Can prayer really reduce violence and murder in a community?  Yes! 

Written by Pastor Dan Haas

Consistent, faithful prayer against violence changed Aurora, Illinois from a community with 3 times the national homicide rate in 1994 to zero homicides in 2010!  The effective prayer of a righteous man or woman can accomplish much.  (I Timothy 2:1-2; Deuteronomy 21:6-9; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; James 5:16)

The factors that influence people to commit violent acts are very complex.  However, until the fundamental nature and roots of violence are identified, progress cannot be made in reducing violent actions.  Any act of violence a person commits is taken very seriously by God.  God sees acts of violence by men as being responsible for corrupting or polluting the Earth.  To cleanse the Earth of corruption God sent a worldwide flood in the days of Noah.  (Genesis 4:3-13, 23; Genesis 6:5-13; Exodus 20:13)

Causes of violent acts are anger, revenge, greed, envy, jealousy, drunkenness, lust, and bitterness.  These causes are spiritual, moral, and sinful in nature.  The Body of Christ, those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ, is to serve as a priesthood of believers reconciling the world to our God and Father.  Unless the Church takes the lead in reducing violence in their communities, other institutions will remain frustrated.  Governmental bodies, law enforcement agencies, schools and businesses make valuable contributions to reducing violence in communities, but they are not equipped to deal with spiritual issues.  (Galatians 5:19-21; James 4:1-2; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

Prayer has an incredible impact on reducing the levels of violence in a community.  First, pray for all of your leaders. Paul instructs Timothy that prayer for leaders will lead to a tranquil and quiet life.  This means a non-violent community.

The Word of God does not say to only pray for good leaders, but to pray for ALL leaders.  Believe that God responds to our prayer in accomplishing His plans and purposes.

Scripture tells us that the act of murder brings blood-guiltiness upon the land and defiles it. Your community becomes literally and spiritually unclean.  (Genesis 4:10-11)  But prayer and repentance brings healing to the land.  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

According to Scripture, Christ followers should go to the site of every homicide in a community and pray:

1. That the perpetrators of the crime will be revealed.
2. That God will forgive the shedding of innocent blood.
3. That God will heal the physical land.
4. That God will restore His blessing to the neighbors
5. That God will minister to the family of the victim in their grief.

Lastly, Scripture tells us that our real enemy is spiritual, not physical. Pray against the demonic powers and strongholds over your city and their influence over people to commit violent acts. (Ephesians 6:12)

Other Specific Prayer Items:

• Pray for all 59 of our Illinois State Senators and 118 Illinois State Representatives, especially those in leadership: Michael Madigan, Jim Durkin, John Cullerton  and Christine Radogno.

• Pray that our state lawmakers would reject policies that would contribute to or promote addictive behaviors or cultivate intoxicated people on our roads, in workplaces and in our schools.

• Pray for your local mayor, alderman, city council and/or township officials.

• Pray for local first responders: firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, and hospital medical teams.

• Pray that God would expose and thwart the plans of barbaric radical Islamists.

• Pray for families of veterans who will be observing Memorial Day this weekend.

• Pray for boldness in our pulpits and for strong, unwavering church leadership plus a willingness to engage the culture.

• Pray for the safety and success of the board and staff members of IFI as we work to advance biblical truth in the public square.

Thank you so very much for your willingness to partner with us in prayer!

Pastor Dan Haas has lived, worked, and served in Aurora, Illinois for over 60 years. For 30 years he was  Pastor of Aurora Community Church. In 1979 he was a co-founder of Covenant Christian School, an elementary school serving students pre-school through 8th grade. With Father David Engbarth, Dan Haas was co-founder of The Prayer Coalition for Reconciliation, an organization that has worked to reduce violence in Aurora for 20 years.  Read more HERE…

The National Day of Prayer has come and gone, but prayer leaders say there’s still lots to pray about, especially in Illinois.

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Election 2016 will go down in history as a great surprise — a quasi-triumph for Conservatives, for Evangelicals, and a tragedy for the Progressive Left. Millions of Americans were praying, they knew the nation was heading at breakneck speed toward godless socialism, with every possible perversion being lauded by The Left.

Life and marriage, natural marriage, were still vitally important to Bible-believing Christians in America. As was our relationship, nationally, to the Jewish state of Israel. Though Donald J. Trump was an unlikely champion for such conservative issues, he was the only choice. Everyone nervously hoped Trump would keep his promises. But most understood that Hillary Clinton would keep hers: she was ardently pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage and LGBT “special rights,” for a two-state solution with Palestine and Israel, for open borders and so many other disastrous policies.

The future of America weighed in the balance and on November 8, 2016, conservatives, Christians, nationwide breathed easier, a seed of hope and prayers answered energizing that long-maligned segment of the country.

In 2010, United in Purpose (UiP), a nonprofit, was “started with a question: Is it possible to transform American culture by bringing together conservative Christian organizations to act in unity to reach their shared goals?” They assembled a team with the sole mission “to unite and equip like-minded conservative organizations to increase their reach, impact, and influence for the purpose of bringing cultural transformation in America based on Judeo-Christian principles.”

The election of 2016 further steeled the determination of UiP. The American Culture and Faith Institute (ACFI) is one division of UiP, under the leadership of Executive Director, George Barna, of famed Barna Group, the research organization “regularly conducts national surveys to gauge the sentiment and activity of politically conservative, spiritual active Christians in America.”

