We warmly welcome you the Christian Citizenship Council of San Diego website. Our mission is to: "Encourage and equip believers to apply biblical principles to all spheres of the culture around us, and to all of life.” (Matt 5:13-16; 16:18; 22:39; Jer 29:7)

Mission Statement:

• Encourage and equip believers to be actively engaged (James 2:14-17) in the public affairs of this nation, including local community, regional, state and national levels;
• Network with Churches, individual Christians, & others on issues of mutual concern, without violating our foundational beliefs or giving appearance of compromise;
• Support the creation and enforcement of righteous laws and the removal or nullification of ungodly ones (1 Tim 1:8-11);
• Encourage the election or appointment of the godly to public office through prayer (1 Tim 2:2), encouragement and active Christian involvement
• Encourage believers with information on victories the Lord provides (1 Thess 5:11; Heb 3:13);
• Identify existing, and/or publish, resource materials for wider use;
• Uphold the integrity and reputation of the Christian community at all times;
• Obey civil law concerning all activities

Information - Presentation Offer:

If your church does not yet have a Christian Citizenship (or Salt and Light) Ministry established for the long haul, this is a great time to begin one. I'm available to help provide materials, advice, examples, presentations, etc. to ministry leaders desiring to establish one that is Christ-honoring, balanced, legal, and under the spiritual authority God has placed in your church.

Next C3 Lunch Meeting - September:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The June lunch meetings were quite interesting, not only in discussing progress made in churches to equip their members to be godly citizens, but in addressing: the state’s fiscal meltdown; environmental (water) issues and Biblical stewardship; success in holding a city councilmember accountable; the recent Jones Bible study case; and a lot more.

As has become our practice, we’ll take a break during the summer (July and August) and resume our meetings in September. In the meantime, may Independence Day be a reminder to all of us how important it is to be engaged in our nation’s struggles, to pray that righteousness will be held high, and be reminded that Biblical values, truths, and principles still hold the answers. We serve a mighty God, and He has blessed this nation far beyond what it deserves. May He bless our efforts to be salt and light in all our endeavors, and may the gospel of Jesus Christ (our true hope) continue to be spread for His glory.

C3 North - Tuesday September (Date TBA) 11:30-1:00 at Escondido Marie Callendar's (515 West 13th Avenue in Library Room)

C3 South - Thursday September (Date TBA) 11:30-1:00 at San Diego Marie Callendar's (6950 Alvarado Road in Library Room)

Announcements: Activities or actions worth pursuing:

July 11th - Though I usually stay away from “partisan” offerings, if you want to be equipped to run for elective office, and understand what it takes, the following Candidate Campaign Training course would be beneficial: “Flying Upside Down”, by the Republican Party of San Diego; 13825 Kirkham Way; Poway; 9:00 am – 4:00 pm; cost $99; Reservations – call 858.450.4600

If you have an hour available: I strongly encourage each of you to select a California legislative bill (or bills!) to call your State representatives about. Go to: www.CaliforniaFamily.org and http://ca.cwfa.org for the most important bills to support or challenge

Immediate Action: Contact our Senators (Boxer and Feinstein) to urge them to vote against the Hate Crimes legislation pending in the Senate (S. 909; House version H.R. 1913). Liberty Council’s summary is at: www.libertyaction.org/292/MemoHateCrimesAkers050509.htm

California Budget “Crisis”. Weigh in with your Assembly and Senate representative on what you think should be done and not done. Locate your legislator at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

General Interest (My Book reading in June:

The 5000 Year Leap – A Miracle That Changed the World: by W. Cleon Skousen (1981) (310 pgs; plus a helpful cross-reference). I found this book an easy read, with an interesting slant on our founding as a nation. In describing 28 basic principles that permeated our founding fathers thinking, the author gives short chapters with good insights, many quotes, and some historical perspective on consequences from following or losing sight of these principles. For those well schooled in our founding, this will only be a refresher, but I found the presentation of principles in this manner very helpful. However, the one area I was disappointed in was the lack of any substantive treatment of the obvious conflicts between our founding principles and the issue of slavery that has had such an impact upon this nation throughout its history.

