It’s astonishing that America’s first freedom—the most fundamental of all constitutionally protected rights—is threatened by cross-dressers and others in bondage to disorders related to sexuality. That which has made America great—a beacon of light to oppressed peoples around the world—is being dismantled by those devoted to sexual libertinism. The manifold deleterious effects of the rejection of biblical truth from the public square is transforming America into a place unfit for children, families, or a free and flourishing people. While political “leaders,” including GOP “leaders” cower in their corners if men in dresses look at them cross-eyed, those men in dresses gobble up the rights of Christians. Yum yum, eat ‘em up.

The newest salvo from a man in a dress comes from “Reverend” “Kalie” Hargrove, a man who now pretends to be a woman and who filed a Title IX complaint with the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Justice (DOJ) claiming that Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois violated his Civil Rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Mr. Hargrove was a student at Lincoln Christian University when he made the free choice to begin cross-dressing and pretending to be a woman. As a result, the Christian university told him he had to withdraw from classes or face discipline. Mr. Hargrove then filed his complaint.

Hargrove is being represented by the Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP), whose sole raison d’être is to sue Christian colleges and universities that receive federal funds in order to force them to abandon their biblical convictions in deference to those who worship sexual sin and who demand that all Christians do likewise.

Ain’t gonna happen. The wheat and chaff will be separated and the chaff burned up. The lukewarm church will be vomited out. And REAP will one day reap the whirlwind that it is sowing.

Here’s REAP’s tricksy bit of legal sophistry:

In August 2021, the University discriminated against Kalie Hargrove (Student A) on the basis of sex (gender identity) by directing her [sic] either to withdraw from classes or face discipline because she [sic] publicly identified as transgender.

REAP and Hargrove are citing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 as the basis for their complaint. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex. Title IX says nothing about “gender” or “gender identity”—which as sexual anarchists continually proclaim are entirely different from sex. In reality, the socially constructed, screwball idea of an “identity” based on subjective feelings about one’s sex wasn’t even on the cultural horizon when Title IX was written and passed.

As Ben Shapiro, Ryan T. Anderson, and others predicted, the boneheaded decision written by Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Title VII case Bostock v. Clayton County made inevitable a conflict between Title IX and Title VII. Gorsuch decided that if employers don’t treat men who pretend to be women exactly as they treat women, then they’re guilty of discrimination based on sex. As legal scholars predicted and leftists knew, Bostock paved the way for legal attacks on both women’s sports and Christian schools that treat people differently in some contexts based on sex differences.

As I wrote in 2020 following Gorsuch’s janky decision,

The crux of the argument goes something like this: If a company that allows a woman who gets breast implants and wears lipstick, stilettos, and dresses to work fires a man who gets breast implants and wears lipstick, stilettos, and dresses to work, the company has discriminated against him based on his sex and, therefore, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Ironically, Lincoln Christian University was founded by Earl C. Hargrove. So, a Hargrove heretic seeks to impose his socially constructed heretical theology, which is misshapen by his sinful desires, on a university founded by a Hargrove Christian.

“LGB” and “T” activists are using receipt of federal funds as a ruse to force Christian schools to deny the Word of God on matters related to sexuality and marriage. Don’t be deceived. They will next come after Christian schools that don’t receive federal funds. If wolves in sheep’s clothing can’t infiltrate Christian schools (and churches) and transmogrify their theological orthodoxy into heresy, they will use the courts to silence them.

Slowly incrementally leftists have been engaged in a long battle to eradicate all public recognition of sex differences. The ideological weapons central to this battle include the heterosexual revolution fomented by the perverse Alfred Kinsey and Hugh Hefner, feminism, the homosexual revolution, and “trans”-cultism. Since this battle is at its core a spiritual battle, it also entails eradicating the church’s freedom to preach and teach. Leftists believe that identity defined by biblical orthodoxy must be subordinated to identity defined by disordered sexual appetites.

Every society has taboos and stigmas. Every society has shared public values and principles that shape culturally approved behaviors and conventions. Societies embed those values and principles in our laws, policies, civic practices, court decisions, classrooms, arts, and entertainment. These institutional incarnations of shared values and principles implicitly and explicitly teach what society believes is right or wrong, good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. Currently, those who hold conservative sexual ethics are stigmatized, shamed, excluded, and bullied.

Further, there are no societies in which individual freedom in all areas of life is absolute and without limit. A society is not a collection of atomized individuals united by nothing other than shared geography. Rather, societies are group projects in which diverse peoples are united by ideas, principles, and values. The question before us is which ideas, values, and principles will we uphold and teach. If leftists continue to dominate all cultural institutions, we will enslave future generations to leftist ideas and values that are shaped by disordered sexual appetites, instead of freeing future generations by providing sexual boundaries consonant with reality.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Trans_LCC.mp3

As if Illinois lawmakers aren’t doing enough to control your life, they now want to track your vaccination status with a state immunization data registry.

HB 4244 “Provides that health care providers, physician’s designees, or pharmacist’s designees shall (rather than may) provide immunization data to be entered into the immunization data registry.” Your private medical information will be reported to the Department of Public Health to be entered into a vaccine data registry.

We believe that HB 4244 is a violation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) and the 1974 Right of Privacy Act. Medical treatment and identifiable records are both protected confidential information between a patient and doctor, not government officials or government databases.

HIPPA protects all “individually identifiable health information” from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. HB 4244 violates HIPPA.

The 1974 Right of Privacy Act prohibits the disclosure of personally identifiable information without the consent of the individual. HB 4244 violates the 1974 Rights of Privacy Act.

Take Action: HB 4244 is scheduled to be heard in the Human Services Committee on Wednesday at 9:00 AM.

1). Click HERE to file a witness slip:

-Fill out your name, address, email and phone number. Put “self” under Firm/Business.
-Highlight “Opponent” and “Record of Appearance Only.”
-Check Terms of Agreement and click Create Slip.

2). Click HERE to send an email directly to your state rep, as the bill is expected to pass out of committee.

The Department of Health has no right to access our private medical records.

Written by Patience Griswold

Earlier this year the New York Times reported that 27% of American adults are currently estranged from at least one family member. 12% of parents over the age of 65 are estranged from at least one adult child. In parent-child estrangement, the adult child is usually the one who has cut off contact. Value-based disagreements play a significant role in these estrangements, especially when the rift is between a parent and an adult child. Family therapists have pointed out that rising political tensions in the past half-decade have coincided with increased family rifts.

John Stonestreet has described the consequences of the “thinning out” of society — family breakdown and increased isolation leave people looking for a source of meaning and belonging, so they turn to politics and ideology. “To put it bluntly, our politics cannot handle the amount of weight we currently expect of it,” he writes.

Politics can never replace the family, but as the rise in family estrangement shows, far too many adults, especially younger adults, are attempting to do just that, to the point that they are willing to cut ties with family members with whom they have political and ideological disagreements. No family is perfect, but every family is valuable, and the ease with which young adults have begun cutting off family members over political and ideological disagreements is truly heartbreaking. Family is the bedrock of society, and family relationships are worth fighting for.