On April 12 of this year, ACFI published an article, “Mixed Views on Morals.” The article summarizes “a FullView™ online survey was conducted March 22-29, 2017, with 1,000 respondents age 18 or older whose demographic profile reflects that of the United States.”

The article begins:

Americans are not too pleased with where things stand in their country these days. A nationwide survey of adults by the American Culture & Faith Institute (ACFI) reveals that a key reason for peoples’ dissatisfaction relates to their perceptions of the morals and values of the nation’s adults.

The survey found that only four out of ten adults (40%) feel satisfied with the way things are going in the United States these days.

Of note, some of the keen dissatisfaction appears among liberals:

Less than four out of ten adults (37%) believe the country is headed in the right direction. Once again, conservatives (56%) were far more likely than liberals (20%) to express that belief.

The population segments most likely to feel more disadvantaged these days were Baby Boomers (45%) and liberals (42%).

Interesting, now that President Donald J. Trump is steadily reversing former President Obama’s executive orders, most of which forced immoral and ungodly practices on Americans, The Left is unhappy.

But there were other valid concerns respondents shared:

• Only one-quarter of adults (24%) are satisfied with the moral condition of the nation. Such concerns were especially deep among adults with a biblical worldview (just 7% of them were satisfied with America’s moral condition). People 50 or older were less satisfied (21%) than were those under 50 (27%).

• One-third of adults (34%) are satisfied with the values and moral views taught in the public schools. Dissatisfaction ran especially high among those with a biblical worldview; among SAGE Cons (i.e., Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservative Christians); and among conservatives.

• Just one out of three adults (34%) is satisfied with the honesty and integrity of the mainstream media. The segment that most clearly separated itself from the rest of the population is liberals: 52% are satisfied with the character of the media.

• Not quite four out of ten people (38%) are satisfied with the degree of compassion that Americans have for one another.

• Four out of every ten respondents (40%) feel satisfied with the values embraced by most adults. The one out of ten adults who have a biblical worldview emerged as the segment least satisfied with peoples’ values (18%).

• Not quite half of the nation (44%) is satisfied with the fairness experienced from the court system. Conservatives and liberals had a common concern in this regard. The only segment for which a majority felt the courts are judging fairly was people 70 or older.

It’s quite heartening to see that those who espouse a biblical worldview are discerning, responding with biblical precepts in mind.

In direct opposition to the conservatives, the survey demonstrated “liberals are twice as likely as are conservatives to feel satisfied with the values and views taught in the public schools. They are also twice as likely to feel satisfied with the moral condition of the country.”

For decades and decades Progressives have owned education. The Schools of Education at U.S. universities are academic petri dishes of socialist thought, inculcating a Leftist, godless worldview in all but the hardiest of conservative, Christian students.

Election 2016 may have been a turning point. Post-inauguration, every day the news brings signs of hope. President Trump is working to defund Planned Parenthood and rolling back many of the liberal and/or immoral executive orders mandated by Obama and his pen. Israel is once again completely confident in our friendship. Our borders are being enforced and unlawful illegals being deported. We have a strong presence at the United Nations and are not capitulating to the evils of that organization.

With entities such as American Culture and Faith Institute and United in Purpose, conservatives are wising up, using information and sound battle tactics to defeat The Left and their godless agenda.

Perhaps God will have mercy on America as her citizens hunger and thirst after righteousness, remembering that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people”. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

The “Slouching Toward Gomorrah” has been stayed. Burgeoning hope compels more and more conservative people of faith to make their voices heard, to be salt and light in our culture.

Let’s pray it’s not too late for that salt and light to right America’s course, remembering:

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or declare all His praise?
Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!
~Psalm 106:1-3

With just weeks left in the regular session of the General Assembly, we are still working to stop a number of bills that are making their way through the legislative process.  Almost two dozen great activists traveled to Springfield on Wednesday to join IFI’s full time lobbyists in the hopes of meeting with key lawmakers to discuss bills of concern.  The bills we are working include:

HB 40 – Taxpayer Funding of Abortion.  This bill passed the Illinois House by a vote of 62-55 two weeks ago.  It is now going through the process in the Illinois Senate and is expected to pass and be sent on to Gov. Rauner.  UPDATE: Yesterday afternoon, the Illinois Senate passed this life-destroying legislation by a vote of 33-22.  It will now go to Governor Rauner.  Please PRAY that Gov. Rauner will follow through on his pledge to veto.  Pray for the pro-life lawmakers who are working behind the scenes to see this legislation die.

HB 1785 – Transgender Birth Certificate.  The sponsor of this legislation, Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), has not called his bill for a vote yet because he does not have the necessary 60 votes to pass it out of the House.  While this is indeed good news, we know that Rep. Harris, Equality Illinois, the ACLU of Illinois, and others are working hard to convince a handful of lawmakers to vote in favor of the bill.  Please PRAY that God would convict the hearts and minds of on-the-fence lawmakers to vote against this fraudulent proposal.

ERA – The Equal Rights Amendment. Two weeks ago, this constitutional amendment passed out of an Illinois senate committee and is pending a vote of the full senate.  Because it is a constitutional amendment, it requires a three-fifths vote in both chambers; 36 in the Illinois Senate and 71 in the Illinois House. Again, proponents seem to be short the votes necessary to keep the bill moving. However, we know how quickly things can change in the General Assembly.  Please PRAY that lawmakers see through the politically correct appeals from the Left and understand how this legislation hurts women. Pray that the sponsors of this dangerous legislation would not be able to put together enough support to advance it.

