ILFamilyInstitute

There has been a lot of media buzz recently about in-vitro fertilization – or IVF for short. The ripple effects of a recent Alabama State Supreme Court ruling (8 to 1) declared that frozen human embryos are human beings and are entitled to civil rights protections.

"If we believe, as Christian pro-lifers, that these humans are made in the image of God... Then we shouldn't be treating these little human beings like this." ~Allie Beth Stuckey There has been a lot of buzz recently about in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in the wake of a recent Alabama state supreme decision which declared that frozen human embryos are human beings and are entitled to civil rights protections. Now, there is no doubt that IVF has been a blessing to many women who have had fertility problems. Thanks to this wonderful medical technology there have been more than one million babies born in the U.S. using IVF – that’s approximately 60K babies born annually. We celebrate these precious lives! However, as Allie Beth Stuckey points out in this short video segment, Christians must pause to think deeply about the downside to IVF treatments. Have we thought biblically about the ethics of creating dozens of human embryos knowing that more than 60 percent of them will either be miscarried or discarded? If we believe that life begins at conception, and we know that an embryo is the initial stage of life, we should be concerned at how some -- including the corporate media -- is spinning this issue. After all, each one of us started our lives as an embryo. The callous disregard of frozen human embryos is a pro-life issue that we should care about.

HB 4876 was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly on February 7th by State Representative Anne Stava-Murray (D-Downers Grove). This proposal would amend the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act by criminalizing any parent who would deny their child “access to necessary medical care, including, but not limited to, primary care services, abortion services, or gender-affirming services.” Laura Ingraham calls attention to this usurpation of parental rights by interviewing Jeannette Cooper, a Chicago resident and mother who lost custody of her daughter in 2019 for asking questions rather than affirming her child’s “gender identity.” Take ACTION: Send a message to your state representative demanding that this godless usurpation of parental authority be quashed. Please be as bold as you think is appropriate, but respectfully so. Click HERE: https://www.votervoice.net/ILFI/Campaigns/111717/Respond

"Even Dr. Phil now gets it, that attempting to transition a child to the other sex is madness. You know who doesn’t get it? Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the entire Democratic Party leadership. And who else doesn’t get it? Every Christian who votes for, or fails to cast an effective vote against, these child abusers." ~Dr. Robert A.J. Gagnon

The number of Chinese migrants entering the US at the southern border has reached a record high — sparking national security concerns over possible spies. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 24,000 Chinese illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border last fiscal year, making the group the fastest-growing demographic crossing into the United States there. According to this Fox News Channel report by Bill Melugin, there have been more than 20,000 Chinses nationalists encountered at the southern border in the last four months. This represents a 4,000% increase from 2021 — which saw only 450 Chinese nationalist were encountered — and exceeds the total for the entire previous decade combined.

NPR Washington Desk - President Biden gave a fiery defense of his mental acuity at the White House on Thursday evening (01/09/2024) after a U.S. Justice Department special counsel delivered a report that described him as an "elderly man with a poor memory" who had trouble remembering timelines. Biden emphasized that the DOJ concluded he should not be charged over classified documents found in his home and an office — and quoted sections of the report that contrasted his behavior with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces federal charges related to retention of classified documents. Biden blamed his staff for the documents being in the wrong places, and said he should have overseen their efforts more closely. He angrily responded to special counsel Robert Hur's description of a portion of an interview in which Hur said Biden seemed to not remember when his son, Beau, died. "How in the hell dare he raise that?" Biden said, adding it was "none of their damn business," and choking up with emotion. "I don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away," he said. He said that Hur's description did not belong in the report. "They don't know what they're talking about," he said. Beau Biden died in 2015. Asked by a reporter about the description of being "a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory," Biden said: "I'm well meaning and I'm an elderly man and I know what I'm doing." Asked if his memory had become worse, he said: "My memory is fine." But when he answered a question about current hostage negotiations with Israel and Hamas, Biden mistakenly said that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt was the "president of Mexico." In recent days in off-camera events, Biden has thrice mixed up names of foreign leaders, calling French President Emmanuel Macron "Mitterrand" and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel "Helmut Kohl." François Mitterrand and Kohl were former leaders of France and Germany, respectively. Read more: https://www.npr.org/2024/02/08/1230290474/biden-classified-documents-response

Bishop E.W. Jackson has a strong message about the importance of natural family.

Karl Benzio, MD, is a board certified psychiatrist who loves Jesus. As the co-founder and medical director of a unique Christian residential treatment facility, Dr. Karl has seen the whole gamut of destruction caused by addiction bondage. Using his expertise in decision-making sciences, Dr. Karl has implemented a special treatment philosophy that is Christ-centered, Bible-based, and clinically cutting edge to help people renew their minds and transform their lives. Please watch and listen to Dr. Benzio's presentation to better understand the problems and snares that exist in our culture. Parents and grandparents will especially want to listen and learn effective ways to help our child remain drug-free.