In addition to the role that political polarization plays in family estrangement, family therapist Dr. Joshua Coleman notes the role of some of the assumptions that are common in psychotherapy, saying,

There’s an idea that you shouldn’t feel guilt or responsibility to anybody. It’s really about what you want to do… On the one hand, this allows people to separate from truly hurtful, abusive family members. We want people to have the freedom to do that. On the other hand, it doesn’t draw a clear line about what should really be considered abusive behavior. That gives people the freedom to engage in behavior that’s frankly selfish or hurtful in the spirit of personal growth.

Far too many Americans are unwilling to do the hard work of reconciliation and are taking the seemingly easy route of estrangement. But this isn’t really easier in the long run. When family ties are cut, aging adults are left without family support, children miss out on the benefits of intergenerational relationships and grandparents and grandchildren alike lose the mental health benefits of grandparent relationships. Furthermore, as Coleman has also pointed out, while many people believe that cutting someone out of their life will make them happy, this isn’t necessarily the case. Instead of happiness, many find themselves facing loneliness, isolation, and bitterness.

The unwillingness to forgive displayed in lost family ties, broken friendships, and overall breakdown of community is a symptom of an extremely graceless culture. If the flaws and faults of the people around us are so intolerable that we cannot even maintain contact with them, what does that say when we are faced with our own brokenness? The way that we view others is closely connected to how we view ourselves, and if other people are unforgivable, where does that leave us?

The Gospel tells a better story. We cannot save ourselves, but rather than hiding from or excusing our own failures while estranging those who remind us of our worst qualities, we are not left to save ourselves. We are, each of us, not only flawed, imperfect, and broken, but also deeply sinful and we cannot bear the weight of our own sins — but someone else already has. And if none of us can ever earn this grace, then we do not get to demand that others earn it. Through the lens of the gospel, when we are faced with the imperfections and sins of the people around us, even those who have hurt us, we cannot help but be reminded of the fact that their only hope is the same as ours — the precious blood of Christ and his perfect righteousness on our behalf. By the grace of God, our worst sins, weaknesses, and flaws—as well as those of our family members—find redemption at the foot of the cross.

Family estrangement over political and ideological disagreement is a tragic and disturbing trend. It is true that political values matter, but we must keep in mind why that is the case. Values matter because ideas have consequences. Estrangement is often fueled by ideas that are at odds with the gospel, like the idea that we get to decide that some people are beyond the reach of grace. If our reaction to disagreement reflects the ideas espoused by secular culture rather than the ideas found in Scripture, then there is a serious problem. As those who have been reconciled to Christ are called to be reconcilers. Reconciliation is not easy — it takes hard work and humility, but it is worth it.

This article was originally published by the Minnesota Family Council.

Is the Biden administration governing in a way that takes into consideration the will of the American people? Based on his plummeting poll numbers and crude anti-Biden chants filling sports stadiums, the answer would seem to be no.

The recent defeat of the left at the polls in Virginia and elsewhere was a reminder of the pushback of “we the people.”

Some leftist pundits said Terry McAuliffe lost his Virginia gubernatorial campaign in 2021 because he didn’t campaign to the left enough. Others remarked it was the alleged “white supremacist” factor that gave conservatives the victory. Of course, they say this while ignoring the victory of the lieutenant governor-elect in Virginia, Winsome Sears. She is the first black person to win that position in that state.

[That] election was a reminder of the genius of the founding fathers to build into the system the opportunity for “we the people” to correct earlier political mistakes.

Conservative columnist Star Parker made a comment about this principle once in a television  interview with D. James Kennedy Ministries. She noted,

“What I’ve learned about this whole political arena is that the words of President Garfield are really true.  If you have recklessness and corruption in government, it’s because you tolerate it. Because of the beauty of the founding, they give us elections every two years, every four years, and every six years. So, in two years, we get to [elect Congress members] again; every four years, we get the president again; and every six years we get to determine who’s going to be our senate representation.”

Parker made this remark right after Biden’s victory about a year ago. She added,

“So, I’m just staying encouraged, because this moment in our history is only this moment in our history. History is long, and history is after us, but it’s also before us….We are now being tested…and it’s uncomfortable to have to get up and actually engage. But we’re called to do that. And we have that chance every two years, every four years, and every six years.”

Our political developments are a reminder of the American experiment created by the settlers and then the founders of America.

What is America in a nutshell? It is an experiment in self-government under God.

Some people want to remove the self-government part—but then they ultimately crown the government God. That scenario violates both parts of the phrase: self-government under God.

Others want to remove the God-part of the phrase. But when we have government without God, even self-government (without God), it all tends to break down because of the inherent sinfulness of humanity. John Adams famously said,

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

America’s founders designed things in such a way that we would be a self-governing people. The more people govern themselves the less outward government they need. The less they govern themselves, the more outward government is needed.

Knowing that we are all accountable before God, our founders understood the need for keeping one’s passions in check. As Thomas Jefferson noted,

“Indeed I tremble for my country when reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

Self-government under God leads to greater freedom. The converse is true—bigger government under man (not God) constricts our freedom.

Why has America been so blessed—despite all our flaws—lo, these many centuries? I believe that the  first steps to self-government under God in America go back to the positive influence of the Pilgrims. 400 years ago this autumn, the Pilgrims who settled Plymouth held their first Thanksgiving celebration.

Our recent Providence Forum documentary, THE PILGRIMS, makes the simple point that the Pilgrims just wanted to worship God according to their conscience. In pursuing this religious freedom in the New World, they helped cast a long and positive shadow on what would become the future nation.

As the hymn, “America the Beautiful,” points out, “O beautiful for pilgrim feet / Whose stern impassioned stress, / A thoroughfare for freedom beat / Across the wilderness!”

Ronald Reagan once observed,

“Here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights. We the people declared that government is created by the people for their own convenience. Government has no power except those voluntarily granted to it by we the people.”

The founding fathers took and extended the Pilgrims’ concept of liberty under God. Our 40^th president added, “Oh, there have been revolutions before and since ours. But those revolutions simply exchanged one set of rulers for another. Ours was a revolution that changed the very concept of government.” And for that, all Americans should be full of thanksgiving.

This article was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.

When we hear the word “Thanksgiving,” what comes to mind?

For most of us, we think of family gatherings and big meals that include turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. But for serious Christians, this should be a season of gratitude. We have so much to thank God for in 2021. While the culture shakes it’s collective fist at God in rebellion, trying to provoke our patient God to judge the very wickedness we’ve embraced, Christians should be compelled to humbly thank God for His mercies, love, kindness and the freedoms we still enjoy in the United States.

As we know from history, after the initial devastating hardships, the early pilgrims had much to celebrate during their multiple day Thanksgiving feast. The fact that we live in the most prosperous and advanced nation the world has ever known gives us ample reasons to humble ourselves and acknowledge His goodness to us. From warm homes and clothes, to hot coffee, and our ability to travel hundreds of miles in a short amount of time by plane, train or automobile, it is good to enumerate the many blessings of God.