SB 316 (Amendment 1) – Marijuana Legalization. On April 18^th, State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) announced that they would begin the discussion about legalizing recreational marijuana in Illinois.  Although they said they would not call the legislation for a vote this year, IFI understands that we must intentionally seek to be part of the conversation, as the media often refuses to give the conservative perspective a platform.  Please PRAY that lawmakers in Springfield are not ready (and remain that way) to legalize another vice for the people of Illinois.  Pray that they understand how addictive, damaging and even deadly it can be.

Other Specific Prayer Items:

• Pray for our federal officials: President Donald Trump, the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, and both of our U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

• Pray for all 18 of our U.S. Representatives: Bobby Rush, Robin Kelly, Dan Lipinski, Luis Gutierrez, Mike Quigley, Peter Roskam, Danny Davis, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Jan Schakowsky, Brad Schneider, Bill Foster, Mike Bost, Rodney Davis, Randy Hultgren, John Shimkus, Adam Kinzinger, Cheri Bustos and Darin LaHood.

• Pray that lawmakers in Washington, D.C. would continue to work toward defunding Planned Parenthood and repealing Obamacare.

• Pray for boldness in our pulpits and for strong, unwavering church leadership plus a willingness to engage the culture.

• Pray that God would continue to provide the needs and resources for IFI to do the work necessary to work on behalf of life, families, marriages, and religious liberty.

Thank you so very much for your willingness to partner with us in prayer!

Written by Amy K. Hall

I find it odd when I refer to an atheist’s worldview and he adamantly denies he has one. This sense that “worldview” is an insult has puzzled me for quite a while; why would atheists think it’s an insult to have a consistent, coherent view of reality? As I’ve talked to them more about this, I think I may have finally figured out why many of them view the term “worldview” so negatively, and it has to do with their identity as atheists.

At the root of atheism (i.e., the rejection of God) is an attempt to throw off outside constraints in order to construct a life of one’s own choosing—that is, to become one’s own god. (An atheist might not put it in terms of becoming “a god,” of course, but I think he would agree with the idea.) What I’m finding is that getting out from under God’s authority isn’t enough for the people I’ve talked to. It turns out that even the idea that one of their beliefs (e.g., “there is no God”) might entail other beliefs they didn’t specifically and individually choose on their own is seen as a sort of outside constraint on their thinking.

But the truth is, we are all constrained by reality, and it’s our job to discover what that reality is and submit to it—not piece by piece, but as a whole, noting how the parts relate to each other, and reasoning from one to the next. If reality is coherent, an acknowledgement of reality in one area (say, the idea that we evolved and were not created by God) will necessarily affect our understanding of reality in another area (say, the idea of universal human rights). Rather than being two completely separate ideas, they’re related to each other in a coherent worldview.

It’s not an accident that people who identify as atheists share many views besides a belief that God does not exist; it happens because a great many views flow out of the idea that there is no God and the material world is all there is. Rather than denying this, atheists would do well to think carefully through their worldview—their coherent view of reality—to make sure all their pieces fit together and, as a whole, match the reality they see around them.

If they do this, I think they will find that some of their cherished ideas just won’t fit into the “no God” puzzle. I was reminded of this when I saw this quote from Yuval Harari in Impossible People, wherein he comments on the idea in the Declaration of Independence “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”:

According to the science of biology, people were not “created.” They have evolved. And they certainly did not evolve to be “equal.” The idea of equality is inextricably intertwined with the idea of creation. The Americans got the idea of equality from Christianity, which argues that every person has a directly created soul, and that all people are equal before God. However if we do not believe in the Christian myths about God, creation, souls, what does it mean that all people are created “equal”? Evolution is based on difference, not on equality. Every person carries a somewhat different genetic code, and is exposed from birth to different environmental influences. This leads to the development of different qualities that carry with them different chances of survival. “Created equal” should therefore be translated “evolved differently.” [Read more of the quote in context here.]

Equality and universal human rights come from Christianity, not atheism. There is nothing in atheism that could undergird those ideas (as atheists on this blog have themselves said). Worldviews matter, they lead to myriad consequences, and everyone has one. Make sure you think through yours—and its implications—carefully.

This article was originally posted at the Stand to Reason blog.

The National Day of Prayer’s purpose is to honor God and to bring together the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families.

The 2017 event is scheduled for Thursday, May 4^th in cities all across the nation.

The theme is “For Your Great Name’s Sake! Hear Us…Forgive Us…Heal Us!” You don’t have to look far to see the deep need for healing in our country. While it could be disheartening, consider that we can boldly approach an incredible all-powerful, almighty, trustworthy and faithful God, who longs to hear from His children.

At this crucial time in our nation, we can do nothing more important than pray.  Thank you in advance for placing a priority on the gift of prayer and for standing alongside other believers across the nation.

Click HERE to find a location near you.

What the Secularists Are Missing

In 2000, Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam published his groundbreaking book, “Bowling Alone.” Putnam argued that Americans’ reduced interest in civic engagement—by which he meant not only things of a political nature but also things like the PTA, Boy Scouts, groups like the Elks, and, yes, bowling leagues—had reduced the store of what is called “social capital.”

“Social capital” is what sociologist call “the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.”

This is more than theory. It gets to the heart of one of the pressing issues of our time: social and economic inequality. And while Americans, as a whole, prefer to bowl alone, this solitude isn’t equally distributed.

