Articles by David E. Smith
REMINDER: Matching Grant Will DOUBLE Your Gift!
By David E. Smith   |   12.20.23
As we go into the Christmas weekend, I wanted to send a quick email reminder out about the opportunity we have to rise up and recommit to fight for the biblical truth in the public square in 2024.
Pastor Doug Wilson: Sanity as Insurrection
By David E. Smith   |   11.30.23
Sanity as Insurrection was the title of the final session of the 2019 Illinois Family Institute Worldview Conference on the “trans” ideology. In this presentation, Pastor Doug Wilson stressed the importance of asking sane questions, —  queries that strike at the heart of the matter, when we engage in debate with our adversaries because “deliberate and premeditated sanity is a challenge to the powers that be.”
Rosaria Butterfield: Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age
By David E. Smith   |   11.22.23
We highly recommend this video for you and your family. Rosaria Butterfield—a former lesbian college professor and apologist for homosexuality—as she delivers a stunning Christian response to transgenderism, feminism, and the homosexual movement at the annual conference of the Association of Classical Christian Schools last July. Her presentation is taken from her new book, "Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age."
UN Report Attacks U.S. Constitution & God-Given Rights
By David E. Smith   |   11.20.23
A United Nations “human rights” committee investigation into the United States concluded that the U.S. Constitution should be changed and the U.S. government should impose additional infringements on free speech and gun rights to comply with UN agreements, explains The New American Senior Editor Alex Newman in this must watch episode of Behind The Deep State.
IFI Annual Banquet Approaching!
By David E. Smith   |   10.03.23
The largest gathering of Christian conservatives in the Land of Lincoln will take place on Friday, November 3rd at the Bolingbrook Country Club! Join us on this special night to hear from our keynote speaker, the ineffable Eric Metaxas, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Martin Luther, If You Can Keep It, Bonhoeffer, Amazing Grace, and Miracles.
IFI Prayer Team: We Must Turn Back to God
By David E. Smith   |   09.28.23
We invite you and faithful Christians across the state to join us in prayer for our state and nation. Understanding that the problems and challenges that we face as a culture are not political in nature, but primarily spiritual. As such, fervent prayer and fasting is the best way to engage in this spiritual warfare.
IFI Prayer Warriors Needed!
By David E. Smith   |   09.25.23
We know that the many cultural battles we face today are spiritual battles that cannot be won by relying on our own strength and methods. In truth, these battles must first and continually be waged through prayer to our holy, righteous and merciful God. Please consider volunteering to be part of the IFI Prayer Team.
UPDATE: Pro-Life Billboard 2023
By David E. Smith   |   09.16.23
Last week we sent out an email appeal hoping to raise $10,000 for our Pro-Life Billboard fund. Illinois Family Institute is partnering with other pro-life advocates who are offering us deep discounts to post our message in prominent spots in...
You Can Help Children Flourish!
By David E. Smith   |   09.14.23
Teacher union lobbyists and government employees work against every school choice bill and scholarship program they can; they reject the need for parental control over their children’s education. In doing so, they flatly dismiss the ability of parents to educate their own children or even to make viable decisions on their behalf.
On Mission from God
By David E. Smith   |   09.09.23
The 1980 The Blues Brothers movie centered on a quest to raise property tax money to save an orphanage from being closed down. Though targeted by a homicidal mystery woman, Neo-Nazis, and a country western band, and relentlessly pursued by Illinois State Troopers, they repeatedly reminded themselves that they were on “a mission from God.”
IFI Prayer Team: Grow in Grace and Knowledge of Jesus
By David E. Smith   |   08.31.23
Andrew Carnegie said, “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” But Scripture tells us in Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” And in Colossians 3:2 we are told to “set our minds on the things above, and not on the things of this world.”
Our Duty to Influence Politics and Public Policy
By David E. Smith   |   08.27.23
If Christians do not speak publicly about moral and ethical issues facing a nation, where will our political leaders find moral guidance? Without Biblically informed Christian influence, government officials will have no clear moral compass. Think about all the issues that come up in our legislatures and/or government bureaucracies that are issues of moral right wrong.
Frequent Marijuana Use Linked to Mental Illness
By David E. Smith   |   08.21.23
A recent study from Denmark adds to concerns about the impact of marijuana upon users’ mental health. According to a Wall Street Journal op-ed by psychologist Susan Pinker, a mammoth study of the health records of all 6.5 million Danes over a 26-year period showed a strong correlation between cannabis (marijuana) use disorder and various mental health diagnoses.
Attention Pastors: The “Lemon Test” Was Overturned
By David E. Smith   |   08.11.23
Did you know? When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Joe Kennedy, the high school football coach who fought for his right to pray after games, they overturned a decision that had long restricted religious expression in public schools. This was a historically significant ruling that restores the civil rights of teachers, coaches and employees across America to live out their faith and pray on a public school campus.
Misogyny: YMCA Springfield Puts Women Last
By David E. Smith   |   07.15.23
The Illinois Freedom Caucus held a press conference on Thursday, July 13th in order to bring attention to the misogynic woke fiasco at the YMCA in Springfield, Illinois. Specifically, these state lawmakers gathered in support of 16-year-old Abbigail Wheeler who was forced to share a locker room with a biological male and then kicked off her swim team after she complained about it.
David E. Smith
Executive Director
David  E. Smith

Dave Smith is the executive director of Illinois Family Institute (501c3) and Illinois Family Action (501c4).

Follow Dave on X: @ProFamilyIL

David has almost 35 years of experience in public policy and grass-roots activism that includes countless interviews for numerous radio, television, cable programs and newspaper articles on topics such as the sanctity of life, natural marriage, broadcast decency, sex education, marijuana, gambling, abortion, homosexuality, tax policy, drug decriminalization and pornography.

He and his wife of 31 years are blessed with eight children, many of whom they homeschool. They believe their first God-given responsibility is to disciple their children—cultivating a love for God through faithful teaching and obedient living. Research consistently affirms that parents, ideally a mother and father, are the primary influencers in a child’s life. True discipleship involves sound doctrine, love for God and others, and a life lived in faithful obedience, all with the aim of raising healthy, productive individuals who honor God and love their neighbors.

Dave has also served as a precinct committeeman and served as an elder in his local church.

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