Illinois

Catholic Charities told an appellate court on Wednesday that the state was intending to take away all foster children under their care in a hurry to punish them for appealing a court ruling.

The state Department of Children and Family Services was planning to transfer all foster children under the care of Catholic Charities in the Dioceses of Springfield, Joliet and Belleville to secular or other religious agencies by Nov. 30, head of Belleville’s Catholic Charities Gary Huelsmann told the Appellate Court for the Fourth Judicial District in an affidavit.

DCFS, however, agreed to allow Catholic Charities of the Peoria Diocese to operate “business as usual” until Jan. 31, 2012, since that diocese had declined to join the appeal, he stated. more >>

A new Illinois Senate bill seeks to reinstate Catholic Charities' foster care and adoption contracts after the state Department of Children and Family Services dropped the group for not allowing gay and cohabitating couples to adopt children.

State Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon) introduced a bill to amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act to give faith-based agencies such as Catholic Charities the right to decline an adoption or a foster family home application if it violates the group's religious beliefs.

McCarter said the bill has a strong chance of passage. more >>

A Christian school in Illinois reported its glass entry door being smashed by bricks with hateful messages on them early Saturday morning.

The vandalism, recorded by Christian Liberty Academy’s security cameras, came on the eve of a banquet being hosted by the academy, a school run by the Church of Christian Liberty in Arlington Heights. The event, planned by Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), was designed to discuss the homosexual activist agenda, and to honor pro-family activist and author of The Pink Swastika, Dr. Scott Lively.

AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera, Church of Christian Liberty Pastor Calvin Lindstrom and the Chicago Independent Media Center received an email from the perpetrators of the attack a few hours after the incident. The email reads, “If this event is not shut down, and the homophobic day trainings do not end, the Christian Liberty Academy will continue to be under constant attack." more >>

An Illinois judge gave the state Department of Children and Family Services the go-ahead to begin canceling contracts with Catholic Charities. An officer of the long-standing ministry said it would continue to offer adoption services on its own terms.

Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge John Schmidt denied Catholic Charities' request to prevent the DCFS from canceling its foster care and adoption contracts.

The decision, made Sept. 26, puts the adoptive ministries of several dioceses at risk. Catholics Charities agencies in the dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria and Springfield currently provide placement services for 2,000 children. The state contracts, collectively worth $30 million, make up 80 percent of its foster care budget. more >>

LISLE, Ill. – Cops, gangs, drugs, death and tears? The latest film by Sherwood Pictures – the maker of “Fireproof” and “Facing the Giants” – is a tearjerker that aims at breaking down men and building them back up as “courageous” fathers and husbands.

Mixing typical movie elements that attract male viewers – a car chase scene and action sequences – the film “Courageous” tries to get men into movie theater seats long enough for it to redefine what it means to be a man in the eyes of God.

Ken Bevel, who plays Nathan Hayes, one of the four leads, shared that in real life he is the product of an alcoholic and drug using father who left the family when he was a baby. more >>

Prominent atheist Rob Sherman has filed a contempt of court motion in a federal court against the city of Zion, Ill., for using an old and banned version of the city seal that contains a cross.

Sherman swung to action after an ad in Lake County News-Sun last week featured the earlier city seal containing a cross, a dove, and the phrase “God Reigns.” The ad also had a picture of Commissioner Shantal Taylor inviting readers to a community forum at City Hall.

In 1991, a U.S. appellate court held that the city seal violated the principle of separation of church and state and that the Christian symbols must be removed. The ruling concerned a 1987 lawsuit against the seal by the Illinois chapter of American Atheists, which was then led by Sherman, a Buffalo Grove resident. more >>