As Putnam documents in his most recent book, “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,” one thing that separates children from families in the top 25 percent of households measured by income and education from their counterparts in the bottom twenty-five percent is social capital. The well-off parents featured in “Our Kids” were, if anything, exhaustingly engaged and enmeshed in far-reaching networks that made life better for their kids.

While we shouldn’t be surprised that good connections offer better-off kids a significant advantage over their poorer counterparts, there’s something else that provides another significant advantage: religious participation.

Churchgoing kids “are less prone to substance abuse (drugs, alcohol, and smoking), risky behavior (like not wearing seat belts), and delinquency (shoplifting, misbehaving in school, and being suspended or expelled).”

But the benefits of regular church attendance do not stop there. As Putnam tells us, “Compared to their unchurched peers, youth who are involved in a religious organization take tougher courses, get higher grades and test scores, and are less likely to drop out of high school.”

They also “have better relations with their parents and other adults, have more friendships with high-performing peers, are more involved in sports and other extracurricular activities.” In fact, churchgoing is so beneficial to academic performance that “a child whose parents attend church regularly is 40 to 50 percent more likely to go on to college than a matched child of nonattenders.”

Now, this is true regardless of socioeconomic status. The problem is that regular church attendance is increasingly tied to socioeconomic status. According to Putnam, while “weekly church attendance” among college-educated families since the late 1970s has remained more or less the same, it has dropped by almost a third among those with a high school diploma or less. The result is “a substantial class gap that did not exist” fifty years ago. It’s yet another way that poorer kids are falling behind their more affluent counterparts.

Given the benefits of regular church attendance, the insistence on minimizing the role of religion in American public life is, to put it mildly, perverse. Society hasn’t figured out how to reliably give poor kids access to the kinds of advantages, both material and intangible, that better-off kids take for granted.

But we, the Church, do know how to reach out to them and their families in Jesus’ name. We have millennia of experience in ministering to the least, the last, and the lost. And now we have evidence that this kind of ministry has benefits that few people, Christians or non-Christians, ever suspected.

Will today’s “cultured despisers” of religion pay heed? Probably not. But we owe it to the kids—all kids—to ignore those naysayers and to freely give them what we have freely received.

This article was originally posted at BreakPoint.org

Lawmakers and faith leaders are touting the power of prayer in keeping Illinois safe from a legislative agenda that could be a major roadblock to the state’s turnaround.

Dear Praying Friends,

I have a few prayer requests to share with you.  Would you take time today and maybe over the next several days to lift these things up in faith to our Heavenly Father?

• Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on an important case on religious liberty.  Pray that the Justices will be wise and discerning in making a decision.  Pray for Neil Gorsuch as he adjusts to his new position on the Court.

• Illinois state lawmakers are holding a subject matter hearing on legalizing recreational marijuana.  The consequences of this foolish policy would be far-reaching and disastrous.  Pray that the media would cover this issue fairly and allow dissenting voices to be heard.  Pray for us as we try to disburse the truth about marijuana, addictions and intoxication to the Christian community and to the voters of Illinois. Pray that our communications on these matters would not be shut down and that they would be far-reaching.

• Next week, IFI will be hosting Dr. Calvin Beisner and a forum on Climate Change and Christians.  We will be in Rockford, Arlington Heights, Orland Park and Peoria.  We know that protests and possible disruptions are planned for the Rockford event.  Please pray for God’s hand of protection and that any disruptions will not inhibit a biblical worldview being taught.

• In May, we plan to bring in an expert from Colorado to talk to our state lawmakers in Springfield about the negative consequences of marijuana legalization.  Please pray that we are able to secure a committee room (approved by the House) and that the right lawmakers will be in attendance.

• Lastly, we have a number of great events planned to commemorate IFI’s 25^th Anniversary.  Please pray that God uses these events to equip and encourage Christians and the spirit of apathy and cowardice would be demolished.

Thank you so very much for your willingness to partner with us in prayer!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith

“Our great honor lies in being just what Jesus was and is. To be accepted by those who accept Him, rejected by all who reject Him, loved by those who love Him. What greater glory could come to any man?” ~A.W. Tozer

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place,
when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him,
Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
~Luke 11:1~

Written by Pastor Chris Jennette

Intro: In an article dated December 10, 2013, Time magazine did a piece on The 100 Most Significant Figures in History. We as believers are not surprised that the number one historical figure was none other than our Savior Jesus Christ!  He is the most Significant One of all time! Without Him we would have no hope in this world or from this world. He is our everything! I say this without apology. He is our All in All! Everything about Him is perfect, from His birth, to His life, and even to His death and resurrection.

But there is something that was very special that I want to bring out about His life. Jesus was the greatest communicator, orator, and teacher, yet His disciples did not ask Him to teach us how to do any of these things. They asked Him to teach us to pray in Luke 11:1.

Everything Jesus did, He did an example for us to live by. This includes His prayer life. Jesus was God robed in a man’s body and could have tapped into His omnipotent power, but often times He relied on prayer to give us the example to follow.

From looking at His prayer life, I have concluded that prayer is an absolute necessity in the life of a Christian. You cannot look upon Christ without knowing that He was a man of prayer. He was constantly calling on His Father in prayer.

In Mark’s gospel chapter 14 when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane we see, once again, that Christ was not only seeking His Father in prayer, but He was teaching us to pray and to seek the Lord. He knows we cannot make it without prayer.