In Luke Chapter 17, Jesus encountered ten men with leprosy, an infectious disease that causes severe, deforming skin sores and nerve damage to the body. According to Old Testament Law, because leprosy was contagious, those infected with it were to be sent outside of the community away from their loved ones. Therefore, leprosy affected sufferers and their loved ones both physically and emotionally.

We read this in Luke 17:12:

And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Ten men had a need and asked Jesus to be cured. All were healed, but only one returned to thank the Lord. These men had their incurable deformities healed. They had their status in the community reinstated. They were cleansed by Jesus Christ.  And yet only one went back to thank the one who healed them and restored them to fellowship with loved ones.

Jesus was no longer important to them. They got what they wanted. They had no desire to worship Him, no interest in remembering Him, and no longer a need for Him. How sad…

When we fail to count our blessings and thank Almighty God for His amazing work in our lives, don’t we do something similar? How often do we go back and thank Him? How often do we live our lives without any acknowledgement of God? How often do we take advantage of His loving kindness let alone the gift of self-government?

If we are honest with ourselves, we’d have to confess that we are easily distracted and self-absorbed, caught up in abundant blessings that we have forgotten the One who loves us so much, that He sent His son to take die in our place. (John 3:16) He is the One who lives in us (1 John 4:4) and enables us to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). He is the One who freely gives good gifts to us daily (Psalm 16:2; Romans 8:28; James 1:17).

As we gather around the table this Thanksgiving, let’s remember what this season is really about: Gratefulness. Our Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the Triune God who makes all these things possible. He is the One who deserves our undying love, devotion and gratitude. Let us give Him thanks!

Tragedy struck a large concert in Houston on November 5th when many fans at the Astroworld Fest 2021 were trampled and crushed as they rushed forward toward the stage. On the surface, this catastrophe appears to be due to a poorly planned event with a severe lack of security. However, as numerous reports have surfaced, it seems the concert was filled with demonic idolatry and perhaps was intended to be a Satanic ritual.

The headliner for the concert was rap artist Travis Scott. Rumors regarding Scott’s interest in the occult, even Satanism, have long circled social media. Although these rumors cannot be confirmed, the imagery at the concert was undoubtedly demonic. As concert attendees entered the venue, they walked through a giant sculpted head with an open mouth which represented Scott. This image is reminiscent of paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, a painter from the Middle Ages well known for frightening and bizarre scenes of Hell. The stage was an upside-down cross which entered a portal some have compared to the CERN Particle Collider located in Geneva, Switzerland. Inside the portal, a banner hung that said, “See You on the Other Side.”

The imagery did not end with the stage design. During the concert, eight pyrotechnic flames shot off along the stage. There was also a screen with the image of a fiery dragon (others have compared the image to a bird). Even Scott himself wore a t-shirt with graphics of blue human-like figures passing through a door and turning into red demon-like figures. Scott has a long history of using such imagery and hosting violent concerts.

Before the concert even started, fans rushed through the gates, knocking over barriers. The venue was supposed to hold 50,000; however, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña stated that as many as 200,000 people may have been present. Scott has encouraged his fans to overwhelm entrance gates in the past. At a Chicago concert in 2015, he had fans rush the gates. In another show, he encouraged a fan to jump from the second-floor balcony, and at that same show, someone pushed a fan from a third-floor balcony, leading to his paralysis. The rapper was charged in 2015 with reckless conduct due to his behavior at Lollapalooza. In 2017 he was arrested in Arkansas for encouraging fans to bypass security. Clearly, Scott has a long history of disregard for safety and security.

When Scott took the stage at Astroworld at 9 pm, the crowd surged forward. Immediately, problems arose as people were compressed together, some falling over, crushed in a sea of bodies. Those in attendance said people were screaming for help. Fans began chanting, “stop the show.” Videos on Tik Tok and YouTube show fans trying to get the attention of security guards, even asking the camera operators to stop the show. One woman fell unconscious directly in front of Scott. He mentioned that the woman needed assistance, but rather than stopping the show, Scott began to chant over the woman as her body was removed. Fans noted they had never heard Scott sing or rap in that manner before.

Not only did Scott ignore the plight of this one fan, but he also ignored his security team when they came to the stage to inform him of the problems. As the crowd cried out for help, Scott said, “y’all know what you came to do.” He also encouraged the group to “put a middle finger up to the sky” and make the “ground shake.” The rapper, using explicit language, called the scene “beautiful” as the emergency personnel removed a victim. Scott has claimed that he did not know what was happening. Yet, the ignored pleas for help and statements from those present indicate that Scott was fully aware of what was occurring. The show continued for an additional thirty minutes as security and emergency personnel attempted to help victims.

Ten people, ranging in age from 9 to 27, have died from injuries they suffered at the concert. Twenty-five people were admitted to hospitals that night, several in cardiac arrest due to compression asphyxia. A field hospital that was set up for the event treated hundreds of others for various injuries. Almost two weeks after the tragedy, some concert victims remain hospitalized.

Attendees have taken to social media, with many saying their Astroworld experience was like being in Hell. One fan said she passed out briefly and felt as if she were on fire. Some of the attendees said they believed that Scott was “the devil” and a human sacrifice. Others have posted videos and claim they can see spirits or demons in the film footage. Although this video footage has not been authenticated, the concert certainly was a place of darkness.

Musicians in the rap and rock genre have often used satanic imagery for shock value. Certainly, Christians do not condone the use of demonic symbolism, even for show. Nonetheless, the events of this concert went well beyond shock value and imagery. While it is unknown if Scott intended this event to be a ritual, the musician’s history and complicit behaviors are suspect. The imagery alone was enough to open the door to demonic activity. Sadly, these events entice young people because of the symbolism and darkness they present.

As many people struggle to understand the events in Houston, we should be sharing the light of the gospel with them. Pray for the people who were injured and for the families of those killed. Especially pray that these people will give their lives to Christ and denounce the evil which they participated in previously. Christians are in the midst of spiritual warfare and must remember Ephesians 6:11-12:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

As a result of this terrible event, many young people caught a glimpse of evil and Hell. As Christians, we must now shine the light of Jesus Christ into that darkness as Matthew 5:14-16 tells us:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Our light and our praise of Jesus must be strong enough to keep our kids from being enticed into Hell by evil musicians like Travis Scott.

Dear Pro-Life Friends,

Your presence in Springfield is needed next week! The Illinois General Assembly is considering multiple ways to undermine parental rights and put our young daughters at risk. They are considering multiple pieces of legislation to repeal or undermine the Parental Notice of Abortion Act (PNA), an essential safeguard for Illinois girls.

Currently, our state’s commonsense PNA law requires that if someone brings a minor girl for an abortion, one parent, guardian or other adult family member must be notified 48 hours before the abortion is performed. (Unlike other states, consent is not required.) Exceptions are made for girls in extenuating circumstances, such as in situations of abuse at home.

