SBC and UCC Debate Controversial Church Ad
The UCC’s controversial commercial of ‘all-inclusiveness’ was rejected by NBC and CBS because of its apparent implication that gay and lesbian couples are affirmed by God.
Christian conservative met Christian liberal during a spot on ABC’s Good Morning America, Dec 2. The topic of discussion was the controversial television ad by the United Church of Christ (UCC) that was banned from national broadcasting networks for its apparent implication that gay and lesbian couples are affirmed by God.
“It is a piece of masterful propaganda but it is a diabolical misrepresentation of Christianity,” said R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, of the advertisement.
“... Jesus Christ did indeed come to seek and to save the lost but as He said to the woman caught in adultery, ‘Go and sin no more,’” Mohler said. Jesus “did not invite persons to stay in sinful lifestyles. Rather, He came to save us from our sins and to make us what we otherwise could not be -- and that is victorious over all the sins that entrap us. Homosexuality is one of those.”
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The 30-second UCC commercial began running on several cable channels Dec. 1 as part of the denomination’s “stillspeaking” campaign toward the inclusion of “all persons who feel rejected” by the church.
The ad, which can be viewed at www.stillspeaking.com, depicts a pair of bouncers who are standing before a long line of people that are trying to get into a “picturesque church”. The bouncers stop a same-sex couple, saying “No, step aside please;” they turn away two black children by saying, “No way, not you;” they also turn away a Hispanic girl with the words, “No way;” finally, the bouncers remove the ropes, but only to a well-dressed white family.
The words, “Jesus didn’t turn people away ... Neither do we” appear on screen, as a voice reads, “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”
“This ad is clearly allegorical,” said Robert Chase, UCC director of communications, who appeared across Mohler on Good Morning America. “There are no churches that have real bouncers out in front of their structures with velvet ropes. But the point is not from those of us who are inside the church but those people who feel alienated and rejected. For those people, those barriers are very real and we’re simply trying to say, ‘You’re welcome here.’”
Nonetheless, both NBC and CBS have refused to carry the commercial.
On the same day of the Good Morning America broadcast, Chase released a statement saying the two networks never told the UCC they felt the commercial was controversial.
"The networks clearly offered mixed signals," said Chase. "At no time were we under the impression that the networks' decisions were final. Our understanding was that such negotiations between media buyers and networks were not unusual and were nothing to be concerned about. From the church's viewpoint, we simply could not believe that this advertisement would be considered controversial or issue-oriented, because quite clearly it is not."
According to the statement, Chase heard of the networks’ reservations earlier in the year, but “when the church had no difficulty placing the ads on the networks' stations, it appeared that the rejections were not solid.”
It was not until Nov. 30 that the UCC learned of the commercial’s rejection.
CBS explained in a written statement that the commercial is too controversial because it touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups in a sensitive time of debate over those issues.
“Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and UPN] networks,” CBS wrote.
NBC stated simply the ad is "too controversial."
Larry Hollon, director of advertising for The United Methodist Church, said the networks’ rejection of the commercial was “chilling.”
“The reasons given by the networks for rejecting this message should bring a chill to everyone who supports freedom of religious expression because they are saying that a fundamental tenet of Christian belief is politically unacceptable for the public dialogue," Hollon told his denomination's newspaper, the United Methodist Reporter. "The belief that God loves every person without condition is so basic to Christian teaching that if a denomination cannot make this assertion what can it say? Such decisions shut out the Christian community from the national conversation."
"How ironic that a gentle message of inclusion is considered unacceptable while ads for beer are accepted and programs in which people eat insects and worms are considered entertaining," Hollon added. "In a divided and fearful world this message is not only needed. It could lead to healing."
However, Mohler disagreed. During his appearance with Diane Sawyer, Mohler pointed out that while every church is composed of sinners, these sinners make an effort to repent and turn from their sins.
“Our church is made up, like every true church, of sinners saved by grace,” Mohler said to Sawyer who asked if his criticism of the commercial meant he does not want gays to attend his church . “But we are not to be left in our sin but are to come out of what the Scripture clearly identifies as sin. The Apostle Paul spoke [to] the church at Corinth, listing things, including homosexuality, and said, ‘and such were some of you.’ We are all sinners but we cannot remain in our sin and we can’t just bless a lifestyle by saying we accept it when the Scripture clearly condemns it as sin.”
In concluding the brief interview, Sawyer asked Mohler if he would allow moneychangers whom “Jesus reserved His worst anger.”
Mohler answered that the moneychangers would be urged through proclamation of the Gospel not to remain in their sin.
“They would not be welcome to remain as moneychangers any more than Jesus would just bless any kind of sin,” Mohler said.
“Remember, Jesus required the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give to the poor and he didn’t and he went away. Jesus doesn’t leave us as we are. He offers us His grace -- salvation -- but that’s a transforming grace to call us out of sin. Homosexuals would be welcomed. There would be no bouncers at the door at our church to keep them out but they would hear the authentic Gospel when they came inside.”
The stillspeaking commercial has been allowed on the ABC-affiliate, ABC Family. According to the UCC website, other cable networks have also agreed to use the commercial, including TNT, TBS, FOX, Hallmark, Discovery, TVLand, AMC, BET, Travel Channel, Nick at Nite and the History Channel.
The UCC is a network of nearly 6,000 congregations with 1.3 million members. The UCC is one of just a few major denominations that allow the ordination and “union blessing” of homosexuals.
