It has been an eventful term for the U.S. Supreme Court, which has provided many closely decided cases and ended with the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. For those interested in free speech and religious liberty, there have been plenty of decisions to keep track of and digest. Here is what you need to know.

Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission

The story is well-known. Jack Phillips, a Christian cake shop owner from Colorado, refused to create a cake for the same-sex “wedding” of two men. They filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which held that Mr. Phillips violated the state’s public accommodation laws. Much of the litigation centered around whether creating a wedding cake fell under the free expression protections of the First Amendment, but the Court punted on this argument, leaving it for a future case. Instead, the Court ruled for Mr. Phillips on two separate grounds.

First, the Commission did not employ religiously neutral standards when deciding Mr. Phillips case, and instead showed unwarranted hostility towards his Christian faith. One official on the Commission even referred to Mr. Phillips’ faith as “one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric that people can use.”

Second, the Court found that the Commission had used different standards for different bakery owners. An individual named Bill Jack (no relation to Jack Phillips) went to several bakeries asking them to create a cake with a message critical of homosexuality derived from the Bible and was—unsurprisingly—refused service. When complaints were filed, the Commission found that bakeries can refuse to make a cake with a message they deem to be derogatory.

The popular narrative is that this case was decided on narrow grounds and sets little precedent for future cases. However, Masterpiece has already proven to be more influential than that narrative suggests. Anti-religious animus by government officials is common in religious liberty cases, and there’s no better example than Arlene’s Flowers.

Arlene’s Flowers Inc. v. Washington

Similar to Jack Phillips, Barronelle Stutzman, a Washington florist, refused to offer her services for a same-sex wedding. However, in this case, when she refused to create a floral arrangement for a same-sex couple, it was not the couple who took action. Rather, the state’s attorney general, on his own initiative, filed a complaint against Ms. Stutzman, showing unusual hostility towards her religious beliefs. This led to the Washington Supreme Court holding that Ms. Stutzman engaged in unlawful discrimination. However, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the decision and remanded it back to the state supreme court to consider the decision in light of Masterpiece.

National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra

This case had less headline appeal than Masterpiece but will likely end up being the more influential in First Amendment jurisprudence. The Court found that California’s Reproductive FACT Act, which forced pro-life pregnancy centers to post disclosures about the state’s abortion services, to be a violation of the pregnancy centers’ free speech rights. The decision was important on several fronts. Most notably, the Court refused to create a lesser standard of First Amendment protection for “professional speech.” The argument was that the state should be given greater power to prevent and compel the speech of professionals (like doctors, lawyers, and mental health counselors) than the usual First Amendment protections would allow. But Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, criticized such “professional speech” doctrine as being a tool to suppress unpopular ideas or information. The decision may open possible litigation on the issue of so-called reparative therapy bans, which ban professional counselors from talking with minors about their unwanted same-sex sexual attraction.

In his concurrence, Justice Kennedy came down particularly hard on California for its intolerance of the pro-life viewpoint:

The California Legislature included in its official history the congratulatory statement that the Act was part of California’s legacy of “forward thinking.” But it is not forward thinking to force individuals to “be an instrument for fostering public adherence to an ideological point of view [they] fin[d] unacceptable.” It is forward thinking to begin by reading the First Amendment as ratified in 1791; to understand the history of authoritarian government as the Founders then knew it; to confirm that history since then shows how relentless authoritarian regimes are in their attempts to stifle free speech; and to carry those lessons onward as we seek to preserve and teach the necessity of freedom of speech for the generations to come.

Trump v. Hawaii

This case stems from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s promise of a “Muslim ban” during the 2016 presidential campaign. Initially, President Trump signed an order that banned entry in the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim countries regardless of visa status. However, after getting blocked by the lower courts because of its disproportionate effect on Muslims and because of several anti-Muslim statements from the Trump administration, the president issued a moderated version of the order. This time, the order did not outright ban travel from the seven countries but it did add extra scrutiny before people were allowed to enter the U.S. The final order was also backed by evidence that the nations with restricted access posed legitimate national security risks and were not just chosen based on anti-Muslim animus.

Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out that although five of the seven countries with restricted access were predominantly Muslim, the countries made up only 8% of the world’s Muslim population and were previously designated as posing national security risks. The decision continues the longstanding judicial deference to the Executive Branch on decisions affecting national security. The High Court also renounced the infamous Korematsu v. United States decision, which allowed the executive branch to establish internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II.

Janus v. AFSCME

This case is not just of interest for its First Amendment jurisprudence but also its close connection to Illinois politics. Illinois was one of the 22 states that allowed unions to charge nonmembers fees for the costs of collective bargaining with employers. Mark Janus, a government social worker from Springfield, filed suit against Illinois arguing that the government requiring him to pay a private organization like a union violated his First Amendment right to free speech and association. By subsidizing the union’s administrative costs, Janus argued that he was being forced by the government to support the union’s political activism. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed in a 5-4 decision. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the law “violates the free speech rights of nonmembers by compelling them to subsidize private speech on matters of substantial public concern” like tax increases or collective bargaining rights. One important distinction is that this ruling only applies to public sector unions, not to any in the private sector.

Rowan County v. Lund

One notable case that did not get the U.S. Supreme Court review comes from Rowan County, North Carolina, where the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal barred the opening prayer at county board meetings. The prayer was led by the elected commissioners, who took turns leading at each meeting. Three residents were offended by the prayers and sued the county. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the prayer policy as violating the Establishment Clause despite clear precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court allowing public prayers in Town of Greece v. Galloway. Unfortunately, the High Court denied cert (i.e., declined to review the lower court decision) on the county’s appeal, and the Fourth Circuit’s decision stands.

IFI depends on the support of Christians like you. Donate now

-and, please-

Earlier this week I reported how YouTube had come under attack from various LGBT websites and YT channels and social media accounts. The internet giant had committed the cardinal sin of playing conservative Christian ads on LGBT channels. How dare they!

To add insult to injury, YouTube had previously demonetized many of these LGBT videos, just as YouTube demonetized hundreds of my videos. They were deemed not appropriate for all advertisers. Now, YouTube had the gall to advertise a video like “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” on these very same channels. This was too much to bear.

The Twitter world was set ablaze, and a number of YouTubers expressed their disappointment and anger. (See my previous article for details.)

In reality, though, this was not really a very big story.

This very week, I received word that an ad encouraging gay men to get HIV testing appeared before one of my videos. These things happen, and I doubt YouTube can be 100 percent sure that an offending ad will never pop-up.

But it’s not the end of the world. No one was raped or molested or tortured or robbed or killed.

And I seriously doubt that the conservative Christian ads were appearing day and night on these LGBT channels. In fact, for the most part, I keep seeing reference to the same one or two ads appearing on the same one or two LGBT channels. What’s the big deal?

But now, this is a story. A big story. A cause for moral outrage. A cause calling for justice. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill.

Outrage Overkill

Already this week, the story has been covered by Forbes, Business Insider, the Advocate, and the Independent (UK), along with a host of other sites, including LGBTQ Nation, Pink News, and the Verge. (There are too many to link here.) It’s even made it to the Spanish language Posta site. (Perhaps other languages too?)

YouTubers with large followers have weighed in as well, including Phillip DeFranco, with 6.1 million subscribers (his video had more than 1.2 million views in less than two days; and, again, I could cite many more YouTube examples).

Almost every story included clips (or still shots) from our “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” video. And for the most part, interviewers have focused on FTM transgender Chase Ross, one of the most offended parties involved and one of the first to speak out on YouTube.

As a result, our video has been swarmed by angry members of the LGBT community, with one woman rallying others to take over our video feed. (She posted, “Where are all my gay motherf—kers at? We taking over this b—ch.”)

Prager U remains in a legal battle with Google and YouTube over the truly outrageous treatment it received. In contrast, what happened with our ads running on a few LGBT channels is hardly a story at all, let alone a cause around which people should rally.

The negative exposure has been such that we went from a 10-1 positive response (roughly 670 to 70, which would be a typical ratio for videos watched by our subscribers) to barely 2-1 positive (at present, 2,098 to 929).

