Dear Friend,
Most weeks, I share with you legislative or legal issues impacting our country and our families. This week, I want to focus on a cultural shift that's been picking up steam recently—the idea that holding a biblical view on sexuality and marriage is "hateful" and "anti-gay."
Believing that marriage should be protected as the union of a man and a woman is now sufficient grounds to be labeled a "hate group" by those who would redefine marriage—even if that belief is based in our understanding of Scripture and God's design for human sexuality.
In the past few weeks, we've seen large companies succumb to pressure from activist organizations and same-sex marriage advocates. Here are just two of several recent examples:
| - | Last week, Starbucks® CEO Howard Schultz cancelled a speaking engagement at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit. A small group of activists—about 700—signed a petition criticizing Starbucks® for being associated with Willow Creek, which they claimed had a "long history of anti-gay persecution." | ||
| - | A few weeks earlier, several relatively small petitions resulted in numerous large retailers leaving an online shopping mall run by the Charity Give Back Group (CGBG), which directs a percentage of its sales to the charity of each customer's choice. |
The problem? Focus on the Family and other pro-marriage groups (labeled "anti-gay hate groups") were listed as organizations to which the charitable donations could be directed. Only in the last few days have some of the major retailers started returning to the program after hearing the true mission of Focus on the Family—that of helping families thrive.
| Please take a few minutes to watch this week's CitizenLink Report, in which Stuart Shepard and I discuss how global companies are being influenced by small petitions. Watch our video update now > |
Sadly, these international organizations are being intimidated by the actions of a very small, yet extremely vocal, group of people who believe that anything less than full acceptance of homosexuality is "hate."
A Christian Response
As Christians, we simply can't ignore or hope this trend goes away. But our response must be one that balances grace with truth. First and foremost, I ask that you join me in praying for our country's business executives, that common sense will prevail and this trend quickly will be reversed.
Second, please take a few minutes to send a kind note or two to the senior executives of the companies that have left CGBG, explaining that few signatures caused them to back out, and to ask them to rejoin the online program. I am confident they would realize something went wrong and take action to effectively put their companies back on track. Thank you in advance.
For faith and family,
Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy
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