Sound of Hope: A True Story of How a Texas Church Transformed Their Community by Adopting Abused and Neglected Children
By Kathy Athearn   |   08.07.24
As God’s people, we seek to share the gospel and glorify Him –being salt and light in a lost and dark world. One way that the Holy Spirit seems to be increasingly working through His Church is through movies and television shows, including those produced by Angel Studios such as The Chosen, Sound of Freedom, and now Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.
Attention Parents: Illinois Has Horrible Proficiency Rates
By Kathy Athearn   |   06.10.24
A devasting new report from researchers at Wirepoints, a nonpartisan, Illinois-based research and news organization, reveals that Illinois is failing its children and their families. Students are failing math on a widescale level. A mere 27% of Illinois students are able to solve math problems at their grade level. An astonishing 1.4 million children are not proficient in math.
Social Media Created a Mental Health Epidemic in Kids
By Kathy Athearn   |   04.29.24
Most parents and teachers have noticed the severe increase in depression and anxiety among young children and teenagers over the last decade. Many have speculated that smartphones and social media cause these mental health and behavior problems. It turns out that they were right.
Embryo Adoption: A Life-Affirming Option
By Kathy Athearn   |   03.13.24
Since the Alabama Supreme Court ruled on February 16 that frozen embryos should be recognized and protected as unborn children, Democrats have wrongfully alleged that Republicans want to “ban” in vitro fertilization (IVF). Even President Biden made this accusation during the State of the Union address last Thursday. However, this is not true. Republicans are not wanting to ban IVF.
Edwardsville HS: Installing Multi-gender, Multi-stall Bathroom
By Kathy Athearn   |   02.16.24
This September, Edwardsville H.S. will begin construction on its building to include multi-stall, unisex bathrooms... Doing so will force girls to share bathrooms with boys and vice versa – all in an effort to be more “inclusive” to transgender students. School Board officials decided to move forward with a bathroom remodel after HB 1286 was signed into law by Gov. Pritzker last year.
Illegal Immigrants Overrun ‘Free’ Buildings and Resources Recently Shut Down in Major Cities
By Kathy Athearn   |   02.15.24
Residents in cities across the United States are justifiably upset that their recently closed facilities are now being used by illegal immigrants at no charge to the immigrants. Adding to the frustration, these taxpayer-funded schools, health care clinics, and community recreation centers in low-income neighborhoods have been shut down largely because of city leaders’ fiscal irresponsibility.
“Illinois is Failing Children of Color?”
By Kathy Athearn   |   01.27.24
A recent news story by Chicago’s WGN9 is titled “Illinois is Failing Children of Color.” It examines  “Race for Results” –a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation which found that children of color face several “inequities” in Illinois.
Retired NFL Player Working to End Fatherlessness Crisis
By Kathy Athearn   |   01.12.24
Jack Brewer is a former NFL player who is passionate about ending fatherlessness in the United States. In 2006, he founded the Jack Brewer Foundation which includes, among other programs, the American Heroes Fatherhood Initiative (AHFI) which offers after-school programming and serves juveniles and adults who have been affected by the criminal justice system.
Kids Are Being Hospitalized for Consuming Hemp Products: Congress Should Make It Illegal
By Kathy Athearn   |   01.05.24
If you live in one of the 37 states where marijuana has been legalized, you have likely seen the number of cannabis shops in your area multiply quickly. Even small, rural towns contain three to five shops. We see billboards that warn drivers not to “drive high” — assuming that a lot of residents are high. (This is a much different message than what the Reagan administration taught kids: “Just say no” to drugs.)
A Response to Planned Parenthood’s Tips to Talking about Abortion Over the Holidays
By Kathy Athearn   |   12.26.23
Just before Thanksgiving, America’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, sent an email to its supporters, seeking to help them “open someone’s mind on sexual and reproductive rights”, aka abortion, during the holidays. The following is a response to their talking points:
Biden’s HHS Claims That Those Families Who Don’t Affirm LGBTQ+ Identification are “Unsafe” for Children in Foster Care
By Kathy Athearn   |   12.06.23
The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services Department (HHS) believes that Christians and others who hold traditional, moral values are not “safe” for children in foster care. At the end of September, they released a proposed rule of “safe and appropriate foster care placement requirements.”
Chicagoan, Mariyah Green, Stood Up for Religious Freedom in Schools and Won A Major Victory!
By Kathy Athearn   |   11.16.23
Mariyah Green, a 2020 graduate of Bogan High School (a part of Chicago Public Schools), was awarded $150,000 by the Clerk of Court from the Northern District of Illinois on October 23 because when she was a student, she was forced to participate in Hindu meditation which violated her Christian faith.
Jihad vs. Imago Dei: The Need to Teach Natural Law and a Biblical Worldview
By Kathy Athearn   |   10.25.23
As Dean of the Regent University School of Government, Michele Bachmann emphasized on the October 19 episode of Family Research Council’s “Washington Watch” that in addition to teaching accurate history (including the Holocaust and September 11, 2001), American schools and parents must teach Judeo-Christian values summed up in the Ten Commandments.
Oppose Federal Marijuana Legalization
By Kathy Athearn   |   10.11.23
A growing body of evidence proves that marijuana deeply harms individuals and society. Yet 37 states, including Illinois, have legalized it, and more states are working towards decriminalizing its use. Not surprisingly, heavily-funded Big Tobacco, Big Alcohol, and Big Pharma lobbyists in Washington, D.C. continue to work towards legalizing marijuana at the national level. We need your help to fight this national effort!
How Do We Advance Conservative Values in a Blue State?
By Kathy Athearn   |   10.01.23
When you’re a Christian with a biblical worldview and you live in one of the 17 “blue” states  like Illinois, the task of defeating anti-family, Marxist efforts can seem daunting. However, pro-family lobbyists are defeating Leftists’ efforts! The work that...
Kathy Athearn
Kathy Athearn

Kathy Athearn is a correspondence writer at Family Research Council. She is passionate about applying a biblical worldview to the public sphere. She and her husband live in West Michigan with their three children.

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