nc/sd April 2010 — Good News, etc. — 9

Just how committed are we?

politics

the political realm that’s failed us at virtually every level of government. I’ve shown a particular concern over pastoral leadership that is more concerned about church growth and not offending than openly proclaiming righteousness and equipping their flocks to influence our society — whether our neighborhood, cities, state, nation, or beyond. In some sense, the opposite has occurred. Instead of us being the salty antiseptic and preservative, we’re called to be for the common good — the rotting culture has invaded our personal lives, families, and even our worship. Instead of being thoroughly equipped to share God’s truths and light, in many ways we’ve settled for a designer faith suited to our individual, compromised tastes. Instead of fulfilling our mandate to love our neighbor, the government and a myriad number of secular organizations have co-opted our role, seeing our Christian witness as irrelevant to the decay around us. Are there exceptions? Of course there

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are. But far too few compared to the number that claim the name of Christ. In some sense, the culture is a reflection of us. As our community of faith has become compromised (drug abuse, divorce, abortion, immorality, etc.), the society has just taken it further with no accountability. Where has this slide into a weak, unengaged Christendom brought us? The recent battle over passage of Health

Care legislation shows how unrestrained and out of touch our government has become. We share responsibility for this through a long term pattern of apathy and inward, not outward focus. This fiasco has shown the incredible power and arrogance of politicians unmoved by any understanding of the need for limited government, the baseness of man’s nature, and the destructiveness of fiscal irresponsibility. The impact of total government control

of health on the sanctify of life, and the treatment of the elderly and the frail will be devastating as it takes over life and death decisions from conception to death, and removes any allowance for conscience by health practitioners and distributors. The cascade of legislation we can now expect will be dizzying: amnesty of illegal aliens, overturning of the federal DOMA,

ver the years I’ve called many to task for not being engaged in the cultural battles, and in particular

KACER’S KORNER

FRANK KACER

silencing of conservative talk radio, direct confrontation of biblical preaching as hate speech, and on and on. If the “Christian” community doesn’t

wake up, if it thinks government will leave it alone — if it just wants to be comfortable while virtually all major media, entertainment and government power is being arrayed against it — then the time will come, rather quickly, that it will be forced to face persecution unseen in our nation’s history. As this begins to happen, how committed will you be? How much have you weighed the cost, thought through whether you’ll hide or take up your cross each day and fight for righteousness and the glory of God? Like it or not, recognize it or not, we

are in a war for life itself. Our generation has seen the tipping point and it will only get worse if we ignore the warning signs. Bear in mind, the rest of this year is crucial in many ways. Christians as well as non- Christians are finally upset with the failure of government to show any restraint. Primaries and mid-term elections in the fall can send a powerful message that enough is enough. I’ll ask again, how committed are we? Are we willing to do everything we can to elect those that represent our values? Are we willing to remove from government those with an ideological blindness trying to create an environment corrosive to the gospel and our fulfilling our cultural mandate? Are we willing to research candidates, encourage good ones, walk precincts, fund campaigns, call friends and neighbors and encourage them to become actively involved? Are we willing to tithe our time, talents, treasures and prayers to turn the tide in removing elitists and replacing them with men and women that respect and support our values, our freedoms and our faith? If the last year has not brought you to the point of doing something, what will?

If not this year, when?

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frankkacer@hotmail.com.

Court rules ‘under God’ OK in schools

One of the nation’s most liberal federal

courts cited the Founding Fathers last month in ruling that teacher-led recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools — with the phrase “under God” — is constitutional. In doing so, the three-judge panel of the

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals turned back a lawsuit from atheist Michael Newdow, who argued the phrase amounted to an unconstitutional government establishment of religion. Newdow won at the same court in 2002 before losing at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled he did not have legal standing to file the case. The 2002 decision by the Ninth Circuit

“World events are under His control. He removes kings and sets others on their thrones. He gives wise men their wisdom, and scholars their intelligence.”

– Daniel 2:21 (TLB)

Gingrich selects Garlow to post

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has selected Dr. Jim Garlow as chairman of Renewing American Leadership (ReAL), the non-profit organization Gingrich created. Garlow is an author, communicator, commentator, historian, and cultural observer.

