All around us the dark clouds seem to be descending on our society and on our culture. It is clear that our children and grandchildren will grow up, live and work in a world vastly different from our own. It is a world that we can hardly recognize when compared to our own youth or childhood of play, church dinners, afternoon ball games, and family gatherings. 

Churches throughout Illinois are preparing for this upcoming Easter Sunday. Also known in Christendom as Resurrection Day. It is most certainly the most important of Christian celebrations on the calendar. I mean, what could possibly be more significant and impressive than a man crucified in front of witnesses come back to life a few days later?

There is no doubt about it. Satan is busy selling lies to our culture. Part of his agenda is to get people to doubt who they are created to be, their callings from God, and how He has gifted them to bless others. Today, we have scores of young people who are questioning whether they are male or female... some even identifying with a plethora of other so-called "genders."

It is quite unfortunate that the most important date on the Christian calendar is misnamed! While of uncertain origin, the best guesses are that the title “Easter” is derived from a pagan religion, but that is a subject for another time. My point is, however, that the name gives no indication of the reason for the holiday in the first place, which is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most Americans see the date as a time for easter egg hunts or to enjoy Spring.

We ended the last piece in the middle of our discussion of the biblical benefits of homeschooling. Jesus tells us that every student, when he is trained fully, will be like his master (Luke 6:40), which prompts us to ask: what kind of masters are my children being trained by? We discussed the godless ideas permeating the public school classroom, but education is more than just ideas. It also involves people. So let's also consider more than just the lessons being taught; what about the people teaching them?

Commenting on a Finland-based study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Oskari Lahtinen, the author of the study, said, “The gender divide was probably most surprising to me. Three out of five women view ‘woke’ ideas positively, but only one out of seven men.”

In a recent piece together, we explored one of the major benefits of homeschooling that greatly impacted me as a student: the freedom that my parents had to tailor my education to my needs. I know many other homeschool families have reaped this benefit from homeschooling as well. Homeschooling parents are able to educate their children according to their individual needs and aptitudes, which often results in a more rigorous and productive education than the standard fare in the public school system.

Have you noticed how few campaign ads are running on radio and television? In some communities, it is hard not to notice that there are fewer campaign signs on parkways and lawns. And that is especially true in southern Illinois. In this Primary Election cycle there is a striking lack of competition for a majority of state legislative districts.

Hard to believe is was four years ago when the dreaded COVID-19 virus scare virtually shut down America. You recall those days, right? Limited groups were allowed in stores. Schools were doing remote learning. Restaurants had restricted space or even outdoor-only seating. Family events were cancelled, including big weddings and farewell funeral gatherings. 

I often wonder why I torture myself. Each weekday afternoon, I try to stay somewhat literate in what is happening in our world by watching the evening network news. Most every day, I regret it. 

Every American citizen has, among other things, the right and responsibility to vote. If too many fail to take this responsibility seriously, it allows for a few, with bad intentions, to transform the state into an oligarchy or dictatorship!

I've been blessed to write several dozen articles for IFI on topics ranging from transgender bathrooms to sports gambling to the politically correct concept of "ableism." It's been a very fun ride. But, peering back through it all—the rants on the artificial fertility lobby and the exposés of abortion politics, the laments over the modern denial of science and the abandonment of logic—I still think back to the very first article I ever wrote for the Institute: COVID Boosted Idea of Educational Freedom.

Last year I was at lunch with an evangelist. After the meal, he handed our waitress a Gospel tract. I wanted to reinforce his compassion, so I told the young lady that her relationship with God was the most important thing in the world. She responded, “Yeah, that and global warming!” She proceeded to tell us that she wakes up in fear of what may happen to the earth during her lifetime. I was shocked.

America is divided, but you already knew that.  There is no place for coming together in many of its disagreements.  The differences are polar opposites, and neither side is willing to yield ground.  This presents a very serious, if not existential, threat to the nation.  Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus Christ noted that, “A nation divided against itself cannot stand.”

No doubt Elmo had good intentions. The Muppets have filled our homes with plenty of good laughs and good times over the years. The Muppet movies are worth investing the 90 minutes of time to watch the illustrious Kermit the Frog and friends seek a life of fame and fortune.