As we reflect on 2021 and the various ways we were challenged, it is impossible not to be grateful for God's daily mercy and loving kindnesses that helped us get through the difficulties of life in this fallen world. At the same time, we have to wonder: Does praying for the state of Illinois accomplish anything? Why, even though there are many concerned Christians in prayer, is our state only progressing further down the path of rebellion and judgment? Does it matter?

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.

Like nearly every other aspect of Scripture, the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, has been questioned by theologians and supposed scholars. One famous scholar, Raymond Brown, states that Luke’s information is dubious on almost every score. This means that God was not able to communicate the basic historical facts regarding the birth of the Son of God. Is this how we want to start the story of Jesus – as if we are just trying to make things up, like a Joe Biden press conference? We certainly can have confidence in God’s Word even when we cannot line everything up with “secular” histories or the opinions of men.

More treasures can be found in the Christmas narratives than just the gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The Christmas narratives are simply the Christmas stories found in Matthew chapters 1 and 2 and in Luke chapters 1 and 2. They make up THE Christmas story.  It is in these four chapters that we find from God’s Word a treasury of grace, wisdom, salvation, and hope that make up the wonderful and blessed story of Christmas. 

America has been kind to evangelical Christians and Christianity over its two hundred and forty-five-year history.  I believe that more missionaries have been sent around the globe from the United States than from any other country, as well as billions...

We have been extraordinarily blessed to live in America.  Those who complain and seek to radically transform the country are sadly ignorant of how much better their lives are than most of those who live now or who have lived on earth.

If you know history you understand how wonderful our lives have been in this great Land, and we Christians, recalling how our forbearers have been treated through the centuries, should have a great appreciation for the liberties we have enjoyed here.

On behalf of the Illinois Family Institute — and my own family — I want to wish a very happy Thanksgiving to you all. As we all prepare to gather together with relatives, friends and neighbors to thank God for...

Gratitude is a funny thing.  It appears to have a life of its own.  By that I mean that a grateful heart bears fruit of itself, often beyond what one’s circumstances might suggest.  God has much to say about gratitude, “In everything,” He says, “give thanks!”

The thought struck me again recently that our nation really does not understand the religious implications of Thanksgiving. Why are many offended at the greeting Merry Christmas, but it is ok to say Happy Thanksgiving? Whom are we thanking?

God’s Word is filled with promises, commands, exhortations, and encouragement. Scripture is also replete with warnings. In 1 John 2:15-16, we read: “Do not love the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love...

One of the most vicious characters in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is a woman name Madame Defarge. In the beginning, she appears as a diminutive woman who passively spends her time knitting as French nobility commit great injustices against commoners. The reader comes to find out that this woman is storing up bitter resentments and bloody plans for vengeance against her aristocratic persecutors. Through years of oppression, she is quietly knitting a “hit list” of aristocrats whose blood must be spilled in the coming revolution.

Fall has arrived in Illinois. As the leaves change colors and the temperatures drop, communities look forward to fall celebrations. Many churches and communities will have fall festivals that are innocuous celebrations that include pumpkin patches and trunk-or-treats for the children. However, there is a much more insidious type of celebration that is infiltrating our communities. The acceptance of occultism is spreading at an alarming pace.

State Representatives Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), Bob Morgan (D-Highwood) and State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) are sponsoring legislation (SB 1169) to diminish the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act specifically for COVID-19 remediation. In other words, these state lawmakers are heading up the effort to strike down existing legislation protecting citizens' rights to excuse  themselves from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

We recently read a great little sermon illustration in which a young boy asked his father, “Dad, I was watching a TV show about marine biologists. Why do scuba-divers jump backwards into the water?” His father wittily responded, “Because if they jumped forward, they'd still be in the boat!”

The great evil in America for over two centuries was slavery and its ugly aftermath. Too many Christians for too long stood passive as Satan attacked the humanity of African Americans. Too few had the courage to do what Wheaton...