? If so, why were not parents informed about this earlier?

We are kidding ourselves if we think that this issue is limited to one student. Now that the precedent has been set, and the OCR knows that it can intimidate local school districts in general and D211 in particular, it will just be a matter of time before it comes knocking again. There will be more gender-dysphoric students, and they will demand special rights like “Student A.” How can they be denied? Also, how will a school board be able ultimately to deny access to any student who claims to be the opposite gender? How could that person’s claim be invalidated? If male students begin to populate female sports teams, that will give them an unfair advantage. If female students begin to populate male sports teams (e.g., football), they could actually be hurt. Title IX was originally about leveling the playing field. The OCR’s current interpretation will actually have the opposite effect, putting female students at a distinct disadvantage. That is not a little ironic.

With all due respect, last night’s decision by the board was a bad one. It fails to protect adequately the privacy of actual females, while granting special rights to a young man who is confused about his gender. The requirement to retain an adolescent gender expert—at taxpayer expense—also concerns me. What ideology will drive this individual? What else will they force upon our schools and, therefore, our students? I am afraid that the board’s decision could have significant consequences down the road, many of them unintended. I do not know if the board can reverse its decision; I would urge you to do so.

Sincerely,

David W. Jones

Support the work of IFI

Your support of our work and ministry is always much needed and greatly appreciated. Your promotion of our emails on Facebook, Twitter, your own email network, and prayer for financial support is a huge part of our success in being a strong voice for the pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family message here in the Land of Lincoln.

Please consider making an end-of-year donation to help us stand strong!

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188

(Gifts to IFI are tax-deductible.)