This law prevents situations such as what happened in Granite City before the IL Parental Notice law took effect. A trafficker who was prostituting minor girls at truck stops in surrounding states brought these exploited girls to Illinois for abortions, to conceal evidence of his crimes and to continue to exploit these girls for profit. This injustice is now prevented thanks to Illinois’ PNA.

But now, radical progressive Illinois lawmakers and special interest groups are determined to repeal or undermine this essential safeguard. Next week is their last chance for this legislative session. We must not allow this to happen! We must respectfully and thoughtfully make our voices heard!

Take ACTION:

1) Gather your friends and family, and come down to Springfield on Wednesday or Thursday next week to hold signs outside the Capitol and be a presence! Parental Notice must be preserved to PROTECT ILLINOIS GIRLS. Repealing it will protect those who sexually abuse them!

When: Wednesday and Thursday (either day), October 27 & 28. Arrive around 10 am. Depart around 1:30 pm.

Where: Pick up signs at 108 E. Cook St., Springfield, IL. Park in the back, pick up signs and attend a briefing, and walk to the Capitol.

Questions? Call (217) 528-9200.

2) Take a moment right now to call your State Representative and State Senator in Springfield! Click HERE to find their office’s phone numbers and gives them a call!

3) The opposition plans to rush through their repeal in a few days next week because so many people oppose it. So we don’t yet have specific bill numbers. Click HERE for a FACT SHEET on the Parental Notice of Abortion Law.

4) If you haven’t sent a message to your state lawmakers yet, please do so now. We must take advantage of every opportunity to make sure that our legislators hear from us on this life-and-death policy. Click HERE to contact your state lawmakers to let them know that most Illinois parents oppose repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

5) PRAY! Pray frequently and fervently to Almighty God about this issue. Pray that hearts and minds are convicted of the truth. Pray that opposition to repealing the PNA would grow. Pray that abortion activists fail to get the 60 votes they need in the Illinois House and the 30 votes they need in the Illinois Senate to pass their repeal proposal. 

Thank you for doing your part to protect Illinois girls and parental rights!

With gratitude,

Illinois Family Institute, in cooperation with other pro-life groups

For the last several decades, it has been common to hear America described as a “post-Christian nation.” This does not mean that America can never turn back to some of its very Christian roots. Rather, it means that what used to be Christian-based, cultural norms are no longer norms today.

The implications of this are massive, representing a seismic cultural shift. It is imperative that we respond rightly.

A few years ago, I was speaking to a black pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina. He told me that when he was growing up, any adult in the neighborhood who saw a child misbehave could correct that child or even discipline him. Doing that today might get you shot.

He also said that the older generation would commonly admonish the younger generation to act with respect and dignity, pointing to the example of Dr. King. Now, he said, the young people hardly know who King is. Things have really changed.

Of course, not all of this is a matter of being post-Christian. But it does reflect some of the seismic shifts we are witnessing.

I have often cited the findings of psychologist David Myers who noted that, “Had you fallen asleep in 1960 and awakened today (even after the recent uptick in several indicators of societal health) would you feel pleased at the cultural shift? You would be awakening to a:

• Doubled divorce rate.
• Tripled teen suicide rate.
• Quadrupled rate of reported violent crime.
• Quintupled prison population.
• Sextupled (no pun intended) percent of babies born to unmarried parents.
• Sevenfold increase in cohabitation (a predictor of future divorce).
• Soaring rate of depression – to ten times the pre-World War II level by one estimate.”

Need I say that things have continued to change since 2000? Need I say that, 21 years ago, the idea of the U.S. Supreme Court redefining marriage or the White House being lit up in rainbow colors would have sounded like madness? Or that the idea that the Olympic icon Bruce Jenner would be named Woman of the Year by Glamour Magazine and, as a woman, would run for governor of California would have sounded like a cruel joke?

My colleague Prof. Darrell Bock has noted that, in times past, we could say to people, “We know this is true because it’s in the Bible.” Now, he notes, we must say, “This is in the Bible because it’s true.”

What was taken for granted is no longer taken for granted. And that means that we make a grave error to take certain truths as self-evident and widely accepted. That is not the case anymore.

As expressed by Prof. Gerald Sittser in his book Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian ‘Third Way’ Changed the World, “The fact is: Christianity in America is declining, in both numbers and influence. The culture is changing, and we must therefore recognize that we live in a world very different from the one that existed even half a century ago during what appeared to be the ‘golden age’ of American Christianity.

“You probably sense the change and observe the trends, too. You know about the decline of mainline churches; the lack of growth in evangelical churches; the rise of ‘dones’ (Christian dropouts) and ‘nones’ (those people who refuse to identify with any religious tradition); . . . the creeping loss of religious freedom; the growing dominance of secularity in the public square; the deterioration of traditional morality in the entertainment industry.” (Other parts of this quote, which I skipped over here, are important but would take us off track.)

As a result of this trend, there is a general lack of consciousness of God, which leads to a decreased reverence for God, which, in turn, leads to the rejection of concepts like divine judgment and retribution. It is a paradigmatic shift in the culture, and it is something that must be reintroduced through our personal example, through much prayer for the nation, through uncompromised yet compassionate and wise preaching, through solid apologetics, and through helping individuals encounter God for themselves.

But if we make the fatal error of dragging our message down to accommodate the culture, we rob of its very power. To do so is to commit spiritual suicide. It is to mix the elixir of life with poison.

Yet there is good news in the midst of the gloom. Prof. Sittser also noted that,

“Recent scholarly studies indicate that nominal Christians are declining as a percentage of the population. They are either leaving Christianity altogether or switching to churches that proclaim the Bible as the Word of God, demonstrate greater vitality, and demand more from their members. ‘Active Christians’ are holding their own and, if anything, increasing their ‘market share’ among those who self-identify as Christian. In short, marginal or nominal Christians are shrinking as an aggregate. It appears that being Christian in America is becoming increasingly an ‘all or nothing’ proposition.”

Put another way, people are looking for the real deal, for something worth living for and dying for, for a truly transformation message, for an uncompromised and unashamed call to devotion, for an encounter that can only come from above.

So, while America is rapidly becoming less and less culturally Christian, there is a rising and growing remnant that understands that to follow Jesus always was and always will be “all or nothing.”

If we proclaim that and live that, America will be shaken.

This article was originally published at AskDrBrown.org.

The contexts and materials “progressives” use to warp the hearts and minds of children on sexuality are far too numerous to list. The pro-homo/pro-sex-impersonation propaganda campaigns in government schools, publicly funded libraries, and children’s programming are both bold and ubiquitous. The sexually disordered among us no longer feel the need to hide their intentions to lure children into their deceptive world. Today they can get jobs in elementary schools, public library children’s departments, and the colorful cartoon universes that thrive on Amazon, Netflix, Disney, and Cartoon Network from which they light up the viral world and darken children’s worlds.