George Mueller, the famous preacher who housed and cared for hundreds of Scotland’s orphans once said, “Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble: prayer is a life attitude.”  There is no substitute for prayer. When we look at our ultimate example, Jesus Christ the righteous, we know that this is the case.

In Mark 14, we learn many lessons that we can take with us to help us along our journey.

1. He taught us when to pray. vs. 32-34

• We should always be in the spirit of prayer, but we should seek the Lord especially when we are troubled by life’s circumstances.

2. He taught us the proper position of prayer. Vs. 35

• We should pray on our knees to show reverence to the Lord. This is the custom when approaching royalty.

3. He taught us how to address God the Father. Vs. 36

• We should go to God like a child running to his father when in distress.

4. He taught us the omnipotence of the Father. Vs. 36

• There is nothing that God cannot do. He is all powerful. This ought to give us confidence in prayer.

5. He taught us to seek God’s will in prayer. Vs. 36

• Before we make life changing decisions, do we seek the Lord’s will?

6. He taught us to be alert in prayer. Vs. 38

• This helps us when temptation or trials come our way.

7. He taught us to have a prayer life by praying over and over again. Vs. 35, 39-40

• This teaches us that we are to constantly bombard the throne of grace for strength to overcome temptation, and to finish the race.

Conclusion: A story is told about President Abraham Lincoln during a stressful time of the Civil War. He was having an important meeting with his cabinet members, when all of the sudden his son ran abruptly into the room. Some of the members of Lincoln’s cabinet thought the boy was going to be scolded and sent out. Much to his surprise however, Lincoln dismissed his cabinet to spend some time with his son.

The word of God says Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Today our country is in desperate need of people like you and I who will bombard the throne of grace to prayer for an awakening in our land. Today families are in desperate need of prayer warriors to pray that they won’t fall victim to society and break a part. Think of it, dear saints, there are little boys  and girls in our communities that need us to come boldly to the throne of grace so their families will not fall apart.

Will you join me in following the example of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, and pray for our families, churches, and our country? I’ll meet you at the throne of grace!

Chris Jennette is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Olney, Illinois and a married father of four children.

Specific Prayer Items:

• Please pray for President Donald Trump and all of our Congressional leaders as they decide how to respond to war crimes committed by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

• Pray for Neil Gorsuch as he is sworn in as the 113th Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States.  Pray that God gives Justice Gorsuch an abundance of wisdom and discernment.

• Pray that lawmakers in Washington, D.C. would continue to work toward defunding Planned Parenthood and repealing Obamacare.

• Although our state lawmakers are on a two week Spring Break, pray that Illinois House and Illinois Senate leaders would get serious about reining in deficit spending and passing a budget, as required by law.

• Also pray for the ultimate demise of the following bills pending in Springfield:  taxpayer funding of abortion (HB 40); counterfeit birth certificates (HB 1785); legalization of marijuana for recreational use (HB 2353); drug decriminalization (HB 3235); no penalties for marijuana for “enrolled students” (HB 3715); incarcerated prisoner can motion to change drug felony conviction to misdemeanor (SB 1886); abortion clinic censorship zone (HB 3735); gambling expansion (SB 7); income tax increase (SB 9) and the ERA (SJRCA 4).

• Pray for boldness in our pulpits and for strong, unwavering church leadership plus a willingness to engage the culture.

• Pray that God would continue to provide the needs and resources for IFI to do the work necessary to protect life, families, marriages, and religious liberty.

A concerned parent sent me this. It’s the school newspaper for Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia. Among the other hard hitting pieces of journalism targeted at children, ages 11-13, is an article on “transgender rights.”

The article explains how Obama “improved the lives of transgender people by fighting the discrimination against them,” but all of that is now in jeopardy because of President Trump. The next article delves into the intricacies and wonders of various forms of gender identity, including “transgenderism,” “non-binary,” “bigender,” “agender,” “demigender,” “genderfluid,” and “genderflux.” I’m obviously more innocent and naive than the typical middle schooler these days, so I’d never even heard of some of these. For anyone else who may be curious, here’s how the last three types of genders are explained to an audience of pre-pubscent kids:

Demigender: Demigender refers to people who partially identify as one gender. Demigender people may also identify as partially a different gender. Examples include demigirl, or someone who partially identifies as a girl; demiboy, or someone who partially identifies as a boy; demiagender, meaning someone who identifies as partially agender; and more broadly, deminonbinary, or someone who just partially identifies as nonbinary. 

Genderfluid and Genderflux: Genderfluid refers to someone whose gender changes between any of the above categories. For example, someone may feel female one day, male another day, and agender the next day. Similarly, genderflux refers to someone whose gender changes in intensity. This typically means that someone’s gender will fluctuate between agender and a different gender, which could be binary or nonbinary. For example, someone might sometimes feel completely female, sometimes demigender, and sometimes agender.

Did you get all that?

Someone can partially not have a gender, while the other part of them has three genders, and the third part is a futon. These are the notions being implanted in our kids’ heads in their public schools. The average 7th grader in America may not be able do basic arithmetic without a calculator or name the Allied Powers during WW2 or understand the difference between “there” and “their,” but you can bet he’ll be able to identify 112 different genders and explain them in terms explicit enough to make a grown man blush.

If we have not yet reached a point where a mass exodus from the public schools is warranted, when will that point arrive? Are we waiting until they start bringing in nude hermaphrodites to teach sex ed? I suppose even that wouldn’t be enough incentive for some of us. “I can’t shield my kid from what’s going on out there!” “Be in the world, not of the world!” “Naked she-males are a part of life! I can’t keep him in a bubble forever! He’s 9 years old, for God’s sake!”

