A national television ad campaign featuring two prominent Baptist ministers who call on Wal-Mart to give the gift of economic justice this Christmas was launched Monday.
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(Photo: AP Images / Paul Sakuma, file)A customer leaves a Wal-Mart in Mountain View, Calif. in this Nov. 7, 2007 file photo. As retailers reported their sales results on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007, warehouse club operators like Costco Wholesale Corp. and discounter Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which were able to keep crowds coming with special offers, proved to be winners.
"The Bible says, 'To whom much is given, much is required,'" says the Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, interim pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church of Nashville, in the television ad which is being aired in 35 markets across the country.
"Wal-Mart rakes in over $21,000 in profit every single minute. This Christmas, let's make Wal-Mart be a better neighbor to us all."
The ad is part of the third annual "Hope for the Holidays" campaign by WakeUpWalMart.com, which spent over $1.5 million in radio and TV ads to draw attention to the retail giant’s unique responsibility toward the communities it represents.
The Rev. Markel Hutchins, a Baptist minister who heads Markel Hutchins Ministries, also joins Johnson in the ad to call on the multi-billion-dollar corporation to be a better “neighbor” to its communities this Christmas by paying fair wage, providing affordable healthcare, and ensuring the safety of the goods it sells.
“A corporation that big has the moral responsibility to do right by its customers and employees and all humanity,” says Hutchins in the television spot.
Although Wal-Mart is America’s largest private employer, the company pays its employees low wages for long work hours, contends WakeUpWalMart.com, and fails to provide affordable health care to its fleet of part-time workers.
The website also reports that Wal-Mart, which made $12 billion in profits last year, imports most of its merchandise from China, where product quality and work conditions have often been called into question.
“Wal-Mart is not the epitome of all unfairness and injustice in the world but it’s just that they are the biggest,” said Johnson in an interview with The Christian Post. “We want these corporate neighbors to have more equitable policies for their employees.”
The church has the role to be “a voice for fairness and justice in an economic system that is increasingly creating disparities,” said Johnson, a visiting Instructor of Preaching at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta.
“Justice is figuring out what belongs to whom and giving it to them,” he added. “A decent wage is what belongs to the people of God who are workers.”
From a short-term perspective, one may think that Wal-Mart can accrue more profits by keeping its current employment policies, said Johnson. But he believes that through reform, the company can reap greater benefits in the long run.
“It’s not rocket science to see that that will cultivate a more dedicated, more loyal partner in your business,” asserted Johnson.
In conjunction with the television ad, community and religious leaders from more than 40 cities and towns began holding candlelight prayer vigils outside Wal-Mart stores on Monday night, offering prayers and handing out "Think before you shop" holiday cards to shoppers.
Johnson urged Americans to voice their protest to Wal-Mart’s policies by taking their business to a competitor, even if it means paying a few cents extra for some products. He also suggests that they write letters to the company’s leadership, the manager, or the editor of a local newspaper.
Meghan Scott, deputy campaign manager for WakeUpWalmart.com, told The Christian Post that she hopes for Wal-Mart to exhibit a positive model for other corporations in America.
“The truth is that if Wal-Mart made some small changes here, then everybody would follow suit,” she said.
The ad was paid for by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and will air until Thursday in most markets.
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Comments
ifeelfine2: Let me ask you, What do you personally do to alleviate the suffering of the poor?
star2 - I read and reread those passages and not one of them specified individuals versus corps - if anything one could read that they are talking about corps (the business owners of the time). Again, you're twisting scripture to support your agenda - not God's. Shame on you.
star2: "The Word of God places responsiblity for helping the poor on individuals not corporations. Rev Johnson would have done more to help the poor if he would have spent the $1.5 million on them."
Absolutely! Unfortunately, he'd rather grandstand by doing this sort of thing which does nothing to help the poor but puts him in the spotlight. :-(
I'll be convinced he is not hypocritical when he uses money to actually help the poor AND also mentions retailers/corporations who do not allow the Salvation Army to set up their kettles as Wal*Mart does. At least 50% of the Salvation's Army donations last year were given at Wal*Mart stores, but did he mention that? Not at all.
ifeelfine, there was no deflection there. Reread my post and you'll see I had already made the very point you mentioned. I just sought to look at the whole picture.
Edit to previous entry:
Rev Johnson and Rev Hutchins need to not only examine their own lives before God in regard to the poor but they need to also judge righteously by holding all businesses including their Church to the same standard they want to hold Wal-Mart to.
If the workers at Wal-Mart don't make enough money, then maybe they need to do something about getting some additional skills that will enable them to get better paying jobs. Let's be fair to Wal-Mart and require that the lower payed workers do something to try to improve their own financial circumstances.
ifeelfine72:
Scriptuers: Leviticus 19:10, Leviticus 23:22, Matthew 25:31-46, 1 John 3:16-17
You can argue that the Old Testament scriptures mentioned above apply to businesses and I would agree. However, the priciples apply to individuals as well. The New Testament scriptures apply to individuals, though, the priciples can be applied to businesses, Church, and etc.
Each person, especially believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, need to examine their own life to see if they are doing what God would have them do to help meet the needs of the poor before they go pointing the finger at some large corporation. If they are found wanting then let him/her take the beam out of their own eye before they try to remove the mote out of someone else eye. (Matt 7:3-5)
Rev Johnson and Rev Hutchins need to not examine their own lives before God in regard to the poor but they also need to judge righteously by holding all businesses including their Church to the same standard as they want to hold Wal-Mart to.
star2 - where does it say that in the Bible?
marnatha7593 wrote:
"ifeelfine72, I heard a pastor say that Jesus actually talked more about Heaven and Hell than any other one topic -- yet that's become politically incorrect these days. Jesus also said the poor would always be among us. Yes, we should care for the poor, and anyone who thinks churches are not doing that hasn't taken the time to check out the whole picture. But giving the poor financial assistance only, without giving them the opportunity to inherit eternal life and miss Hell, is far afield from Jesus' teachings."
Amen and Amen my brother. we cannot and should not only help the poor with financial help. We are to preach the Gospel that will save their souls, and while doing that, we need to help them with clothes, food, shelter, medical needs, etc.
Let's worry about our own house,not someone else's.
The Word of God places responsiblity for helping the poor on individuals not corporations. Rev Johnson would have done more to help the poor if he would have spent the $1.5 million on them.
"The worker is worth his wage." This is great that someone is holding Wal-Mart accountable. There is truth in how workers are treated at Wal-Mart and it is taking advantage of poor workers. I myself am working poor and it is refreshing to see people (and God's people) stand up for those who can't!
Proverbs 31:9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy
God will hold men accountable for their greed including corporations!!
Micah 6:8 - The LORD God has told us what is right and what he demands:
"See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God."
maranatha7593 - You're deflecting. Read the Bible for yourself and see which topic he spent more time on - you might be surprised. I wasn't suggesting that folks don't have to believe; they do but we are called to help the poor.
ifeelfine72, I heard a pastor say that Jesus actually talked more about Heaven and Hell than any other one topic -- yet that's become politically incorrect these days. Jesus also said the poor would always be among us. Yes, we should care for the poor, and anyone who thinks churches are not doing that hasn't taken the time to check out the whole picture. But giving the poor financial assistance only, without giving them the opportunity to inherit eternal life and miss Hell, is far afield from Jesus' teachings.
P.S. The Salvation Army kettles which WERE allowed at Wal*Mart last year accounted for about 50% of the SA's donations last year! These pastors speak with forked tongue if they do not give the WHOLE picture.
Will they also call on Target to repent for not allowing the Salvation Army to set up their kettles and receive donations for the POOR and NEEDY???