By now virtually everyone has heard about the recent viral sensation, an episode of the cartoon show Muppet Babies in which the children’s classic Cinderella is retold as a “trans”-cultist fantasy for preschoolers. Baby Gonzo is depicted as a cross-dresser wannabe who longs to go the ball dressed as a princess. After a heartstrings-pulling scene in which a pitiable baby Gonzo sadly shares that he won’t wear the princess gown of his dreams because he doesn’t want to “upset anyone,” his “fairy ratfather” grants his wish to attend the ball in a princess gown. At the ball where he identifies as his drag persona Gonzorella, Gonzo is unrecognizable to his friends. After the ball when his friends discover he was Gonzorella and ask why he didn’t tell them, he says—pitiably again—that he didn’t want to upset them. Duly chastised, baby Piggy, apologizes and repents of her prior belief that princess gowns are for girls.

Ignorant wokesters with metaphysical delusions and bent sexual drives have tossed away those unnecessary trench coats of invisibility. They know that preschool is the ideal age to manipulate the emotions of children on complex issues—the nature and implications of which preschoolers can’t possibly understand—and wokesters know they can do their manipulating openly.

Tragically, Muppet Babies was not the first or only animator’s foray into children’s propaganda. Another such effort is Steven’s Universe on the Cartoon Network created by the well-known non-binary, bisexual Rebecca Sugar. The Peabody award-winning series works tenaciously to blur the distinctions between male and female and to normalize homosexuality.

NPR reported that “Rebecca Sugar is one of the many animators who’ve been pushing—successfully—for more overt queer representation in cartoons.”

The increase in the amount of “queer” representation is staggering:

A new database from Insider confirms more than 250 LGBTQ+ characters in children’s cartoons dating back to 1983. And if you look at the data from 2010 through 2020—especially in the latter five years—the representation of overtly queer characters skyrockets. …

They say what makes shows during this decade so special is that it’s not just a handful of tokenized, possibly gay characters living in a straight world. The baseline narratives of these shows have LGBTQ lives at the center of them.

Abbey White, reporter for the Inside database, waxes enthusiastic about “queer” propaganda for children:

“I think about Danger & Eggs, I think about She-Ra, Steven Universe [and] just how overtly queer these cartoons are. … That’s really exciting to see people queering their entire narratives in ways that I think reach not just children but a broader audience.”

Sexually perverse, age-inappropriate content on Disney and Netflix makes a huge cultural splash, while even more subversive content hides in plain sight in libraries creates barely a ripple.

Libraries in public elementary, middle, and high schools are brimming with books that affirm leftist views of homosexuality and cross-sex impersonation, including some that would have been deemed obscene and pornographic before those terms were rendered obsolete by moral anarchists. An Internet search for Young Adult (YA) “LGBT” fiction—which is intended for children ages 12-18—yields countless lists of recommended books.

One influential proponent of YA “LGBT” fiction is 48-year-old homosexual author of several YA novels that affirm homosexuality, David Levithan, who serves as the senior editor of Scholastic, the well-known children’s book publisher.

A 2015 article about Levithan, who claims he’s been “out” since nursery school and has a homosexual uncle, confirms the role of YA fiction in transforming culture:

The rising popularity of YA novels has also increased their power as educational tools.

Ironically, in this article, Levithan writes this about librarians and teachers:

You’re not a librarian to keep books out of the hands of children. … [T]here are clearly many [teachers] who bring their own bias to work when they are not supposed to.

Is Levithan asserting that there are no “progressive” teachers who bring their bias against theologically orthodox Christian views to work? Is he claiming that librarians would happily include books about teens who resist their homoerotic feelings or about adults who have chosen to leave homosexual lives—assuming any such books could get through the bigoted, intolerant censors in publishing companies and book review organizations?

While “progressives” argue that all identities should be represented in library collections, they really mean all identities they deem morally justifiable. Stories about teens or adults who subordinate erotic predilections to religious convictions in publicly funded libraries? No way. Stories about homoeroticism, cross-sex impersonation, kink, and polyamory? Absolutely.

CAUTION: Pornographic cartoons of two women from Kobabe’s memoir.

Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer: A Memoir, which is carried in high school libraries, tells her peculiar tale of her journey to her “identity” as a genderqueer, asexual woman with a lesbian aunt and a sister who dates a woman who pretends to be a man.

The far-left American Library Association awarded Kobabe an Alex Award for her “graphic” memoir. Her memoir is graphic in both senses of the word. It’s a sexually explicit, 240-page comic book. Kobabe, who uses the “Spivak” pronouns ey/eir/em, also teaches art workshops to middle school children, mostly, she says, “AFAB” girls, which means “assigned female at birth.” Kobabe evidently doesn’t know that children aren’t assigned either a sex or “gender identity” at birth. That’s not a thing obstetricians do. Obstetricians identify the objective sex of babies at birth, a characteristic that never changes.

Judging from the flood of propaganda polluting culture, it appears oppressive “progressives” take far more seriously Aristotle’s oft-quoted statement, “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man” than do conservatives.  And this flood of propaganda aimed like Cupid’s arrow at the hearts of children—and, therefore, the heart of civilization—will not soon be stemmed.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Warping-Childrens-Hearts-and-Minds.mp3

In the Gospels, often we see Jesus going to a secluded place to spend time with the Father in prayer.  We are blessed to have some of the prayers of Jesus recorded in the Holy Scriptures. He prayed at the tomb of Lazarus in John 11. He prayed a prayer of thanks in Matthew 11. We also see Him talking to the Father on the Cross. But one of the most intimate prayers our Lord prayed was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Moments before His arrest, Jesus’ humanity was on display as He poured His heart out to the Father.

This prayer of Christ is recorded in all four Gospels.  He prayed for several things, including God’s will, even at His expense.  But He also prayed for you and for me:

 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” ~John 17:20-23

He prayed that His followers would be one.

This week, the Southern Baptist Convention had its annual meeting in Tennessee, and there was much division within the denomination on several major issues. Unfortunately, I believe it’s a reflection of many of our churches today. While your church may not be arguing over critical race theory, you may be divided on whether the pastor should wear a tie. Or if a TV should replace a projector. Or what color a particular classroom should be. There have even been (and still are) divisions regarding the wearing of facial masks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yes, there are some things we need to be divided over, especially when truth is being compromised, but the color of the carpet isn’t one of them. Out of the countless things that Jesus could have prayed for in the Garden, He prayed that you and I would be one, just as He and God the Father are one.

The Apostle Paul built off of that truth in Ephesians 4:2-6, which says,

“with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

I could give you a typical 3-point sermon outline on how we could accomplish unity within the Body of Christ—but as we move on through the month and the year, let’s simply pray: Lord, help me be patient with my brothers and sisters. Enable me to keep the spirit of peace within the body and help me be a peacemaker for You today, and every day. Amen.

Here are some additional prayer bullet points to petition the “Prince of Peace” in the days ahead:

Praise and Thank God

• Praise God for religious liberty in the United States. Thank God that the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled to allow religious adoption agencies to block LGBTQIA foster parents.

• Thank God for those parents and clergy members who are boldly speaking out against Critical Race Theory and SB 818.

• Thank God for the exceptionalism of our nation.

