Tim Wildmon

AFA president

November-December 2008 – I was reading a comment from television personality Bill Maher a few days ago. As usual, he was making a joke about Christians and the Christian faith. This guy is a professional mocker. And the sad thing is, this is a trend that seems to be growing in our culture.

It used to be that even those who did not subscribe to the teachings of Christianity at least had a level of respect for the good that has been done in America by those who follow Jesus Christ. That respect in being replaced by scorn today, especially in the entertainment industry, the national news media and the arts.

The more the popular culture vilifies someone or a certain group, the easier it becomes to target that group as being a problem or a hindrance to the progress of the society at large. Conservative Christians are now being put in that category. We are now told that the belief that homosexuality is a sin, according to the Bible, constitutes “hate” and must be stopped.

This is why I believe that in the very near future, we will see more attempts by the government to bring “hate crime” charges against churches, pastors and Christian media on the basis that we are inciting violence against homosexuals merely by preaching/teaching what the Bible says about this practice. The best case scenario is that we defeat these laws before they are ever passed, both at a state and a federal level. But with the power of the gay lobby and liberal legislators, this agenda is going to be difficult to counter. Still, we must give it our very best shot. You can rest assured that AFA will put all the resources we have toward defeating any new hate-crime laws that are introduced.

One of the most appalling hate-crime laws that is already on the federal books states that if a criminal offender commits an act of violence against a gay or lesbian person, the criminal is subject to greater punishment under the law than if his victim had been a heterosexual. That is unequal treatment under the law, but it demonstrates the power of these groups and their political sympathizers that I referenced earlier. If someone commits a crime against another person, that individual should receive the same penalty regardless of what the sexual orientation of the victim may be.

Another area where this agenda is being really pushed hard is in the corporate world. Many corporations are just surrendering to the demands of the gay and lesbian pressure groups to sponsor homosexual pride events to “celebrate” the lifestyle and behavior.

Many large corporations allow organized homosexual employee groups who are constantly promoting this agenda within the company, while their Christian counterparts get together for Bible studies. There is nothing wrong with getting together for Bible studies, but the point is there is no one inside most of the major companies willing to stand up to the gay and lesbian groups and say “No!” to their demands. And since the executives at most of these companies do not want to take a position based on morality and reason, they do not have any answers to the arguments of “fairness” and against “bigotry” that these groups put forward as if their cause is akin to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

One recent victory AFA has accomplished is with the McDonald’s corporation. Earlier this year we learned that McDonald’s had become a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). This is a group that is very politically active and in full support of homosexual marriage. I personally talked to executives at the company who told me McDonald’s had given $20,000 to the NGLCC and accepted a seat on their board of directors. We told McDonald’s that we – and a large number of their franchise owners and customers – expected them to stay neutral when it came to the culture war. We did not expect them to make donations to AFA, but by the same token they did not need to openly side with those desiring to redefine marriage. We told them they needed to sell hamburgers and stay out of this fight.

At first, McDonald’s did not listen to AFA. So we called for a boycott. Nearly 300,000 people signed the boycott pledge online. Then, in early October, we learned that McDonald’s was giving up its seat on the board of NGLCC and would not be renewing its membership in the organization. That was a clear and decisive victory for AFA and for all who believe in traditional family values.

By the way, the easiest way to join our online activism is to sign up for our twice-a-week e-mail Action Alerts at www.afa.net. The power of nearly three million people pulling together on the Internet is having a real impact for righteousness’ sake, as Jesus urges in Matthew 5.

So, while we may not have the influence of those who are trying to destroy traditional values, AFA still has some “troops” who are willing to stand with us and fight. We thank God for you.