Look, I know that public school may really be the only option for some people. There are single parents of little economic means who find themselves backed into a corner where government education appears to be the only choice. And if a parent can’t or won’t homeschool, a private Christian education can be prohibitively expensive. Not only that, but some Christians schools are as bad as, or worse than, the average public school. Abandoning the public school system is not an easy thing, and it presents many hurdles that, right now, may be impossible for some people to get over. The collapse of the family unit, not to mention our recent economic woes, have contributed to creating a dependence on public education. Not everyone can break free all at once, I realize.

But we should certainly all agree, at this point, that public school is not an option for those of us who have another feasible option. We should agree that public school is a matter of last resort and necessity. We should agree that public education is inherently hostile to true Christian values, and for that reason it is not anywhere close to the ideal environment for our kids. We should agree on these points. But we still don’t, incredibly.

I had this discussion on Twitter recently, and it prompted several emails from Christian parents who appear to believe that kids should still be sent to public school, even if there are other valid options available. They suggested that, somehow, the sort of madness outlined above could present faith-affirming opportunities for our children, and we would actually be depriving them of something if we did not give them access to those opportunities. They claimed that public school is a “mission field” where our kids can be “salt and light” to their friends. They said that it’s not fair to our kids or our communities if we “shelter” them. They suggested that somehow it’s our children’s duty to minister to the pagan hordes. They said that “the system” needs our kids.

A few responses to this rather confused point of view:

First of all, “the system needs our kids” is just a weird and creepy statement. It reminds me of something someone would say on Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone. Here’s the truth about “the system”: It’s not my job to give it what it needs. Even less is it my kid’s job. There’s nothing in the Bible that says we must dedicate ourselves to maintaining a government-run education system at any cost. My first responsibility is to my family, not to the community or the school system or my kid’s classmates. I will never put the interests of “the system” above that of my own children. Whether “the system” lives or dies is not my concern. My family is my concern. I have an obligation to them, not to the local superintendent.

Second, anyway, if I did put my kids in “the system” for the sake of “the system,” I’m not the one making the sacrifice. I’m forcing my kids to make it. At least face what you’re doing. When it comes down to it, the burden of public schooling is something your child will have to shoulder, not you.

Third, yes, my kids will eventually be exposed to all kinds of strange and terrible things. As much as I’d like to keep them shielded from the evils of the world forever, I know that I can do no such thing. The question is not whether our kids will be exposed to this or that depravity, but when and how and in what context? Are you prepared to trust the school’s judgment on when Junior is ready to learn about concepts like “transgenderism”? Do you trust their judgment on how he learns about it, and what he’s told about it? If you do, I suppose you aren’t even reading this post right now because you’ve been in a vegetative state for the past 30 years.

Fourth, when a kid is sent to public school, he’s expected to navigate and survive and thrive in a hostile, confusing, amoral environment, basically untethered from his parents, 6–8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 months a year, for 12 years. Is a child ready for that challenge by the time he’s 5 years old? Is he ready at 8? At 10? No. Our job as parents is to “train them up in the way they should go,” equip them with the armor of God, fortify them in the truth, and then release them into the world. That process has not been completed in conjunction with them first learning how to tie their shoes. I mean, for goodness’ sake, most adults can’t even manage to withstand the hostilities and pressures of our fallen world for that amount of time. And we expect little kids to do it? That’s not fair to them. It’s too much to ask. Way too much. They aren’t equipped, they aren’t ready, they aren’t strong enough, and they will get eaten alive.

Let’s take just this one example of the gender insanity. Our kids, in public school, will be in a world where concepts like “transgenderism” and “demigenderism” are normal, healthy, cool, and rational. They’ll be in a world where even recognizing basic biological realities is considered bigoted and oppressive. They will be in this environment literally from their first day in kindergarten. Can a child spend his entire young life in such an atmosphere and emerge on the other end with his head still on straight? It’s possible, I suppose, but you’ve never had to do that. I didn’t have to do that. I went to public school, but it wasn’t as bad as it is now. So I would be asking my kids to live up to a spiritual and mental and moral challenge that I myself have never endured, and I’ll be asking them to do it every day for 12 years, starting sometime around their 5th birthday.

Not fair. Just not fair.

Fifth, related to the last point, your child is not ready to be a missionary. He cannot be a “witness” to others until he himself has been properly formed in the faith. It’s no surprise that most of the young “missionaries” we commission and send forth to minister to the lost souls in public schools quickly become one of the lost souls. We don’t need to sit around theorizing about whether the missionary approach to education is wise or effective. We already know that it isn’t. The vast majority of the parents who think their kids are being “salt and light” to their peers in school are simply oblivious to the fact that their little Bible warriors have long since defected and joined the heathens. You can hardly blame the kids for this. They’re just kids, after all. They aren’t warriors. Warriors are trained and disciplined. Children are neither of those things. I imagine this is why St. Paul didn’t travel to Athens and Corinth recruiting toddlers to help him carry the Gospel into pagan lands.

Education is supposed to prepare a child to carry the torch of truth.  That is, he’s supposed to be ready to carry it once his education has been completed. This should not be a “throw them into the deep end to see if they can swim” strategy. They can’t swim. You and I can barely swim, morally and spiritually speaking, and we’re adults. Do you expect your child to be more spiritually mature and morally courageous than you?