• Praise God for our First Amendment rights to freely exercise our religious beliefs, our right to assemble, our right to free speech, our right to peaceably assemble, and our right to petition the government when they move in the wrong direction. May we utilize these freedoms for the spread of the Gospel and for His glory and honor.

Please Pray

• FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY: For the next several weeks, please pray for the political leaders listed below. Of course, this includes praying for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and those who serve in their administration.
  • U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington)
  • U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota)
  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
  • U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland)
  • U.S. Representative Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana)
  • State Senator Kimberly Lightfoot (D-Chicago)
  • State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris)
  • State Representative Jaime Andrade (D-Chicago)
  • State Representative Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield)
  • YOUR local County Board Members

Pray for the Sanctity of Life:

• ABORTION: The Chicago Tribune reported late last month that the abortion rate increased almost 10 percent in one year. We know that the passage of taxpayer funding of abortion through Medicaid has played a significant role in this increase. Illinoisans now pay for the destruction of innocent human life through the full nine months of pregnancy for any reason. This includes thousands of victims who travel from out of state to Illinois’ abortion mills. We must pray for these women who are facing a crisis pregnancy. May they find and embrace life affirming options. Yet we should also pray for those who work at these abortion facilities. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s conviction to leave the evil work they are doing. Pray that these facilities are not able to fill employment slots and that they would close down.

• PRC’s: Pray that pregnant mothers and fathers would seek help and counsel from pregnancy care centers to guide and help them through their unexpected pregnancy. Pray that they would choose to do what’s right for their child and not what’s convenient for themselves. Pray for the women who are being manipulated and/or bullied into an abortion. Pray that they would see a way to escape the pressure to kill their baby.

Pray for Families:

• THE CHURCH: Pray that church leaders would grasp the seriousness of the indoctrination taking place in government schools. Pray that their eyes would be opened to the parents in their church being overwhelmed with worry as a result of the teaching of godless ideologies and radical activism, resulting in hatred for America. Pray that churches in Illinois would start their own schools. Pray that God would provide the necessary resources and personnel for these schools.

• STUDENT WELFARE: Government schools are determined to instill godless radical ideologies into impressionable young children. Children will be sexualized beginning in kindergarten now that SB 818 has passed in the Illinois General Assembly. While it may seem unlikely, please pray that Gov. JB Pritzker would veto this bill when it arrives on his desk in the next few weeks.

• Children are being taught positively about homosexuality and cross-sex impersonation in many schools and school districts across the state. Now with new teaching standards having been approved by our state lawmakers, the Illinois Board of Education will be mandating that teachers be instructed in radically divisive Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project and BLM activism. They intend to have these controversial topics taught in classrooms in every part of the state.

• PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS: Pray that both parents and grandparents would pool resources and do whatever they can to provide a way for their children and grandchildren to escape the radical extremism in government schools to follow Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go …”

• FAMILIES AS SALT AND LIGHT: Pray that families who profess to know Jesus would spend more time discipling their children and raising them to fear the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Children are a blessing from God and our greatest treasure on earth. We must treat them as such.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul;
but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

~Matthew 10:28~

As I have long argued, the greatest threat posed to our First Amendment assembly, speech, and religious free exercise protections comes from the homosexual community and the “trans” cult. Already state laws and judicial decisions have been eroding those protections, and last Thursday, the most dangerous threat yet emerged in Congress when U.S. Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) re-introduced the deceitfully titled “Equality Act,” which explicitly neuters religious protections when religious beliefs conflict with disordered sexual desires.

The Equality Act (H.R. 5) would add “sexual orientation” (i.e., homosexuality) and “gender identity” (i.e., cross-sex impersonation) to the current list of bases on which discrimination is prohibited in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Doing so is a means of abrogating 1. the right of free people to express moral judgments about volitional acts, 2. the right of people of faith to exercise their religion freely with regard to beliefs on sexuality, and 3. the right to recognize the scientific reality of sex differences in those places where sex differences matter most.

When leftists say that the Equality Act will protect “LGBTQ” persons from discrimination, they mean the Equality Act will prohibit conservative people from making decisions in accordance with their beliefs—including religious beliefs—about marriage, volitional sexual acts, and cross-sex impersonation. In other words, if the Equality Act passes, a new protected class based on or constituted by disordered subjective sexual feelings will be created and our first freedom will be abrogated.

The Equality Act, which has 223 co-sponsors—all Democrats—is supposed to be voted on this week after which it will move to the U.S. Senate. President Biden is urging Congress to pass it with all due haste, so he—the self-identifying Catholic—can sign into law the bill that will undermine religious protections for Catholics and Protestants.

The Equality Act makes clear the sweeping nature of the cultural changes leftists seek to impose via federal legislation.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer … people commonly experience discrimination in securing access to public accommodations—including … senior centers … health care facilities, shelters …  youth service providers including adoption and foster care providers. … Forms of discrimination include the exclusion and denial of entry, unequal or unfair treatment. … (with respect to gender identity) an individual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.

If this legislation passes, no senior center, health care facility, shelter, or adoption agency that partners with the federal government or receives federal money will be permitted to treat biological men who pretend to be women as men.

Shelters, senior centers, and hospitals with sex-segregated restrooms, showers, or sleeping quarters will be forced to sexually integrate those private spaces.

Catholic hospitals will be forced to perform surgical mutilations on men and women who seek to pass as the sex they are not.

Christian adoption and foster care providers will be forced to place infants, children, and teens in the homes of homosexuals and cross-sex impersonators.

Teachers in government schools will be forced to facilitate delusional “trans”-cultic beliefs and practices. Administrators, faculty, and staff will be required by law to use incorrect pronouns, which constitutes bearing false witness. And locker room supervisors will be forced to oversee students of the opposite sex undressing.

The Equality Act poses some as of yet unacknowledged ideological and pragmatic problems for Democrats. For example, on the same day Cicilline reintroduced the Equality Act, U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) reintroduced her bill that seeks to protect girls and women in refugee camp bathrooms. Meng explained,

Refugee camps should be safe havens for those who have been forced to flee their countries and that includes secure facilities for restrooms. … But unfortunately, many bathrooms in refugee camps do not provide appropriate safety protections. Many refugee camps lack adequate access to such facilities and often times the restrooms are mixed-sex, public, and without locks. … These conditions create a lack of privacy and dignity and make women and girls afraid to use the restrooms, fearing that they may be assaulted and subjected to violence while using the bathroom. These types of conditions are unacceptable. Nobody should have their safety jeopardized in order care for their most basic hygiene needs. My bill would finally combat this problem. (emphasis added)

David Cicilline is a co-sponsor of Meng’s bill, which means that Cicilline is the co-sponsor of a bill that prohibits mixed-sex bathrooms in federal refugee camps and the sponsor of a bill that mandates mixed-sex bathrooms in all federally funded facilities.

Oh, what tangled webs …

The Equality Act also includes the following:

A single instance of discrimination may have more than one basis. For example, discrimination against a married same-sex couple could be based on the sex stereotype that marriage should only be between heterosexual couples, the sexual orientation of the two individuals in the couple, or both.