Of the nearly 1,100 comments (it would be much higher if we didn’t have to delete lots of posts for incredibly vulgar and offensive language), many are quite ugly. They include choice comments like, “die you old bast—d”. And, “oh and some people can’t help being gay it’s just like what paedophiles like you can’t help you dumb a– doctor can’t do jack sh-t no one will miss you when i kill you.” And, “you look like pedophile colonel sanders.” And, “Breeders are f—ing disgusting.” And, “I seriously hope that every single one of you twisted, evil monsters that liked this video are hit by a bus. This isn’t exaggeration. I want the plague you’re spreading wiped off the face of the planet.” (Remember: There are others too vile to print, even while omitting some of the profanity.)

And every day, the outrage grows greater. How dare YouTube do such a monstrous thing!

And the more it is reported, the more the story grows, until it has become a cause for social justice. Just look at how unfairly LGBT’s are being treated!

It’s On

Again, as I stated earlier in the week (and as the Advocate fairly quoted me), we never intended for our video to be advertised on LGBT channels, and my preference is that it not be advertised there. I had no desire to go into someone’s own “territory” and present to them something they didn’t want to see. Nor did I ask for a veritable flood of profane comments and negative responses. (On the flip side, we produced the video to be viewed, so we’re thrilled with the day and night publicity, even if it’s negative. Let the message get out!)

Yet all the while, Prager U remains in a legal battle with Google and YouTube over the unfair treatment it received, treatment which really was outrageous. In contrast, what happened with our ads running on a few LGBT channels is hardly a story at all, let alone a cause around which people should rally. But rallying they are, and so the story now takes on a life of its own. We’re watching it unfold in front of our eyes.

But let me not end here by merely observing what is happening. Instead, may I ask for five seconds of your time? I’m simply asking you to click on the link to my video, and give it a thumbs up. (If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s only 6 minutes long, so watch and then respond. You can even leave a comment!)

One viewer said, “It’s a gospel version of a Prager U video.” Sweet!

Your five second investment of time will help us push back against the tide of angry LGBT activists and their allies. If the battle is on, then let it be on. And may truth triumph in the end.

This article originally posted at Stream.org.

How did they vote?

On Wednesday evening, the Illinois House of Representatives voted 72 to 45 to ratify SJRCA 4, a completely unnecessary proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to eradicate sex as a legitimate characteristic on which to base reasonable distinctions.

Click HERE to see how your state representative voted on this legislation, or look at the graphic below.

For more than two hours, state lawmakers debated this issue. The fact that this legislation says nothing about women didn’t dissuade 15 legislators from rising to the microphone to express their support. These advocates included the sponsor, Lou Lang (D-Skokie), Ann Williams (D-Chicago), David Harris (R-Arlington Heights), Steve Andersson (R-Geneva), Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora), Laura Fine (D-Glenview), Christine Winger (R-Bloomingdale), Sue Scherer (D-Decatur), Emmanuel Welch (D-Chicago), Carol Ammons (D-Chicago), Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago), Dan Brady (R-Bloomington), and Juliana Stratton (D-Chicago).

It is interesting to note that both State Representatives Christine Winger and Dan Brady prefaced their remarks by claiming to be pro-life, even though it is well known that Planned Parenthood is a strong proponent of this legislation precisely because it will expand abortion “rights” throughout the nation and dismantle vital abortion restrictions—including parental notification (or consent) laws.

On the pro-life/pro-family side, eight state lawmakers rose to speak against the ERA, including Pete Breen (R-Lombard), Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake), Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), Tom Morrison (R-Palatine), Terry Bryant (R-Mt. Vernon), and Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan).

Proponents of the ERA claim that they need one more state to ratify this constitutional amendment for complete victory, even though the deadline for passage expired decades ago and even though five states have voted to rescind their ratification over the years it has been pending. If one more state votes for its passage, the issue will certainly wind up in the courts.

In addition to proponents of the legalized slaughter of human beings in the womb, there is another constituency that is celebrating tonight: people who masquerade as the sex they are not.

Thanks for nothing to the 72 feckless state representatives who demonstrated again why Illinois is such a sorry state.

The official roll call of this vote:

Written by Haley Halverson

According to Gadgets 360, Steam, one of the largest distributors of online games, has contacted several videogame developers asking them to remove sexually graphic content in their games on Steam or face delisting.