Now, I do fully believe, ultimately, that our job is to be lights in the darkness. I make that very argument in the last chapter of my book:

All I know is that God put us here to be lights in the darkness, and however dark it gets, our mission does not change. Dostoevsky wrote that stars grow brighter as the night grows darker. So the good news is that we have the opportunity to be the brightest stars for Christ that the world has ever seen, because we may well live through its darkest night. 

But a flame must first be lit, stoked, and protected before it is the bright, raging fire that we all must be if we expect to survive in this culture. Our children’s education is supposed to facilitate that process, not interfere with it. Our children should be fires for Christ because of their education, not in spite of it. We can’t compartmentalize the “spiritual” part of their upbringing, reserve it for evenings and weekends, and allow the lion’s share of their educational experience to be dominated by humanism, hedonism, and godlessness. Education is not supposed to work that way. And it doesn’t really work at all that way, as we’ve seen. Or, if it does work, it is only in cases where the child possesses an almost superhuman level of maturity, intelligence, and moral courage. And maybe some children really are almost superhuman in that way. But most of them aren’t, yours probably aren’t, and you probably aren’t. That’s just the reality of the situation, and we have to deal with it. I find it ironic that so many parents who expect their children to “face the realities of the world” have not faced it themselves.

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This article was originally posted at TheBlaze.com

If Jesus has changed your life and set you free from homosexual practice, your testimony is not welcome on Vimeo – not now, not ever. And if you see homosexuality as another aspect of sexual brokenness, something for which Jesus died and something from which you can be healed, your opinion is not welcome on Vimeo. Case closed, door shut, end of subject. In the words of Dr. David Kyle Foster, director of Pure Passion Ministries and himself a former homosexual, “This is pure religious bigotry and censorship.”

Last December, Vimeo contacted Foster to inform him that some of Pure Passion’s videos had been marked by a moderator since “Vimeo does not allow videos that harass, incite hatred or depict excessive violence.”

They instructed him to “remove any and all videos of this sort from” from his account – he had 850 videos on Vimeo – and let him know that his account would be reviewed in 48 hours. If his ministry failed to remove the allegedly offensive videos, then, he was informed, “your videos and/or your account may be removed by a Vimeo moderator.”

But Foster’s ministry is not the first to be unfairly censured. Last year, Vimeo closed the account of Restored Hope Network, which is an association of ministries that help people deal with unwanted same-sex attractions. Vimeo also closed the account of NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, which is an association of psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and therapists who have had the temerity to stand up to the PC establishment and who refuse to celebrate LGBT activism. For such a horrific ideological crime, their Vimeo account is no more.

Vimeo’s message is clear: If you have same-sex attractions, whatever their cause, you must embrace them, if not celebrate them.

Foster was quite aware of Vimeo’s history, but he was not about to go down without a hearty protest. So he wrote back to Vimeo, saying, “You must have the wrong account. We are an award-winning Christian ministry that only posts content that helps people, not hurts them. We never defame anyone. We never incite hatred or depict violence of any kind. Our message has been one of love from start to finish.”

He explained that, “Our videos help sexual abuse victims, people who have been sex trafficked, those who are addicted or in any other condition that causes them distress. We are constantly receiving professional awards and commendations from people who have been helped by the world-class experts who populate our videos.”

He even asked Vimeo to please cite “any video that does otherwise and we will have a second look. It would be a shame to remove the hundreds of videos that help people in very desperate circumstances – some of whom have even claimed to have been prevented from suicide by the messages of hope that we produce.”

The next day, Melissa B., a “Trust and Safety Coordinator,” responded: “It seems that a number of your videos go against the Vimeo Guidelines of: ‘We also forbid content that displays a demeaning attitude toward specific groups, including: Videos that promote Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE).’”

By this logic, Alcoholics Anonymous would not be welcome on Vimeo, since their videos demean alcoholism, or weight loss videos would not be welcome, because they shame the overweight, or testimonies of Christian converts from Islam would not be welcome, because they shame Muslims.

In reality, all these videos are welcome on Vimeo, because none of them cross the forbidden line of saying: If you’re not happy being gay (or bisexual or transgender), God has a better way.

Foster wrote back again, explaining why they were targeting the wrong account. And he noted that, “The testimonies of people who have been significantly helped by our videos is practically endless. Why would anyone want to censor such a voice for the broken and helpless?”

Surprisingly, Vimeo accepted his explanation, telling Foster he did not need to remove his videos “at this time” but asking him to keep their guidelines in mind “for any future uploads.”

Unfortunately, on March 16, the cycle started again, with Vimeo giving Foster one week to remove the supposedly offensive videos.

When he wrote back, noting that the matter had previously been resolved, he received an email from Sean M. who explained:

Your statement equating homosexuality to “sexual brokenness” betrays the underlying stance of your organization. To put it plainly, we don’t believe that homosexuality requires a cure and we don’t allow videos on our platform that espouse this point of view.

Please remove any and all videos that discuss homosexuality as a condition requiring healing. We also consider this basic viewpoint to display a demeaning attitude toward a specific group, which is something that we do not allow.

You can see why Foster described this as “pure religious bigotry and censorship.”

Vimeo is forbidding you from agreeing with the Bible when it comes to human sin and brokenness.

Vimeo is forbidding you from preaching the gospel of transformation when it comes to homosexuality.

Vimeo is engaging in blatant, unapologetic, aggressive anti-Christian censorship.

