What does it take …

By: American Decency Staff

What does it take for you and me to decide not to do business with a particular company? Should it matter if the company is one that is convenient for us and has good prices? Should that be a factor? Should it matter if the company being considered for a boycott once stood consistently for quality family entertainment and values – but that was more in the past? What does it take for you and me to decide not to do business with a particular company? ***If it displays sexually explicit material at the checkout? ***If it sells an abortifacient (the morning after pill – a pill that has the capability of terminating pregnancy)? ***If it will perform a “wedding” for a lesbian or homosexual couple and provide a luxurious and entertaining environment for the wedding ceremony and do this under the umbrella of Disney? As a guy who wasn’t raised in the church, when I became a Christian I was very impacted by a few noteworthy Christian leaders in my early years of faith. I began to realize that there were those who took the Word of God and applied it to all of life – including into the marketplace where we expend our daily earnings. As the years have gone by in my Christian life, I have not been surprised to see the corporate world bend and bow to societal trends like same sex marriages and trying to satisfy the masses with little to no regard for time-honored standards of Christianity. But what increasingly disturbs me is to see how few Christian ministries – including the church – boldly and faithfully call out to Christians to walk in the narrow way. We can criticize corporate America for its alignment with debauchery – pornography, homosexuality and abortion – and we can anticipate that the masses of people will go right along with the winds of change. But shouldn’t it be different with Christian ministries and Christians like you and me? When Lot appealed to God to save the city for 10 righteous at Sodom and Gomorrah, it was clear that the righteous were very few indeed. How could there possibly be so few? The answer seems rather clear. One by one accommodated to unrighteousness, going with the tide – the tide of wickedness – because it was becoming the trend. After all you can feel pretty stupid holding fast to old ways that appear odd to most everyone – can’t you? My point is this. Over the years I have appreciated a few ministries for their willingness to stand alone – to stand against the tide of what is popular and acceptable. This is what it means to be the salt and light of the world; to join in the suffering with our Lord Jesus Christ. Not to slither and slide with the flow for fear that you may be out of lock step with perhaps many of our supporters. (After all, many will say, ‘Where are we going to be able to shop, if we can’t shop Wal-Mart, Kmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc…’) What happens if churches and ministries that once were salt and light accommodate and become lukewarm? If the salt has lost its savor … Father God: Help us as Christians and Christian ministries not to falter in these days of advancing wickedness. Raise up beacons of truth and light – even if it hinders donations. Boycott Disney? “Fairy Tale Weddings opened to gay couples Disney changes policy to allow same-sex unions at U.S. resorts, cruise line” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17972793/from/ET Boycott Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart, according to a news release from Planned Parenthood, has decided to make available to its customers the morning after pill. So now your local Wal-Mart is in the business of selling a drug that can terminate a baby’s life within a week of two of conception. http://ppfa.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/walmart-policy-13564.htm Some may say we are too few in number to make an impact on Wal-Mart or Disney. But hasn’t God always used just a few? In our weakness, He is strong. And perhaps we won’t see the results we’d like, but God calls us to be faithful, not successful. Is our own comfort and convenience more important to us than standing for Truth? Using the excuse that we can’t boycott every company that is promoting evil is just an excuse to keep from doing what we can do. If we are aware of corporations that take part in the destruction of human life or the promotion of what God calls an abomination, should we support such practices with our business? There’s a song lyric that says “Got along with out you, before I met you gonna get along with out you now.” I don’t know about you, but that is my motto in regards to Disney and Wal-Mart. Or is boycotting just too unfashionable in 2007? When the salt has lost its savor its thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of man. ========================================================= Let’s encourage one another and strengthen one another to be more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 PH: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org

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