This sudden action by Steam, owned by Valve, comes after a two year campaign by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation which included naming the company was named to the Dirty Dozen List, and most recently a heightened week-long grassroots campaign, which began on May 10th, where individuals from around the country requested Steam to remove sexually exploitive content.

“We are grateful to Steam® for taking a socially responsible stand against sexually exploitive videogames,” said Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. “Steam hosts approximately 35 million users who are children and teenagers, yet it also has hosted videogames that promote themes of sexual violence, exhibitionism, and rape, often depicting child-like characters in sexual scenes. It’s about time that the videogame community is responding to this #MeToo moment, and is distancing itself from gamified sexual violence.”

“Some game developers are claiming that Valve is ‘censoring’ them, but Valve is a private company that can—and should—make decisions based on creating a safe and user-friendly environment for its users,” Hawkins continued.

“When videogames include sexually graphic and degrading themes the user is not only a voyeur but an active participant in staging the scene. As our society suffers from the consequences of campus sexual assault, military sexual assault, and rising child-on-child sexual abuse, we see that normalizing the sexual use (and often abuse) of others in videogames is irresponsible on the corporate and social level.”

“We thank Steam for its decision, and encourage other gaming sites and stores to follow their lead.”

Article originally published at EndSexualExploitation.com.

Long-time conservative activist Cliff Kincaid recently interviewed Liberty Counsel’s Mary E. McAlister. They covered a lot of important ground in a little over 30 minutes. Here is the intro to the video interview (see below):

Mary McAlister of Liberty Counsel discusses the Soros-backed transgender revolution in America, including its “progress” under former President Obama and what President Trump is doing to reverse the damage to our nation and our families.

Transgenders, including children forced to undergo these medical procedures and experiments, suffer genital mutilation, become sterile, and have a high suicide rate.

McAlister and host Cliff Kincaid also address the fact that one of the transgender pioneers was Dr. John Money, who also promoted sex between adults and children. 

Kincaid opens by asking McAlister how the transgender movement could have moved so far so fast. She explained that “It’s all part of an orchestrated event that has been really in the works for 20-30 years. It’s been very systematic.”

Obama’s presidency and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision “legalizing” homosexual “marriage” has given these “sexual revolutionaries” the courage to move faster, McAlister explained. The overall goal is to “undermine the entire Judeo-Christian foundation of the country,” to destroy the nuclear family so chaos results and the government is empowered to take total control of society.

Kincaid and McAlister also delve into some of the distasteful realities that are involved in transgenderism, namely, genital mutilation. McAlister shares the tragic story of Dr. John Money‘s experiment on David Reimer, a boy whose penis had been destroyed during a botched circumcision. David had a twin brother, and Money, a transgender pioneer at Johns Hopkins University, got permission from the parents to raise David as a girl in order to demonstrate that it is nurture, rather than nature, that determines sexual identity. David’s life was a nightmare of suffering that culminated in his suicide at age 38.

Kincaid asked McAlister about her Twitter account which says this:

Mary E. McAlister
@MaryEMcAlister
Conservative Christian Wife Mother Lawyer Seeking to stop the satanic sexualization of our children and the destruction of the family

Both Kincaid and McAlister were unafraid of addressing the spiritual dimensions to the “trans” ideology:

Cliff: Using that word “satanic” [in her Twitter feed] — what do you mean by that?

Mary: It’s absolutely evil. God has made us in His image. He has set out rules for living that enable us to live rich and full and healthy lives…. All of what is going on is aimed at tearing all of that down. Well, we know who does that. That’s the enemy, Satan and his minions…. We’re in a spiritual battle. We’re not fighting against flesh and blood.

The depravity and irrationality gripping the nation, including even in elementary schools, testifies to the powers and principalities against which we wrestle.

The end game of this destructive force, which some refer to as Cultural Marxism, is the destruction of civil society. Once the family is destroyed, the government will step into the resulting vacuum and grow in power.

For more information, please watch this informative interview:

https://youtu.be/7mZQPwR-enE

Join IFI at our May 5th Worldview Conference

We are excited about our fourth annual Worldview Conference featuring world-renowned John Stonestreet on Sat., May 5th in Medinah. Mr. Stonestreet serves as President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetic.  (Click HERE for a flyer.)