Letter from a Christian Citizen: by Douglas Wilson (2007) (109 pgs). With the recent emergence of a stronger, more public proclamation of atheistic views, I picked up this short booklet that was written as a critique and counter to Sam Harris’ “Letter to a Christian Nation”. Though hampered a little by not having read the Harris book, I found this response well written, articulate, and gentle. It is a great example of how to critique another work that’s antagonistic to our beliefs, and do it in a manner that is useful for our own evangelistic and apologetic encounters.

My Recent Good News Etc. Article (July):

“Using the Bible Against Us”

One of the more vile and destructive developments in the battle over marriage and homosexuality is the use of God’s word, the Bible, to try to condone and justify sexual perversion and even same-sex marriage. This would be expected from the non-believing world, but my concern is what’s happening within the self-proclaimed believing community. From my viewpoint, there’s at least five ways scripture is wrongly applied to the issue of homosexuality.

First, claiming that homosexuality is never condemned in scripture is demonstrably a lie. The entire Bible is God’s world, not just the passages about loving our neighbor. Homosexuality is clearly described (Lev 18:22, 24-25; Rom 1:24-27) and consistently condemned (Rom 1:18-32; Gen 19; 1 Tim 1:9-10, etc.). There are no passages speaking well of it, or even coming close to accepting the behavior for other than what it is – horrible sin and an affront to God. When President-elect Obama says that homosexuality is only addressed in “an obscure passage in Romans” he demonstrates his abysmal ignorance of the Bible and willingness to distort God’s word for political ambition.

Secondly, it’s in vogue to quote Old Testament laws whose violation demands the death penalty (e.g. a rebellious son, cursing, working on the Sabbath, certain activities during menstruation), and lumping them with the punishment for homosexuality, thus trivializing the sexual behavior. What’s ignored, however, is that Old Testament Israel was a true theocracy - the LORD dwelled and ruled in their midst. His presence demanded holiness in all aspects of Jewish life, as well as distinctives to separate them from the world. With the coming of Christ and the new covenant a theocracy is no longer needed, and how God’s people are distinctive has changed. However, the moral code and the condemnation of sexual depravity have never changed and has been consistent throughout the Bible and all time.

Third, the mentality that has encouraged activist judges to re-interpret the Constitution to mean anything they want is the same mentality used by people who believe God changes, His word is fungible, and scripture can be conveniently stretched to justify anything. A classic example is focusing on the love nature of God (1 John 4:8) while overlooking God’s righteous standard concerning sexual purity and personal accountability (e.g. recent Newsweek cover story). Another is the belief that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of a lack of hospitality! This type of “progressive” reasoning is not new, and has destroyed many souls over the millennia.

Fourth, using the “What would Jesus do?” question. It’s a little arrogant to speak for Jesus, particularly when one has an ax to grind. Don’t forget that Christ Himself is the word incarnate (John 1:1,14) and that the entire Bible is God’s revelation, not just those words printed in red. Context, literary genre, and consistent interpretive principles are key to understanding the direct and clear statements of scripture. The entire Bible is Christ’s word to us and is very understandable in what is says. Interpreting it in false and tortured ways to justify sin, and at the same time ignore other passages, is at best ignorance, and at worst a self-deceived heart that needs to be called out for what it is – arrogant self-delusion.

The final abuse of God’s truth is the claim that He created homosexuals the way they are. Scripture itself repudiates this (1 Cor 6:9-11), showing they can repent, turn from this vile life and be received into the kingdom of God through the saving work of Jesus Christ. May we remember this as we continue to contend for the truth, love those that are lost, and condemn unjustified manipulation of God’s perfect word. Remember, you can’t have it both ways. To tear down the authority and clear teaching of the Bible on the one hand, then use it in a twisted manner as an authoritative source to bolster acceptance of sin (Matt 4:1-11; Gen 3:1) is arrogant, hypocritical and destructive. Scripture warns against such people – whether clergy or laity – and we’re not to be lead astray by them (2 Peter 3:14-18).

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Board of Directors:
Frank Kacer (Elder: Grace Bible Church, Escondido)
Dean Broyles (Marantha Chapel, San Diego)
Don Polese (Elder: Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, Solana Beach)
Bill Trask (Skyline Wesleyan Church, La Mesa)

Contact Information:
Frank Kacer
frankkacer@hotmail.com
Executive Director of Christian Citizenship Council (C3) of San Diego
C3 is a 501(c)3 organization
www.christiancitizenshipcouncil.org