Leftists define the belief that marriage is the union of two people of opposite sexes as a discriminatory “sex stereotype,” and they want to legally prohibit every American from acting in accordance with that belief. Of course, the leftist opinion that the cross-cultural and historical understanding of marriage is a discriminatory sex stereotype is neither an objective fact nor true. It is an ideological assumption.

As an end run around the First Amendment’s religious protection, the anti-constitutional, anti-liberty, anti-Christian, perversity-supremacy law—misnamed the Equality Act—states,

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 … shall not provide a claim concerning, or a defense to a claim under, a covered title, or provide a basis for challenging the application or enforcement of a covered title.

Anticipating appeals to equality for people of faith, who are currently protected by both the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, the tyrants behind the Religious Bigotry Act Equality Act made sure that people of faith lose.

As I wrote two years ago,

The Equality Act would require that federal law recognize disordered subjective feelings and deviant behaviors as protected characteristics. Federal law would absurdly recognize homoeroticism and cross-sex masquerading as conditions that must be treated like race and biological sex, which are objective, 100 percent heritable conditions that are in all cases immutable, and carry no behavioral implications.

Once the law is enjoined to protect two groups based on their subjective sexual feelings and volitional sexual behaviors, we open a Pandora’s Box of evils that will inevitably result in conflicts between the new legal rights of those who embrace sexual deviance as “identity” and 1. the First Amendment rights of those who reject sexual deviance, 2. the moral right of businesses to require restrooms, locker rooms, and showers to correspond to biological sex, 3. the right of businesses to fire or refuse to hire a person who chooses to masquerade as the opposite sex, and 4. the right of public schools to fire or to refuse to hire a person who chooses to impersonate the opposite sex.

If the Equality Act passes, all it will take for other groups to have their sexual peccadillos deemed “sexual orientations,” is to organize and wait for the culture to do its dirty work.

Academia will jump aboard first, squawking in newly invented jargon and intellectual-ese about identity, authenticity, equity, tolerance, diversity, bigotry, hatred, and phobias.

Then the “arts,” will join in writing plays, novels, Hollywood scripts, and heartstring-pulling songs affirming all sorts of perverse sexual fetishes as authentic “identities.”

Next our polluted and politicized professional mental health and medical communities will manufacture “social science” studies to show how much happier polyamorists are when they are free to live in poly-pods without shaming judgments; and that brothers in love should be permitted to marry (after all, love is love); and that adults who identify as babies should be free to wear onesies to work in order to be their authentic selves, after which all of society will be  forced to ask our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and students what their preferred age is.

Christians will be legally prohibited from acting on their moral judgments about sexual perversion, and dissenters will be “othered,” cancelled, and shamed. Soon Christian-shaming will be the only shaming permitted in this brave new world where shame is unmoored from morality.

Americans are a tolerant and patient people, but their capacity for tolerating unjust oppression and suppression of their most fundamental rights is not unlimited. I suspect Pelosi, Schumer et al. realize that. I suspect they know that the radical anti-American, anti-liberty, anti-Constitution, anti-Christianity, Big Brother-esque agenda they have planned for Americans in the next four years may spark a rebellion. Hence the razor-topped wall surrounding the “people’s” house.

But, razor-topped barbed wire cannot keep standing a house divided against itself.

Take ACTION: (UPDATED) Click HERE to send a message to your U.S. Representative our U.S. Senators to urge him/her them to oppose the federal Equality Act (H.R. 5) which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for an individual’s perceived sex, “sexual orientation,” or “gender identity.” If you know the name of your local official, you can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask the operator to connect you with his/her office to leave a message.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/audioThe-Equality-Act-Will-Lay-Waste-to-This-Already-Divided-House_01.mp3

A bold voice for pro-family values in Illinois!

Click HERE to learn about supporting IFI on a monthly basis.

We are displeased to report that this week our state lawmakers passed a 700+ page police “reform” bill. This piece of legislation was passed in the final hours of the lame duck session of the 101st General Assembly. The proposal was approved by the Illinois Senate just before 5:00 a.m. Tuesday with a vote of 32-23, and approved by the Illinois House with a 60-50  vote the next day, just an hour before the inauguration of the new 102nd General Assembly.

According to an article in The Daily Journal, state lawmakers failed to work with law enforcement officials to create this “reform” legislation. Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said,

I’m not disappointed that the bill passed. … I am disappointed that no one brought law enforcement to the table when creating this bill. Working together is important. It helps you succeed in improving things.

James R. Black, President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police issued a statement saying,

[W]e are extremely disappointed by the process, the lack of discussion and collaboration with members of law enforcement by our law makers, and the ultimate voting outcome in the Illinois General Assembly. … Earlier language in this bill would have destroyed our profession. While some of that language was stricken, there are still some provisions in this bill that will make our communities less safe.

Some of those provisions in this bill, which now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, include the following:

• Anonymous complaints against police officers would be permitted. Accusers will no longer be required to sign a sworn affidavit. (Will this provision be challenged as violating a police officer’s 6th Amendment civil right to confront his or her accusers?)

• Body cameras would be required for all police officers by 2025.  This would  be an unfunded mandate by Springfield.

• Cash bail bonds would be replaced by 2023 with a pretrial release system developed by Illinois courts. This would allow many criminal suspects back on the streets immediately.

• A task force on “Constitutional Rights and Remedies” would be created to address qualified immunity.

• Detainees would be allowed to make three phone calls within three hours of being taken into police custody.

The Chicago Sun-Times also points out that the “bill requires police officers to be licensed by the state, an idea that was championed by state Attorney General Kwame Raoul.” This is part of the provision that requires ongoing education and training requirements, with no money to pay for the costs–that is, another unfunded mandate–and no assurances the courses will be offered.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to Governor J.B. Pritzker to ask him to veto the Criminal Justice Omnibus bill, HB 3653.

You can also call the governor’s office at (217) 782-6831 to voice your opinion. This legislation would negatively affect our families, our communities, and especially the heroes who work tirelessly in law enforcement.

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We Are Tripling Down!

Not only do we have a group of great donors offering a year-end $2 for $1 matching challenge, but also Dr. Erwin Lutzer has offered an additional incentive for those who give $50 or more in the last two weeks of the year. His new book “We Will Not Be Silenced: Responding Courageously to Our Culture’s Assault on Christianity” was released last month and, like his other books, will be sure to bless you,  your friends, and family.

In the introduction, theologian Dr. David Jeremiah describes the timeliness of Dr. Lutzer’s book:

This book examines every cultural issue we are facing. Nothing is left out. It addresses diversity issues, racial issues, gender issues, social justice issues, media issues, issues of free speech, and issues rooted in socialism and Marxism. Most importantly, it covers issues related to the church and how it is responding to all of this.

NOTE: Every donation to IFI through the end of the year is TRIPLED upon receipt. Please prayerfully consider how you can support the work and ministry of IFI as we boldly stand for truth in the public square.

So if you give $50 it becomes $150.

If you give $100 it becomes $300.

If you give $500 we realize $1,500!