Mr. Stonestreet has co-authored four books: A Practical Guide to Culture (2017), Restoring All Things (2015), Same-Sex Marriage (2014), and Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview (2007).

Join us for a wonderful opportunity to take enhance your biblical worldview and equip you to more effectively engage the culture:

Click HERE to learn more or to register!

Having worked for a member of Congress in Washington, D.C., and for state legislators here in Illinois, I can vouch for the fact that most elected officials care about what you think. No, really, they do. Even when they go against what is the clear majority opinion, they at least are aware of the potential consequences of their actions.

While they often do things we’d rather they not do, if a large number of their constituents voice a particular opinion on an issue, office holders ignore it at their own peril and are more likely to take the right action.

Those you elect need to regularly hear from you via letter, email, or phone call. And when obvious pressure is being put on them by interest groups to go against the will of the people, they especially need to hear from you. It doesn’t matter if they’re a lowly state representative or the leader of the free world.

President Donald Trump needs to hear from the pro-family community on three immediate concerns:

1. So-called “transgendered” individuals should not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.

2. Chai Feldblum, who believes that the LGBT agenda is more important than our God-given and constitutionally protected religious liberty, should not be re-nominated to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

3. Planned Parenthood should be defunded immediately.

Regarding #1, federal courts are attempting to block the president from fulfilling his constitutional duty of being the Commander in Chief of our nation’s armed forces. President Trump is within his power to ignore the court, since the judicial branch has not been granted authority over how the military is to be run. Unfortunately, Trump has chosen to allow the matter to proceed through the courts.

Because of that, openly “transgendered” people (men pretending to be women, or women pretending to be men) are enlisting. President Trump needs to hear from the pro-family community today. The military does not exist for social policy experimentation. And those suffering from gender dysphoria, a recognized mental illness, should not be allowed to serve. (Read more HERE.)

News reports are that President Trump has renominated Chai Feldblum, #2 on our list above, to serve another five-year term as a commissioner on the EEOC. This is not a small mistake by the president, and he needs to hear from you and be encouraged to withdraw the nomination immediately.

The Daily Caller has reported that Feldblum has “regularly advocated for the supremacy of LGBT rights over religious liberty,” and has endorsed polygamy and defended infringing religious liberty to advance the LGBT agenda.

Feldblum’s extremist views have been thoroughly demonstrated over many years, even to the extent of stating that she was “not sure whether marriage is a normatively good institution.” (Read more HERE.)

Regarding #3, when Republicans took the reins of both the U.S. Congress and the White House last year, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading killer of unborn babies, should have stopped receiving federal dollars to carry on its evil business. Instead, in one of the GOP’s biggest failures so far during the Trump years, approximately $500 million of the hard-earned tax dollars of Americans continues to fund Planned Parenthood’s abortion mills. (Read more HERE.)

One old expression in politics is that in order for some politicians to see the light, they have to feel the heat. Pro-family conservatives need to regularly turn up the temperature on their elected officials, and this includes the person working out of the Oval Office.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send an email to the Trump administration or call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111 and politely but firmly express your view that President Donald Trump 1) should not allow “trans”-identifying people to serve in the military, 2) should withdraw the nomination of Chai Feldblum, who is so far out of the mainstream that she should not be serving at the EEOC, and that 3) should lead the charge to defund the organization responsible for the largest number of deaths every year in America: Planned Parenthood. They should not receive another dollar from taxpayers.

IFI Worldview Conference May 5th

We have rescheduled our annual Worldview Conference featuring well-know apologist John Stonestreet for Saturday, May 5th at Medinah Baptist Church. Mr. Stonestreet is s a dynamic speaker and the award-winning author of “Making Sense of Your World” and his newest offer: “A Practical Guide to Culture.”

Join us for a wonderful opportunity to take enhance your biblical worldview and equip you to more effectively engage the culture.

Click HERE to learn more or to register!

