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Inclusive church ad rejected by networks |
UCC television ad nixed by two networks for its
Christmas message of welcome and inclusion
[12-1-04]
According to
a press release from the
United Church of Christ, "The ad, part of the denomination's new, broad
identity campaign set to begin airing nationwide on Dec. 1, states that --
like Jesus -- the United Church of Christ... seeks to welcome all people,
regardless of ability, age, race, economic circumstance or sexual
orientation."
Apparently that is too much for CBS and NBC, which have decided that a
welcoming church is "too controversial," and have refused to accept the ad.
NOTE:
It may take you some time to get to this page. A little censorship
attracts a lot of attention - even to a church TV ad! If you get stuck on
the flash page, try clicking ESC to get to the main page.
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Read the UCC press
release.
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Frederick Clarkson, a widely
published independent journalist, author and lecturer who has written
about politics and religion (especially of the Right variety) for twenty
years, suggests in his blog that fear of the White House is a real problem
- and that fear for the First Amendment and religious freedom might also
be justified.
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Dr. Bruce Prescott,
a Baptist and President of the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United for
Separation of Church and State, has also posted a comment underlining the
issue of freedom of religion.
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| And Witherspooner Brian Jordan, of Palm Coast,
FL, sends this comment: |
At what point do
Christians in this country throw off the Religious Right's Yoke of Fear?
Evidently not yet.
Look what the media have now decided re: the progressive UCC's latest
message:
Total BS. You know,
forget about this party vs. that party. This is the co-opting of one of
the big three religions in the world, not unlike what the radicals in
the Middle East have done to Islam.
At what point do we
say enough is enough?
Sorry, this one
really ticked me off. (This one on the heels of W's
beautiful decision to use Napalm in Fallujah, which my friend Jeff
reminded me also follows a new Attorney General that feels there is no
need to heed the Geneva Convention in Iraq.)
I mean shouldn't we
be protesting in the streets at this point? Who has stolen our American
Identity and replaced it with SuperSized Capitalistic Gluttony in the
name of Southern Crosses?
And to my friends who
are not of the Christian Faith, its all good - understand I'm not
looking at this from a narrow perspective - we need a national approach
to church/state relations that echoes back to a Tillichian view of
Pluralism as an expression of respect amongst Ultimate Concerns.
But I'll be damned if
I'll sit quietly while the journey I walk is perverted by intellectually
bankrupt holy rollers.
Peace without
concession,
Brian
| And the comments keep coming! |
Another Witherspooner, Dugan Frederick, recommends
the
column by John Nichols of The Nation. He points out the
hypocrisy of this move, noting that "after all, the same NBC network that
found the UCC ad 'too controversial' airs programs such as 'Will & Grace'
that feature gay and lesbian characters. 'We find it disturbing that the
networks in question seem to have no problem exploiting gay persons
through mindless comedies and titillating dramas, but when it comes to a
church's loving welcome to committed gay couples, that's where they draw
the line,' explained the Rev. Bob Chase, director of the national UCC's
communication ministry."
Another comment -- posted
here on 12-14-04:
Networks urged to run UCC commercial
Scott Nesbitt, a frequent visitor
here, shares his effort to get CBS and NBC to reverse their
decision to ban the United Church of Christ commercial.
By the way, you may have noticed
that the much-discussed commercial was recently run (at least a
substantial part of it) on CNN - as news! Not bad for a little
religious spot ad!
Friends,
I just wrote a letter to the
executives at CBS, NBC and UPN. In essence, I demanded that they
retract their decision to ban a commercial for the UCC.
For those of you unfamiliar with
the UCC ad campaign, it features roughly 10 - 15 seconds of two
"bouncers" turning people away from a church. The spot then
concludes with the message, "Jesus didn't turn people away, and
neither do we."
At issue is the fact that--for one
very brief instant at the start of the commercial--two men holding
hands are turned away. The networks deemed this unacceptable because
it would be "offensive" at a time when the White House has called
for a constitutional amendment against gay marriage.
Today, I couldn't give a flying fig
where any of you stand on the issue of GLBT ordination or marriage.
This is about broader issues. Consider the following: 1. The
networks have no problem shoveling filth into our living rooms, but
they object to a message of welcome and inclusiveness; 2. Mr. Bush's
proposal should not be a deciding matter. If standards for airing
material were determined by "political climate, religious
preference, philosophical difference of opinion, or other arbitrary
factor, then our constitutional right to religious liberty and
freedom of speech are in grave peril" (quote from website); 3. This
may not be about my denomination (or yours), but if this is
overlooked, a precedent will have been set. And it will be too late
for us if similar action is ever taken against us; 4. We, as
Christians, will always find things at which we will be at odds with
one another. Currently, not all of us agree about GLBT ordination or
marriage. But one thing we should all agree about in belief: Jesus
Christ welcomes everyone to his side. Everyone. And if one group of
brothers and sisters (no matter how much you may/may not agree with
them on other matters) cannot declare this one truth, so we are all
condemned to censorship. Please join me in sending a message to the
executives.
Thank you.
Scott Nesbitt
PS:
Please forward this action to friends or colleagues to help amplify
your efforts and give them the opportunity to take action as well! |
We invite your comments, too!
Or maybe ideas about how to respond to this latest venture in the
suppression of freedom of expression and of religion.
Just
send a note, and we'll share it here.
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An index of
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BECOMING NEIGHBORS:
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September 16 - 19, 2007
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