If you donate $1,000, it is the same as giving $3,000, etc.

P.S. Donations must be postmarked by December 31st in order to qualify as 2020 gifts.

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 federally controlled substance because it has no medical benefits and is highly addictive. Schedule 1 drugs also “have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence.” But a vote in the U.S. House tomorrow could end that.

Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam have adopted laws allowing legal access to cannabis, either for adult recreational or “medical” use.

H.R.3884, the  Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE), will “decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for other purposes.”

The CEO of Playboy Enterprises–a corporation that has a history of harming culture–explains their support for the MORE Act:

MORE has the potential to accelerate state-by-state commercialization. To ensure this potentially multi-billion dollar industry is inclusive of those historically targeted, we must increase small-business loans to Black and Latino entrepreneurs entering the cannabis industry.

This is yet another Democrat initiative that will harm our communities.

Marijuana use ruins lives and families. It’s much more potent than the marijuana produced in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Its use is connected to dangerous mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and psychosis. States that have legalized recreational marijuana and are tracking the data have seen a substantial increase in traffic fatalities, hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Unit has the best available data pertaining to the negative effects of the legalization of recreational marijuana. The suicide toxicology report for adolescents ages 10-19 shows that marijuana is the drug most found in their systems.

The bill has 120 co-sponsors including Illinois’ U.S. Representatives Bobby Rush (D-Chicago), Robin Kelly (D-Chicago), Jesus Garcia (D-Chicago), Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), Danny Davis (D-Chicago), and Bill Foster (D-Aurora).

TAKE ACTION: Please click HERE to contact your U.S. Representative and urge him/her to oppose this dangerous bill that will trap more people, including adolescents, in the prison of drug addiction. ​​​​​​​Please ask your federal lawmaker to vote NO to H.R. 3884.

We are committed to upholding truth while resisting and opposing the rising wave of delusional thinking and tyrannical laws/mandates that have afflicted our state and nation. IFI will continue to provide our supporters with timely alerts, video reports, podcasts, pastors’ breakfasts, special forums, worldview conferences, and thought-provoking commentaries—content that is increasingly hard to find.

We encourage you to join us in our efforts. Your support will help us to continue our vital work in 2021. A vigorous defense of biblical truth is needed more than ever in Illinois. #GivingTuesday

Here are a few of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s mostly tyrannical Thanksgiving “Mandatory Requirements for All Gatherings” (emphasis added):

All persons planning to host or participate in a private gathering … must comply with the following requirements. …

Gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited. … The host should collect names of all attendees and contact information in case contact tracing is needed later. …

All gatherings must be held outside. Attendees may go inside to use restrooms as long as the restrooms are frequently sanitized. Gatherings may occur in outdoor spaces that are covered by umbrellas, canopies, awnings, roofs, and other shade structures provided that at least three sides of the space (or 75%) are open to the outdoors.

A gathering of no more than three households is permitted in a public park or other outdoor space, even if unrelated gatherings of other groups up to three households are also occurring in the same park or other outdoor space. If multiple such gatherings are occurring, mixing between group gatherings is not allowed.

… multiple gatherings of three households cannot be jointly organized or coordinated to occur in the same public park or other outdoor space at the same time – this would constitute a gathering exceeding the permitted size. …

For any gatherings permitted under this guidance, the space must be large enough so that everyone at a gathering can maintain at least a 6-foot physical distance from others (not including their own household) at all times.

Seating must provide at least 6 feet of distance (in all directions—front-to-back and side-to-side) between different households.

Everyone at a gathering should frequently wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. A place to wash hands or hand sanitizer must be available for participants to use.

Shared items should not be used during a gathering. As much as possible, any food or beverages at outdoor gatherings must be in single-serve disposable containers. If providing single-serve containers is not possible, food and beverages must be served by a person who washes or sanitizes their hands frequently, and wears a face covering. Self-serve items from communal containers should not be used. …

When gathering, face coverings must be worn in accordance with the CDPH Guidance on the Use of Face Coverings (PDF), unless an exemption is applicable.

People at gatherings may remove their face coverings briefly to eat or drink as long as they stay at least 6 feet away from everyone outside their own household, and put their face covering back on as soon as they are done with the activity.

Face coverings can also be removed to meet urgent medical needs (for example, to use an asthma inhaler, take medication, or if feeling light-headed).

Gatherings should be two hours or less. …

… singing, chanting, and shouting are strongly discouraged, but if they occur, the following rules and recommendations apply:

All people who are singing or chanting should wear a face covering at all times while singing or chanting, including anyone who is leading a song or chant. … People who are singing, shouting, chanting, or exercising are strongly encouraged to maintain physical distancing beyond 6 feet to further reduce risk.

People who are singing or chanting are strongly encouraged to do so quietly (at or below the volume of a normal speaking voice).

Instrumental music is allowed as long as the musicians maintain at least 6-foot physical distancing. Musicians must be from one of the three households. Playing of wind instruments (any instrument played by the mouth, such as a trumpet or clarinet) is strongly discouraged.

Some brief observations and/or questions and/or suggestions:

AOC wants lists of Trump supporters compiled. The Trump Accountability Project wants a blacklist of Trump supporters compiled. Now Newsom wants Thanksgiving Day guest lists compiled. I think we need a list of all the lists that leftists want compiled and a list of all the leftists who are proposing such lists. And while we’re compiling lists, I think we need a list of every leftist who has called for a conservative to be fired or not be hired in the first place; and of every leftist who has called for a speaker to be cancelled or a book deal to be cancelled; and of every leftist who has defaced, looted, or torched a building or business.

I think we likely all agree—Republicans and Democrats—that it’s a good thing Newsom has given the green light to asthmatics to remove their masks when they have an urgent need to use their inhalers.

Who is going to monitor all the outdoor gatherings to ensure compliance with social distancing and sanitizing mandates? How will Newsom’s minions determine whether guests’ hands or restrooms are sufficiently sanitized? In a two-hour Thanksgiving gathering, how often must guests sanitize their hands? Every hour? Every half-hour? Every fifteen minutes?

Will authorities be equipped with sound meters to measure chanting and singing decibels?

Who will confirm that musicians are related to the households for whom they are playing their instruments? Will unrelated musicians be toted off in paddy wagons? Will their instruments be confiscated?

How long after swallowing must a mask be put back on?

What if while chewing and shouting a toddler spits in the face of someone not in his household? Will he be arrested? Will Obama be enlisted to separate him from his family and put him in one of the cages his administration built?

Do these mandates apply equally to people of all colors or just to colorless oppressors? Isn’t it racist for a colorless oppressor like Newsom to impose those rules on blacks and Native Americans?

Speaking of racism, isn’t it racist cultural appropriation for anyone other than the indigenous people of the Americas to eat cornbread on Thanksgiving or at any other time?

All I can say is Newsom better not defund the police. They’ve got a lot on their plates, and it’s not turkey. I think it’s tripe.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Mostly-Tyrannical-Thanksgiving-Orders-of-California-Governor-Newsom.mp3

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