In the next two or three weeks, Illinois could become the fifteenth state to pass legislation permitting the use of marijuana for medical purposes. We are hoping that SB 1381 will be approved in the veto session of the Illinois General Assembly which begins on November 16th. more

As we head for the polls in just seven days, two things seem clear: the role of government in serving the needs of society is being called into question to a degree not seen since the New Deal; and our national debate about social policy has turned less civil, more angry, than anything we have experienced since the Great Depression. more

It’s time for Twenty Questions! But, this isn’t a game. Given our state’s sorry history of government corruption, we believe that candidates must tell voters—now—what they promise to do to change politics and government in Illinois. more

According to author Edna Ferber, “Some people make the world, the rest just come along and live in it.” It is clear to which group the Gospel calls us. Please join the Advocacy Network now. more

Increasingly the distance between the “rich man” (Dives) and Lazarus represents the state of Illinois in microcosm. more

Topping my list was the Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin: The Riverside Years, now published in a two-volume set by Westminster John Knox Press. The writings of this preacher and social activist belong in the study of anyone who takes the Christian faith seriously. more

PCG has joined the Chicago Clean Power Coalition to advocate for passage of the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance, a city-level policy that will clean up Chicago’s two coal-fired power plants. more

Just when you think the state budget crisis can’t get any worse, it does. By failing to pay for services rendered, we are about to force the closing of the Philip J. Rock School and Center, which is the only year-around residential program for children in Illinois who are both deaf and blind. Does our public immorality know no bounds? more

By all standards, our theater event at Victory Gardens last Thursday was a resounding success. Despite the mid-summer date, and one of the largest midtown traffic jams in recent memory due to the filming of Terminator 3, over fifty friends of PCG were able to join us. The play, “A Guide for the Perplexed” was superb. Make sure to see it. We had two speakers at the pre-play reception, both of whom have been in jail for drug offenses. more

Let me tell a little about what happens to an ex-offender just released from prison in “A Guide for the Perplexed,” now showing at Victory Gardens Theater. While serving a four-year sentence, the protagonist, Doug, receives a body blow in the form of a letter: “Son, We are sorry you are in prison. Maybe it will help you. Although it makes us feel bad, you are not welcome here anymore. We wish you a good life, though. Mother.” Better yet, you can experience the story first-hand by attending PCG’s theater event next week. more