Articles by David E. Smith
By David E. Smith
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11.10.22
In this excerpt from IFI’s interview with Professor Carl Trueman, author of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Pastor Derek Buikema’s asks why, “in some places mainline Christianity” has come to affirm sin. Dr. Trueman identifies two factors as integral to this apostasy: freedom of religion and the church’s “vocabulary of love.”
By David E. Smith
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11.05.22
We know you have likely been reminded multiple times over the past several weeks of the importance of this election and your participation in our government "of the people, by the people and for the people." Thank you for your patience with these repetitive messages! Soon, the opportunity to vote in this election will be over. The messaging will stop. The decisions will have been made.
By David E. Smith
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10.03.22
In this fifth excerpt from Pastor Derek Buikema’s interview with Dr. Carl Trueman for Illinois Family Institute, Dr. Trueman touches on a serious problem with contemporary preaching that reflects both a “consumerist” mindset and the ideology of “expressive individualism.”
By David E. Smith
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09.22.22
In his interview with Dr. Carl Trueman for Illinois Family Institute, Pastor Derek Buikema asked how Christians may be inadvertently capitulating to “expressive individualism.”
By David E. Smith
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09.08.22
In an alarming new trend, and in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the contrived “right” to abortion, more men and women are choosing permanent sterilization. According to an article published by the LA Times, if women were already planning not to have kids, they decided to get sterilized sooner, or they were thinking more intensely about sterilization after the Dobbs decision was leaked.
By David E. Smith
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08.31.22
Labor Day is approaching, and summer will soon give way to autumn. Many of us look forward to the change of seasons, watching the leaves change color, breathing in the crisp morning air, and picking apples with our kids or grandkids. We surmise too that many, like the IFI staff, look forward to a strong pendulum swing in the election on November 8th. In this season and every day the Good Lord grants us breath, Christians should be praying fervently for God's mercy on our state and nation. We urge prayers especially for God-fearing, pro-life candidates to prevail in this election cycle.
By David E. Smith
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08.29.22
There are currently 11 casinos operating in Illinois: Rockford, East Peoria, Alton, Rock Island, Elgin, Metropolis, Aurora, East St. Louis, Joliet Hollywood, Joliet Harrah's and Des Plaines. There are 5 more being planned or built, in Danville, Carterville, Homewood, Chicago and Waukegan.
By David E. Smith
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08.22.22
Derek Buikema, lead pastor of Orland Park Christian Reformed Church in Orland Park, Illinois interviewed one of the most influential Christian thinkers in America today, Grove City College Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies Carl Trueman, for Illinois Family Institute.... In this second part of Pastor Buikema’s interview, Dr. Trueman confirms the sense many people have that we truly are living in “unprecedented times,” and explores the reasons why this historical moment is unprecedented.
By David E. Smith
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08.13.22
IFI was blessed to be able to interview Grove City College professor of biblical and religious studies and author of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution Dr. Carl Trueman last fall when he was the keynote speaker at the annual Touchstone Conference... His landmark book has been lauded by cultural critics from Rod Dreher to Ben Shapiro to Al Mohler.
By David E. Smith
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06.28.22
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision which fabricated the “right to privacy,” making abortion legal throughout the nation.
The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, centered around...
By David E. Smith
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06.21.22
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a decisive victory for religious freedom and school choice this morning in a 6-3 ruling in the Carson v. Makin case.
By David E. Smith
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05.21.22
The Bible is not outdated; sinful man is. God’s Word remains true and sufficient for every generation, every culture, and every issue we face. When societies reject Scripture, confusion, moral decay, and disorder inevitably follow.
By David E. Smith
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05.03.22
The BIG news of the week has been confirmed by Chief Justice John Roberts -- the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade in the very near future, possibly by the end of June. In a news release from the High Court, however, they were careful to point out that, although the leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito is authentic, "it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case." In other words, the ruling is not official yet.
By David E. Smith
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04.09.22
In Part 5 of IFI’s interview with theologian Dr. Peter Leithart, Pastor Derek Buikema asks him to explain what the Theopolis Institute, which Dr. Leithart co-founded, is. In this brief segment, Dr. Leithart shares the ultimate goal of the Theopolis Institute and what is needed by the church to attain it.
By David E. Smith
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04.02.22
In Part 4 of Illinois Family Institute’s interview with theologian Dr. Peter Leithart, Pastor Derek Buikema asks what God is revealing to us in this “apocalyptic time.” Dr. Leithart briefly discusses contemporary ideas about the self and self-actualization that have the appearance of liberation but have led to diverse pathologies. And Dr. Leithart shares the problems long “percolating” under the surface in churches that are now being revealed.
