Illinois

An Illinois state representative seems to be at odds recently with the law after presenting a bill that would, unbeknownst to him, introduce teachings of the Church of Scientology to public school curriculums.

Seeking to shape the character and integrity of children in the state’s public schools, Dan Burke (D-Chicago) sponsored House Resolution 254, which proposes three programs for character development, including the now controversial option “Good Choices.”

Created by Nancy Cartwright’s non-profit foundation Happy House, the Good Choices program appeared at first glance to be a morally upright regimen designed to help positively shape kids. Cartwright is most well-known as the voice behind America’s mischievous child, Bart Simpson. more >>

LISLE, Illinois – With a sharp sense of humor and storytelling skills befitting the creator of the beloved VeggieTales films, Phil Vischer told a crowd of Christian journalists Wednesday that bankruptcy humbled him and helped him to pursue God instead of a dream.

“Suddenly I found myself facing a God I had never heard about in Sunday school. A God that apparently wanted me to let go of my dreams,” shared Vischer, the keynote speaker at the Evangelical Press Association’s opening banquet.

After dropping out of seminary school Vischer co-founded Big Idea Productions and created the talking vegetable children’s animation series VeggieTales in 1993. Quickly, word of mouth spread among Christians about the cute talking cucumber and tomato that taught biblical values and millions of copies of VeggieTales videos were sold. more >>

A new group made up of hundreds of Wheaton College alumni says being gay is not a sin and that one can be a faithful Christian and still hold onto the LGBT identity.

OneWheaton, which includes openly gay Wheaton College alumni as well as straight graduates who question the traditional biblical view that homosexuality is a sin, says it seeks to support LGBT students and offer a different theological perspective on sexuality.

“We do not believe there is anything wrong with being gay,” says OneWheaton in a media release. “We are joining the conversation at Wheaton to show students that they have the option to live without shame and self-hatred.” more >>

A giant 19-foot tall wooden cross along with a 10-foot tall image of Jesus was erected Thursday in busy downtown Chicago for Easter.

Sponsored by the Catholic legal firm Thomas More Society, the “Easter Cross” will be displayed in Chicago’s famous Daley Plaza until Easter day.

“All these are displays of religious beliefs in the public square. Our theory, and it’s backed up by First Amendment jurisprudence, is that Christians are just as entitled to have their religious views expressed in the public square as any other religious or public group is to have their views expressed in the public square,” said Peter Breen, executive director and legal counsel of Thomas More Society, to The Christian Post on Wednesday. more >>

A bill that would allow religious child welfare organizations to turn away adoption and foster care applications by gay couples was shot down by an Illinois Senate commitee Wednesday.

The Senate Executive Committee rejected the bill by a narrow vote, 7 to 6, after gay rights groups fiercely lobbied against the legislation.

The bill, an amendment to SB1123, would have protected the right of a child welfare agency that is religiously affiliated to reject gay couples seeking to adopt or be a foster family if acceptance meant violating its religious beliefs. Religious agencies that do not accept applications by same-sex couples would be required to refer the party to the Department of Children and Family Services to obtain information on other local child welfare agencies. more >>

Pastor Tim Keller got up and preached to a crowd of 5,300 people in Chicago Tuesday about the epic story of the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea and showed how it deepens the New Testament's salvation story.

The Manhattan megachurch pastor's message offered a practical example of how to preach Jesus and the gospel using the Old Testament – the theme for this year's Gospel Coalition national conference.

Using the passage Exodus 14, Keller made the case that the Old Testament story about crossing the Red Sea teaches Christians three important points about their salvation through Jesus Christ: what we are getting out of it, how we are getting out of it, and why we can get out of it. more >>