For the last 14 years, he has served as senior pastor of Skyline Church in La Mesa — and will continue to do so. “I am delighted that Jim has accepted my invitation to lead Renewing American Leadership,” Gingrich said. “He is an emerging national leader whose intellect, passion, energy, and talent will allow ReAL to be even more effective in defending and preserving America’s Judeo-Christian heritage.” Garlow joins Gingrich’s long-time spokesman Rick Tyler at ReAL. Tyler serves as

the organization’s founding director. “I believe Speaker Gingrich has created an essential vehicle for educating our

nation about its profound and unique Judeo-Christian heritage, the foundation upon which our liberties are based and upon which they depend,” Garlow said. “I am truly honored to be partnering with Speaker Gingrich and his team and look forward to what we will accomplish.” Garlow’s interests and expertise span a wide range of topics including history, theology, marriage and the family, and cultural trends. His one-minute historical commentary — called “The Garlow Perspective” — is heard daily on over 800 radio outlets nationwide. Renewing American Leadership (ReAL) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan 501c3

organization. The mission of ReAL is to preserve America’s Judeo-Christian heritage by defending and promoting the three pillars of American civilization: freedom, faith and free-enterprise.

Local teacher wins free speech case

Bradley Johnson is a math teacher at

Westview High School in the Poway Unified School District. Prominently displayed in his classroom is a banner that reads: “In God We Trust,” “One Nation Under God,” “God Bless America,” and “God Shed His Grace on Thee.” A second banner, which has been displayed in his classroom for 17 years, quotes an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence: “All Men Are Created Equal, They Are Endowed By Their Creator.” In January 2007, school district officials

ordered Johnson to remove the banners because they “over-emphasized” God and “might make a Muslim student uncomfortable.” In response, Johnson, with help from the Thomas More Law Center, filed a federal lawsuit against the school district. Last month, Federal District Court Judge

Roger T. Benitez ruled that the Poway Unified School District violated Bradley Johnson’s constitutional rights when it ordered him to remove two patriotic banners from the walls of his classroom. The fact that school officials banned Johnson’s patriotic displays while permitting other teachers to display personal posters and banners promoting partisan political issues such as homosexual rights and environmental causes, including global warming, played a crucial role in the judge’s decision.

-- it struck down the Pledge’s “God” reference as unconstitutional -- sparked a firestorm that even drew a reaction from Congress. The March 11 Ninth Circuit ruling was

much different from that 2002 ruling, partially because it was a different three- judge panel. The same panel in March also upheld the “In God We Trust” motto and inscription on money in a suit that also was filed by Newdow. The Founders, Judge Carlos T. Bea

www.sandiegobiblechurch.com

wrote for the majority in the Pledge ruling, “believed that the people derive their most important rights, not from government, but from God.”

– Baptist Press

April 22nd celebrates Earth Day

Other displays permitted by the district included a 35-40 foot string of Tibetan prayer flags with images of Buddha, a poster with the lyrics from John Lennon’s song “Imagine” which starts off, “Imagine there’s no heaven,” a poster with Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi’s “7 Social Sins,” a poster of Muslim leader Malcolm X, and a poster of Buddhist leader Dalai Lama. The 32-page opinion was strongly

worded as Judge Benitez sternly criticized the Poway District’s aversion to mentioning God: “The school district officials apparently fear their students are incapable of dealing with diverse viewpoints that include God’s place in American history and culture. . . .that God places prominently in our nation’s history does not create an Establishment Clause violation requiring curettage and disinfectant for Johnson’s public high school classroom walls. It is a matter of historical fact that our institutions and government actors have in past and present times given place to a supreme God.” Judge Benitez ordered the school district

“to permit Johnson to immediately re- display, in his assigned classroom, the two banners at issue in this case.” Johnson returned the displays to his classroom that same day.

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Information from the California Family Council, www. CaliforniaFamilyCouncil.org.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. — Genesis 1:1

Earth Day promotes environmental awareness and calls for the protection of our planet

$25 from every haircut will be donated to Surfrider in San Diego

This offers ends on Earth Day

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