Bryn Spejcher, a 32 year-old woman stabbed her date 108 times in a marijuana induced psychotic episode. Evidently, all it took was two hits of high potency THC in a water bong. According to an article in the LA Times, Bryn also "turned the knife on herself and her dog." The relationship between high potency TCH in today's marijuana and psychiatric disorders is becoming painfully evident. THC intoxication can also induce a temporary psychotic episode in some individuals, especially at high doses. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/references

Bishop E. W. Jackson is the founder of the conservative nonprofit S.T.A.N.D. (Staying True to America's National Destiny). Bishop Jackson is a national conservative evangelical leader who argues that America's crises are the result of departure from faith in God and the Biblical principles which founded America. Like many Christians, Jackson believes that the key to saving the country is repentance before God - especially for the sins of abortion, homosexuality and transgenderism.

Under the guise of closing the “achievement gap” between students of European ancestry and those of African and Latino heritage, victims of a government school in Illinois are being put into classes segregated by race. Yes, really. Apparently, “education” officials believe eliminating all white students from class will help non-whites perform better, or so they say. Lawyers for the district north of Chicago claim that because the white-free classes are optional, laws forbidding segregation and racial discrimination do not apply.

Former U.S. Border Patrol Chief Ron Vitiello calls out the president's response to the border crisis on 'America Reports.' On Monday, December 18th, officials at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a record number of migrants at the Eagle Pass sector of the southern border, with over 12,600 apprehensions in a single day. The daily surge along the southern border - especially at the Eagle Pass sector - has fluctuated. However, throughout the Biden Administration, the CBP continues to encounter large numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border. In fiscal year 2023, CBP apprehended over 2 million migrants at the border, the highest number in two decades.

In January 2022, Jack Smith's team secretly obtained a subpoena from a judge to access Donald Trump's Twitter account information. This included direct messages, deleted tweets, and other data, potentially revealing who liked his tweets and who he interacted with. Twitter initially resisted, claiming they needed to notify Trump first. This was taken up to an appellate court where it led to a $350,000 fine against Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk.

A brief historical and philosophical analysis of the role of science and medicine in the current times. *This lecture is from the 2021 Live Trinity Health Freedom Expo

Eric Metaxas is, among other things, a New York Times #1 bestselling author, speaker, host of a nationally-syndicated radio show, and a strong Christian conservative whose wit, clarity, and stubborn optimism make him a much sought-after voice in this cultural moment. Eric’s sense of humor has allowed him to contribute his creative genius and voice to various VeggieTales productions and a long list of children’s books... His sense of humor is in no way limited to kids’ spaces but rather a feature of both his writing and his speaking, bringing levity to even the most intense topics and conversations. "Letter to The American Church" is Eric’s most recent book, functioning as a clarion call to believers across the nation not to repeat the mistakes of German Christians during the rise of the Third Reich. As informed by the extensive research he conducted while writing Bonhoeffer, Eric brings to this new book his expertise on the cultural and spiritual mood of 1930s Germany, which largely made possible Hitler’s rise and the genocide of millions. In the face of a darkening and confused culture, Eric Metaxas makes a career out of bringing both encouragement and a challenge to believers. He calls for Christians of conviction to stand firm, speak the truth, and do so with the hope that comes from our faith in the gospel. Eric is a happy warrior for the application of a Christian worldview to every aspect of our lives.

Eliana Hartian and Eric Rose sang three songs for us: The National Anthem to start the evening, "Be Thou My Vision" for the appeal time, and "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" to close out the night. Find Eric's music at: https://www.ericcrose.com/ and Eliana's music at: https://elianahartian.com/

Andrew Klavan's sarcastic & irreverent humor isn't everyone's cup of tea - but it is hard to argue that his satirical take on current issues doesn't help to put current issues in perspective while exposing the absurdity of Leftist thinking. In this case, pro-Hamas, anti-Semitic protests from certain Democrats.

Please join us in praying for Israel as they war against the terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

NOW WITH SOUND!! The Illinois Freedom Caucus today held on Monday (10/2/23) to demand answers to some of the concerns Manteno residents have with a Chinese company building a battery plant in their community. The Chinese company Gotion High-Tech Co. is in line for $ 7.5 billion in federal tax credits over five years, while the State of Illinois is kicking in an additional $536 million in subsidies to build the plant. The cost to build the plant is $2 billion and the subsidies add up to an astounding $3 million per job. “Manteno may not be in our districts, but the people of this community deserve to have their voices heard,” said State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). “This deal was negotiated in secret without the input of Manteno residents. The Governor needs to answer their questions and address their concerns.” State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) said it defies common-sense to make a deal with a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party without requiring any kind of disclosures. He said China’s human rights abuses make them a bad-faith partner in business deals.

The United States is experiencing it's 30th straight month of record breaking incursion along the southwest border of foreign nationals illegally immigrating into the country. The southern border in Texas has become ground zero in a humanitarian crisis created by the Biden Administration's neglect of immigration law. The situation mess is characterized by a large influx of migrants, mostly from Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti, who are seeking better economic opportunities in the United States. Border Patrol agents are also encountering larger numbers of immigrants from China, Uzbekistan, Syria, and Lebanon.

During a U.S. House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) emphatically complained to Attorney General Merrick Garland that there is growing fear of government persecution among Americans, saying at one point, "It's like KGB." In a Tweet later, she points out: "As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, I’m disturbed by the fact that so many hardworking Americans—including my constituents—are afraid of political persecution by our own government. Unfortunately, it does not seem like AG Garland is."