Foster wrote to me privately, pointing out that Vimeo allows “videos of terrorists and pornographers,” which made their stand against his ministry even more hypocritical.

He and Sean then engaged in a series of emails, but this was Vimeo’s bottom line: They recognized that Foster’s ministry was not “overtly vitriolic”. However, “Referring to homosexuality as a ‘dysfunction of sexual brokenness’ or ‘sexual distortion’ is not OK, nor is reference to ‘the fact that God can transform the life of anyone caught in homosexual confusion’. . . . Vimeo disagrees wholeheartedly with the notion that homosexuality is a form of brokenness, or something that requires healing, or something that people need to seek freedom from.”

To repeat: This is forbidden on Vimeo!

To paraphrase: Dr. Foster, we know you’re not hateful, but don’t you dare proclaim your testimony of transformation in Jesus, and don’t you dare imply that there is anything wrong with being gay. Not a word!

Then, on March 24, all 850 videos were removed and the Pure Passion account was closed.

This is an outrage, and it needs to be addressed. Here’s what you can do today:

1) Write to Vimeo and ask them to restore immediately the account of Dr. David Kyle Foster and Pure Passion, stating politely that this is a form of religious censorship and bigotry. If you can say something positive about Foster’s ministry through your own experience, do that as well.

2) Subscribe to Pure Passion’s YouTube channel, which, at least for now, has not been shut down. There you’ll find videos from speakers like Kay Arthur and John Bevere, addressing issues of sexual addiction and pornography, videos exposing the horrors of sex-trafficking, and videos of ex-gays.

3) Consider getting a copy of Foster’s powerful “Such Were Some of You” DVD.

4) Share this article with a friend.

5) Pray that the message of freedom and liberty in Jesus – from ALL brokenness and sin – would be proclaimed even more loudly and powerfully in the days ahead. May Vimeo’s efforts to silence a powerful ministry (along with other excellent ministries and organizations) result in the amplifying of this ministry’s message.

This article was originally posted at TownHall.com.

To boycott, or not to boycott? That is the question. Inevitably a company will take a social position that offends the sensibilities of a large segment of their customer base. This happens on the political right and left. Those whose values have been offended or assaulted often respond with a call for a boycott on the offending business, and refuse to buy from that company.

My experience is that while many engage in these reactive “buy-cotts”, many others grow weary of having to keep track of whom to avoid and whom to support. To them, it’s just a lot of fuss over nothing. Who cares what you buy, or from whom? This mentality insists that if I want to buy Levi’s jeans or Clorox bleach, then by George, I’m going to buy it. I don’t care what the corporation supports financially, or what social positions they embrace, I want the product I want. There is also the view that boycotts don’t accomplish much, other than that many of those who engage in them appear to be radical extremists who don’t know how to deal with the fact that there are people in the world who disagree with them.

Stewardship

The Biblical concept of stewardship is that, as Christians, we own nothing. God owns everything. We are only caretakers and stewards of God’s resources. We see this in the parable of Jesus regarding The Talents. When we understand this concept, it radically changes the way we live our lives. Our life is made up almost exclusively by how we allocate our ideas and skills through our time and resources. If everything we have as Christians is to be under the control of God’s will, it alters our priorities. Instead of orienting our lives around our own selfish whims and wishes, we need to think in terms of God’s Kingdom. Are we putting God’s kingdom first as our foremost priority?

What is odd about Christians is that they often seem to be passionate about supporting and funding movements, causes, products and organizations that are completely contrary to their professed values and beliefs. Almost no other people group does this. Almost every other sub-culture on the planet recognizes the value of spending money (through donations or through commerce) within their own philosophical neighborhood, so to speak.

Not Christians. Christians are often some of the primary contributors to the causes that are committed to their ideological destruction. Take Planned Parenthood, for example. Not only do most Christians never contribute strategically to pro-life organizations, who are on the front lines opposing abortion on demand, but Christian will gladly fund any and all companies who fund Planned Parenthood, as long as it is a product or experience they enjoy.

Anti-Christian organizations do not return the favor. They will categorically avoid spending money with movements and organizations that do not support their worldview and life-vision.

Beyond Boycotting

I don’t like the term, “boycotting.” It sounds reactive. It sounds like I’m just mad about something. Personally, I don’t think that way at all. Instead, I think about my values and convictions, and I ask myself, how can I funnel the most amount of money possible (directly through donations, and indirectly, through my purchases), to causes in which I believe? How can I ensure that organizations and groups that support my values have the funding they need to do the things that I believe will make our nation (and world) a better place?

Personally, I don’t want one penny of my dollars to knowingly go to support groups like Planned Parenthood. Can I avoid, altogether, supporting some causes for which I am opposed? Unfortunately, because of the world in which we live, I can’t completely avoid spending money or utilizing services with groups who oppose my worldview (especially the government, when they tax me for immoral causes they fund). I can’t do everything, but I can do something. I can seek to be the best financial steward that I can be, and spend God’s money as He would have me spend it. I hope you will pray and consider how you can do this as well.

A website that helps you to know at a glance which companies support the values that are important to you, is 2ndvote.com. Check them out! God bless!

IFI Forums: Climate Change & the Christian

Join us during the last week of April as we have Dr. Calvin Beisner, the founder & national spokesman for The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation discuss the Christian responsibility to the environment as we learn how to discern truth and myth in the climate change controversy.

April 25th in Rockford
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April 28th in Peoria

Click HERE to learn more!