You probably heard ad nauseum the laughable claimed that the March for Our Lives-sponsored National School Walkout was not a “left/right” event. Well, there’s a reason that Leftists like Oprah and George Clooney donated half a million dollars to the walkout. There’s a reason that Leftists in Congress walked out to join teens—I mean, in addition to virtue-signaling and getting their faces in the press. There’s a reason that Leftists on CNN and MSNBC didn’t merely report the story but fawned all over the teens who spouted stuff while actually knowing little. When asked by Bret Baier, “So who’s the leader of the Democratic Party,” Leftist chair of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez answered, “I think those young people today who were marching all over this country are incredible leaders.”

So much for “it’s not a left or right issue.”

You’ve probably heard ad nauseum the even more laughable claim that the March for Our Lives demonstration was an entirely student-led event. Although in each school, there likely was a student leader or leaders, this was not an entirely student-led event—not even close.

Buzzfeed reported on the involvement of disgraced former head of the DNC, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who admitted that she had “been in touch with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas since the day after the shooting, helping them connect to state legislators and plan their trip to Tallahassee last week.” Wasserman Schultz further admitted that “she advised them on communication strategy” and had “been in contact with Mark Kelly — Gabrielle Giffords’ husband and one of the founders of the Giffords foundation.”—an anti-gun organization.

Weeks before the walkout, “a spokesperson for Giffords told BuzzFeed News the organization ‘will be lending support in any way the students need, especially helping to operationalize these marches from logistics to programming.’”

Here’s more from Buzzfeed on the allegedly “student-led” protest:

MoveOn said it will encourage its millions of members to follow and promote the March for Our Lives movement on social media and attend the rally next month. The group said it had offered support in organizing logistics such as security and portable toilets.

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, which has not directly been in touch with the students, said it has been in contact and offered support to Giffords, which is spearheading the national coalition of groups working with March for Our Lives.

…

The American Federation of Teachers, which helped bus students and parents to Tallahassee multiple times last week, are now assisting with the March for Our Lives rally. The federation’s president told BuzzFeed News that they are also helping support next month’s march as well as helping to shape the vision and mission for the group once the rally is over.

“There are a lot of people who know how to put on a march in Washington and we are here to help support the teens with that experience in terms of logistics and strategy…” AFT President Randi Weingarten told BuzzFeed News. “We will be here for that ‘oh sh*t moment’ when they realize they need things like permits.”

Buzzfeed also discovered that the permit application submitted to the National Park Service for the rally at the National Mall “was submitted by Deena Katz, an LA-based television producer who serves as co-executive director of the Women’s March Los Angeles Foundation.”

Someone left the following comment on IFI’s Facebook page under an article in which I suggested that there are better ways for students to express feelings about school violence than leaving school during the day in clear violation of school policies that prohibit disruption of instructional time and normal school operations (Leftists—including Leftist administrators—demonstrate again their conviction that laws and policies are meant to be broken.):

Ironically the writer misses the point by making this a divisive issue instead of unifying. What I witnessed nearly brought me to tears. I saw hundreds of students standing or sitting in silence for 17 minutes! These are students who during the normal course of the day never ever stop talking Many I observed were in thoughtful prayer with hands folded, or writing messages or poems about the 17 people murdered. The school teachers and administrators did nothing to organize this!!!! I am proud to witness hundreds of students in thoughtful meditation or prayer, I also prayed during those 17 minutes that people unite instead of divide.

It was not I who made this a divisive issue. It was the Leftist Women’s March that organized this anti-gun protest and all the “progressives” who actually led the protest that made it a divisive issue. Those kids who were praying with folded hands could have stayed in school and prayed during their lunch periods and free periods. In fact, they can fold hands and pray every day at school. They can also write poems and meditate any time they’re free. But poetry-writing and meditating will do about as much to eradicate school violence as banning guns will do.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Final-Thoughts-on-School-Walkout.mp3

RESCHEDULED: IFI Worldview Conference May 5th

We have rescheduled our annual Worldview Conference featuring well-know apologist John Stonestreet for Saturday, May 5th at Medinah Baptist Church. Mr. Stonestreet is s a dynamic speaker and the award-winning author of “Making Sense of Your World” and his newest offer: “A Practical Guide to Culture.”

Join us for a wonderful opportunity to take enhance your biblical worldview and equip you to more effectively engage the culture.

