There are 1.85 million public school students in grades K to 12 in Illinois. Of those, 1.2 million of them, 65 percent, cannot read at grade level, and 1.4 million, 76 percent, do not have math skills at grade level. Did you know that?

When you’ve already achieved the status as one of the most radically pro-abortion states in the nation, what’s left to do? Export your agenda, of course! That’s what Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is doing with his newly established nonprofit, Think Big America.

In John 15:12-13 Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Whether it is a husband protecting his wife, a mother protecting her children, or a friend protecting another friend, being willing to die for someone because of your love for them is a noble cause. On Veterans Day we have the opportunity to recognize the men and women who put their lives on the line for their family, neighbors, and fellow Americans.

With Mike Johnson’s selection as the new Speaker of the House, the attacks were instantaneous. One criticism directed at the new Speaker was that he routinely violates the “separation of church and state.”  If the accusers had any knowledge of American history, they would not quickly raise such an issue against a Baptist.

Riley Gaines is back in the news. After her patently unfair college competition against "transgender" swimmer Lia Thomas, she has been crossing the country speaking out against men competing in women’s college sports. And unsurprisingly, many progressives are outraged at a woman who dares to speak the truth about womanhood.

Which side are you on? Do you know? There are only two. From the moment you get up in the morning until you go to sleep at night, you take one side or the other.

Does it feel like you've woken up to yet another day fighting the cultural dumpster fire? You're not alone. Many faithful brothers and sisters are fighting alongside you. But it's not enough to keep monotonously throwing water on the fire—it's sometimes important to step back and study just how the fire’s progressing. Only then can you know where best to attack.

As he lists off the groups of fighting men who joined David in Hebron, the writer of 1 Chronicles gives the men of Issachar a special description: they understood the times and they knew what Israel ought to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). Although we live in a much different context, I think the overarching principle ought to be applied to us as well. It's important for us to understand our times and know what we ought to do. As a matter of fact, knowing the right course of action often requires us to first understand our times. Spend a good while listening before speaking.

Kolby and Keegan Kemp are not among your best known names from the college football ranks. Both played the sport at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois—a school known for excellence on the gridiron and in academics. Moreover, a school steeped in the Christian faith. Kolby played wide receiver for his four years there. Younger brother Keegan was a quarterback and receiver.

Several essential characteristics separate humans from other mammals. The most significant among them is our complex reasoning ability. We can solve problems throughout the full range of our current awareness. We have a powerful capability to observe, collect, and analyze facts. We can formulate theories and design meticulous studies to test them out. And we can debate the meaning of the findings of those studies.

f you haven’t noticed, immigration has been a much hotter topic in Illinois news recently. As waves of migrants are bused up to Illinois from the southern border and as they try to find living space in shelters, airports and even police stations, Chicago and other cities are seriously struggling to find room for them all.

In a July 2010, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation featured a story by Ginger Gorman about a homosexual couple’s efforts to become parents. Peter Truong and Mark Newton of Queensland, Australia were celebrated as loving, caring, gay parents of their son, Boy 1.

Given the moral and fiscal bankruptcy of our state and so much of our nation, we might ask, “Are we as conservative Christians in Illinois good for nothing?” It may feel that no matter what we do, our witness and work bear no fruit. But it does not need to be that way.

In a sense, many of today's conservative Christians have an inferiority complex. Just mention higher education, the mainstream media, or the political dynamics of any major city in the U.S., and you'll likely be met with a series of sighs and slow head-shakes about how rigged everything seems to be against conservative voices.

“America's Chaplain” and Illinois Pastor, Steve Lee, now has a GiveSendGo account to collect funds for his legal defense: www.GiveSendGo.com/ChaplainLee. We at Illinois Family Institute have been raising funds for him too, collecting tax-deductible donations at www.IllinoisFamily.org/Contribute and letting people designate to the Pastor Lee Legal Defense cause.