When corporate threats target Religious Freedom
On a recent Breakpoint This Week program, “Do Americans Care About Religious Freedom?” (April 2, 2016), hosts John Stonestreet and Ed Stetzer made these observations about the recent role of large corporations who have become advocates of more progressive causes against religious liberty by applying pressure to change laws in regard to Religious Freedom.1
More and more of these businesses are now actively and vocally getting involved in the political process in support of LGBT causes for obvious business purposes by threatening to take their business out of a state if certain Religious Freedom legislation stands. Sports venues have been key targets (Super Bowl, Final Four) but other industries are joining in as well—and have been very successful in causing state leaders to cave. Here are some recent examples:
On February 26, 2015, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer voted a bill that would have offered a legal defense for individuals and businesses facing discrimination lawsuits if they proved they had acted on a “sincerely held religious belief.” Apple, American Airlines, Marriott and American Express strongly opposed the legislation, saying it would be bad for business. The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee also called for a Brewer veto amid reports the NFL was looking at other sites for its 2015 championship game.2
On July 21, 2015, Indiana Governor Mike Pence flinched under public and corporate pressure over a law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that would have prohibited a governmental entity from burdening a person’s exercise of religion.3
On March 28, 2016, Georgia governor Nathan Deal vetoed the religious liberty bill that was passed by Georgia legislature that would have given faith-based organizations the right to deny services to gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual people. Governor Deal was under a large amount of pressure from the Hollywood community, as well as major corporations that do business in Georgia.4
On April 6, 2016, After Charlotte, North Carolina passed a city ordinance allowing transgender individuals to use the public bathroom of their choice, the state’s lieutenant governor called an emergency session to reverse the ordinance. The resulting legislation which North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law required transgender people to use public bathrooms that match the sex on their birth certificates. Predictably, this triggered outrage nationwide, with large companies threatening to boycott the state, and even others states restricting travel to North Carolina. PayPal announced it had canceled a major expansion in the state of North Carolina 5
On April 6, 2016, Mississippi’s governor, Phil Bryant just signed a law that allows religious groups and some private businesses to refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) based on religious beliefs. The law’s stated intention is to protect those who believe that marriage should be between one man one woman and that sexual relations should only take place inside such marriages.6 Stay tuned on this one.
But the bullying doesn’t stop there—it can also much more subtle and seductive
In my view, what is even more disturbing to me as a pastor for over 40 years is to see some of my peers, like bees going after honey, are flocking to some of these same large corporations (Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T) that are offering considerable sums of money for mutual business deals with their churches, specifically leasing space on church property for installing cell towers. No one is tracking the numbers for now but it is estimated that there are several thousand cell towers located on church properties across America with California leading the way.
The advantage of locating a cell tower on a church property for the communications company is a way to get around many existing residential zoning laws. Most residential areas don’t allow such structures but a church located in a residential area is exempt from such restriction, especially if it can be tied with their steeples that usually support a cross.
The advantage to the churches, is a nice stream of unanticipated revenue for as long as it remains on their property, as much as $30,000 a year reported in one case (Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, San Ramon, CA).7 So much for having to give those tedious, boring and offensive sermons to the folks about tithing!
The downside is that churches have found that once they entered into such agreements, that a portion of their properties were no longer considered tax exempt and the alert municipal tax man came calling and much of what they gained—they lost!
There is one more consideration, however that I am passionate about and disturbs me the most and that is the stated public position of many of these same corporations on the LGBT issues of our day and their vigorous support for them. They have come out of the closet. Verizon, for example, makes no secret of the fact that they openly support all LGBT issues including Same-Sex Marriage (in 2015 they along with AT&T and 377 other large well-known corporations filed an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Court in favor of the court’s ruling). They also vigorously support the adoption of children by gay couples and lobby against legislation that would support Religious Freedom issues reported above.
My question to my peers, who are considering such a business venture is, “How can your church partner with a known corporate bully who lobbies against issues that are not only important to us as Christians but stand in direct opposition to our scriptural values and doctrines on the one hand and then take their money with the other?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
One response to my concern from a church leader was his appeal that same-sex marriage is now the law of the land and recognized by the courts as a civil right. I agreed. But I also responded that might doesn’t make right. The same Supreme Court that once said slavery was right and ruled against women’s suffrage, now supports the killing of babies in the womb by the millions. Our appeal as Christians is to a law that is much higher than that (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29-32).
I call this the doctrine of “Compromise” — a slippery slope that has always haunted the church. I believe that when churches fail to draw the line and take a stand for absolute biblical truth to their generation by refusing to speak up, they not only forfeit their influence and effect on the culture they serve but the presence and effectiveness of the church can be destroyed for decades whether it be in their community or a nation. (For further reading on the subject I recommend Erwin Lutzer’s, When a Nation Forgets God (2010) and Hitler’s Cross (1995).
Compromise is looming big in the message of the church today. It is so easy to water down our message to accommodate public pressure as well as the nominal Christian members of our churches who may not want to offend their family members—plus our fear they will leave the church when confronted with this biblical truth and take their money with them.
Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994) was an evangelist and author who challenged the modern church to compare itself to the early Christian church as chronicled in the Book of Acts. This is what he warned in the late 20th century:
“To take an overall view of the church today leaves one wondering how much longer a holy God can refrain from implementing His threat to spew this Laodicean thing (Revelation 3:14-22) out of His mouth. For if there is one thing preachers are agreed upon, it is that is the Laodicean age of the church.”8
May God shakes us up and wake us up before Jesus comes to whom we will have to give an answer (2 Corinthians 5:10). Besides that, nobody likes a bully!
Maranatha. — Pastor Don Kimbro
Footnotes:
1 For the full commentary go to Breakpoint This Week.
2 Alia Beard Rau, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Mary Jo Pitzl The Republic, azcentral, Wed Feb 26, 2014
3 Fight for Freedom of Conscience in Indiana (Arthur Christopher Schaper, Bio and Archives, April 2, 2015)
4 John Stonestreet and Ed Stetzer, Breakpoint This Week, April 2, 2016.
5 Albuquerque Journal, April 6, 2016, p. B1
6 Jeff Amy, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, April 6, 2016, p.A6.
7 Churches Find Revenue Leasing to Cell Towers
8 Leonard Ravenhill, “The Prodigal Church in a Prodigal World,” Decision Magazine, March 2016, p.40
To help us walk closer with God and to know Him better.