Click HERE to learn more or to register!

Scripture calls God’s people to pray before battle, to hand our cares and insurmountable odds over to the Father.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

We are also reminded repeatedly that the battle is primarily spiritual in nature: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 10:3).

Over 400 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Nehemiah set a great example for us in this current day. His mission was to rebuild the wall around the “city” of Jerusalem, as the “City of God” was in ruins.

Nehemiah served as the cup bearer for Persian King Artaxerxes. Yes, he was the food and beverage taster. If Nehemiah tasted the entreé and keeled over dead, prudence would suggest not eating the food. Other than his questionable choice in careers, Nehemiah was an ordinary guy.

But what made Nehemiah extraordinary was the Lord God of Israel who tasked Nehemiah with rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.

The Lord knew Nehemiah was a man of great character and a man of great zeal for God who’s prayer and action accomplished great things because of his reliance on God’s miraculous intervention.

God had created Nehemiah to be planner and organizer, and everything Nehemiah endeavored began with prayer.

Sanballat (governor of nearby Samaria), Tobiah the Ammonite and others ridiculed Nehemiah. They plotted to kill the Jews and stop construction of the wall. The people of the tribe of Judah, laboring to build the wall, were fatigued and frightened for their lives.

The story unfolds in Nehemiah chapter 4 verses 7-17:

But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.

After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other.

Nehemiah and the Jews, through prayer and obedience, built that wall. They relied on God Almighty’s strength and protection (the mighty weapon of prayer), and also wielded physical weapons — spears, shields, bows and armor. What a tremendous picture for believers today facing impossible odds in the world’s eyes!

Nehemiah, leaning on the Lord, rallied the Jews and reminded them where their true strength and protection came from.

A crucial verse within the book of Nehemiah:

Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:19-20)

We can learn from faithful, prayerful Nehemiah.

Sanballat, Tobiah, and all the other enemies could not frustrate their work building the wall because they were called by God to construct that wall and because, due to their obedience, God fought for them!

These words should be our battle cry:

Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.

Today, we are called to be salt and light in a nation that has been richly blessed by the Almighty. In our constitutional republic, we are to select servant leaders to serve in public capacity. Elections provide the opportunity to vote for people of character who will maintain our liberties, which, in turn, allow our calling to continue.

We’re instructed, like Nehemiah of old, to pray and take up the weapons God has given us:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

One week from today, on Tuesday March 20, the people of Illinois will go to the polls and choose their party nominees.

Let’s follow Nehemiah’s example and begin praying now!

Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.

Remember “Our God will fight for us” if we are obedient and fervently call on His help.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

And remember the words of the prophet Elisha to the frightened King of Israel (they were surrounded by enemy armies):

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:16-17)

Please join with us and other faithful Christians throughout the state in fervent prayer from now until the election! And pray with the certain knowledge that our God will fight for us!

We will also be joining others in a fast for the 3 days leading up to the election – March 18th, 19th and 20th. More information is forthcoming.

Thirty-nine years past the deadline to ratify, voted down thirteen times by former Illinois lawmakers, and with five states having rescinded their passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), but the ERA will not die because proponents will not give up.

Here’s what the ERA actually says:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

The ERA says nothing about women and has nothing to do with equal rights for women. If it did, it would be an unnecessary duplication of the Fourteenth Amendment which guarantees equal protection under the law. It does, however, have everything to do with abortion, specifically the elimination of all abortion restrictions.

After Connecticut passed a state ERA, the Connecticut State Supreme Court stated, “Since only women become pregnant, discrimination against pregnancy by not funding abortions… is sex-oriented discrimination…. The Court concludes that the regulation that restricts the funding of abortions… violates Connecticut’s Equal Rights Amendment” (Doe v. Maher).

After New Mexico passed a state ERA, the New Mexico State Supreme Court ordered the state to pay for Medicaid abortions, saying the state could not differentiate between abortions and medical procedures sought by men (New Mexico Right to Choose, NARAL, et al v. Johnson).

For evidence that the ERA is centrally about unrestricted abortion access, look to Wisconsin and Minnesota where ERA proponents themselves killed state ERA’s because they included abortion-neutral clauses.

The elimination of legal recognition of sex differences will be used as a basis to justify unrestricted abortion, but it will also be used by the “trans” community. As IFI’s Laurie Higgins wrote, “What the ERA will do is prohibit the public recognition of sexual differentiation, and we all know who really wants to pretend that biological sex has no meaning.”

Last year ERA proponents focused on passing legislation that requires taxpayer-funding of abortions (HB 40) and were successful. This year their focus is on passing the ERA.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to email your state lawmakers to urge them to oppose the ERA, SJRCA 4.

Please educate your friends and family members on the ERA. Ask them to educate others. Make an appointment to meet with your state rep and senator. We will gladly provide the talking points. To find your state lawmakers, click on Officials Finder at www.illinoisfamily.org or call the IFI office 708-781-9328.

RESCHEDULED: IFI Worldview Conference May 5th

We have rescheduled our annual Worldview Conference featuring well-know apologist John Stonestreet for Saturday, May 5th at Medinah Baptist Church. Mr. Stonestreet is s a dynamic speaker and the award-winning author of “Making Sense of Your World” and his newest offer: “A Practical Guide to Culture.”

Join us for a wonderful opportunity to take enhance your biblical worldview and equip you to more effectively engage the culture.

Click HERE to learn more or to register!

Unfortunately, due to the 8 to 12 inches of snow coming to the area, the World View Conference with John Stonestreet has been CANCELLED. We plan to reschedule the event and will let you know as soon as we have a date. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Join us on February 10, 2018, in the northwest suburbs of Chicago for the annual IFI Worldview Conference featuring John Stonestreet, the president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and BreakPoint Radio co-host.

Studies have shown that only 17 percent of professing Christians have a biblical worldview. Because of this, today’s believers live very similarly to the unbelieving world. It can be seen in the world’s relentless pursuit of finding significance outside of God in meaningless temporal pursuits. We are drifting away from God and His purpose for us as a people and a nation. In short, we have forgotten God (Isaiah 17:10).

Secularism has a firm grip on our nation, influencing our churches — even at many “Christian” colleges. It is a sad truth that secularism, the “religion” of the Left, is having a much greater influence on the culture than is orthodox Christianity, which explains why so many churches look, feel, and sound much like the world around us.

Having a solid, consistent Christian worldview has never been more important than it is now as our culture is rapidly embracing a temporal, non-biblical value system.

Please join us for a wonderful opportunity to strengthen your biblical worldview and become better equipped to effectively engage the culture.

Click HERE to learn more or to register!

10 AM – 3:30 PM 

Medinah Baptist Church (map)
900 Foster Avenue, Medinah, IL 60157

$20 per person/$50 per family 

Free admission with a student ID

Illinois Family Institute will be printing a limited number of the 2018 Primary Election Voter Guide. The suggested donation to cover the cost of printing and shipping is $25 per hundred.

Take ACTION:  CLICK HERE to place your bulk order for the printed IFI Voter Guide to distribute to your church, civic group, neighbors and family.

Hopefully all of your friends, neighbors and fellow church congregants are registered to vote.  The registration deadline for the March 20th Primary Election is February 20th.

People who have moved or changed their name need to re-register. Teens who turn 18 on or before November 6th can register.

Consider engaging citizens who have not voted in the past to become actively involved in impacting our nation’s future!

Voter registration has never been easier!  You can now register to vote online at the Illinois Board of Election.

Then help educate Illinois voters by distributing IFI’s 2018 Voter Guide. These Voter Guides are non-partisan educational pieces that report the positions of candidates on important issues such as life, marriage and other issues that directly affect your family. IFI’s Voter Guides do not endorse or oppose any candidate or political party and are legal for distribution in churches under IRS guidelines.

Illinois is a very large state and we need your help to get the IFI Voter Guide into every church that is concerned about the direction our state and nation are heading. Would you ask your pastor if your church will take the IFI Voter Guide?

Spread the Word!

Do you have friends or acquaintances who could benefit from IFI’s informational emails and action alerts? If you do, please forward this article to them and encourage them to subscribe our e-mail list! It is only because of concerned citizens like you that we are able to continue promoting pro-family values in the Prairie State.

Thank you for helping us to reach more families!