A Christian activist group is rebuking McDonald’s for not facing up to its record of continued support and endorsement of homosexuality.
“McDonald's is still trying to distort their support for the homosexual agenda by twisting words,” the America Family Association (AFA) alleged in a statement.
In late March, the nation’s largest fast-food chain drew a stream of controversy after the company’s vice president of communications joined the board of directors of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) – an organization “dedicated to expanding the economic opportunities and advancements of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender/Transsexual (LGBT) business community.”
Although McDonald’s claims that the move represented an action by a sole individual, AFA has stood against the assertion.
“While McDonald's says it is not a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the NGLCC website proudly lists them as a ‘Corporate Partner and Organizational Ally,’” AFA noted.
What casts even more doubt, according to the AFA, is a $20,000 donation McDonald’s handed over to the NGLCC.
The donation, which was approved by Richard Ellis, the vice president of communications, all but confirmed the resolve of AFA.
“[McDonald’s] [claims] that Richard Ellis, was elected to the NGLCC board as a private citizen and not a representative of McDonald’s,” the AFA noted. “Yet, Richard Ellis is listed on the NGLCC website as Vice President of Communications, McDonald’s USA.”
While one lone act of endorsing homosexuality may be forgiven, the AFA pointed out that the recent move by McDonald’s was hardly an isolated incident.
In 2007, McDonald’s reportedly boasted of its support for gay couples in a television ad when it sponsored the San Francisco Gay Pride parade, the AFA said.
"Giving money to and partnering with a homosexual lobby organization is certainly an enthusiastic promotion of the homosexual agenda,” the group concluded.
Back in April, Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of AFA, suggested that a boycott on McDonald’s products was a “possibility" if the company would not rectify its actions, according to Baptist Press. It remains to be seen, however, how McDonald’s will continue to react and face up to the accusations concerning its alleged history of endorsing homosexuality.
Founded in 1977, and based in Tupelo, Miss., the American Family Association (AFA) is among one of the largest Christian activist organizations dedicated to the promotion of “the biblical ethic of decency in American society.”
Comments
In my opinion, Christians need to take a serious, mature look at how they respond to this very serious issue. There's no room for judgment and condemnation. The message that McD's should be getting is that we're not only called to respect, include, and "tolerate" gays and lesbians. Our highest call, by Christ himself, is to love. I feel a loving response is to not be involved in or permit any kind of unkind treatment, unfair exclusion, etc...the same as we should treat any and every human being! I also believe a loving response is NOT promoting or encouraging the gay and lesbian lifestyle in any way, shape or form. It's not a loving response because my faith (a part of me as much as my blood) says this is not the path for their true, lasting peace and happiness.
GodlyFamilyMan--
(continued)
Jesus isn't a plush toy. He's not warm and fuzzy and a "buddy" who pats you on the back and says, "homosexuality...sure! It's all about love". You couldn't be more wrong, nor could those who believe this kind of touchy-feely nonsense when it comes to Chirst. He is the second person of the Trinity, and he is God Almighty. His law never changes just as he never changes. Christ said he did not come to overthrow the law but to fulfill it. We often lack the awe that the early disciples felt, and we forget. Jesus is more than "plush toy Christianity" would make him out to be. And Paul reiterates this as do the other New Testament writers. In fact, one of the chief terms used in relation to God in the New Testament is "fear". There's a reason for that too. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God".
Christ commands us to be obedient, it isn't all about grace. It's about grace and obedience together. Homosexuality is a grave sin, both the Old and New Testaments say so. It isn't any worse than any other sin, as all sin is sin, and makes us worthy of punishment in God's view. But to deny that homosexuality *is* a sin is the real mistake. It *is* a sin, and anyone who says otherwise is placing themselves in opposition to the Word of God, and in opposition to Christ. No practicing homosexual will inherit the kingdom of God according to Romans and 1 Corinthians, therefore unless a homosexual repents of their sin and comes to Christ seeking forgiveness and genuinely seeks to turn from their lifestyle, they are placing their souls in grave danger. This is the Word of God. I am compelled to speak that Word, and to tell you the truth. It is up to the Holy Spirit to convict you of your error, but I hope you hear what I'm saying.
You do seem a genuinely good-hearted and loving Christian, and I do not want to see you fall into error in thinking that because two people claim to "love one another" that somehow overrides the Word of God. It doesn't.
GodlyFamilyMan--
You're posts indicate just how far error has crept into the Body of Christ, among even the "righteous". You have been fed a false message somewhere along the way, by the sound of things. Christlike behavior is not to ignore sin or error in favor of peace or harmony. Christ said he came not to bring peace but division. He meant that he would *divide*, and his message would bring *divisions*, between even father and son, mother and daughter, turning them against one another. That is not a peaceful message. Christ brought truth, and truth divides. Just as Jesus said on the last day he would divide the sheep from the goats. He said not everyone who said to him, "Lord, Lord" would enter the kingdom of Heaven. There's a reason for that. Just because you call yourself a Christian doesn't make you one, and when you preach that something God calls "evil" is in fact "good" you are setting yourself against God and Christ.
The message you are pushing, whether you know it or not, is a heresy called "antinomianism" in which believers encouraged one another to ignore the law and commandments and do whatever they felt like because "grace abounds". You are pushing a message of "grace" that you think means "anything goes" and ignores everything Christ (and Paul, and Peter, and James, etc) said about the law and obedience.
Christ did many miracles, for many people, even the undeserving, but what little additional thing does he always say? What does he always admonish the individual after he performs some miracle? He says, "go and sin no more", "stop sinning or something worse may befall you".
Why did you flag me? I said nothing offensive. Who flagged tx2626? Why do you find what he said offensive? Why does it bother you that before he got saved he was gay but after he got saved he no longer is?
There is no sin too great for the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you for and to set you free from but you have to want it.
You have a right to live in sin all you want but you will give an account for it on judgment day.
Gosh, I cannot count the number of times I have been reading my Bible in a McDonalds. The kids work so hard, and do a pretty good job. They don't have time to express viewpoints on any issue. How about we just vote out the ones who made the decision to support the gay groups, like that Richard Ellis guy.
star2, I wondered the same thing but I guess in my old age I've lost a little of your spunkiness, be blessed in serving Him today.
Who flagged tx2626? What's the matter, you don't like his testimony on how he was gay before he got saved and now he is not?
As much as I disagree with McDonald's decision we need to remember this was a corporate decision and we need to give the locally owned franchises time to respond before we boycott. In my area I know a lot of good Christian teens and several single Moms who work at McDonalds who could possibly lose their jobs if we prematurely boycott, but we do need to pray for those at the corporate level that they would rethink this decision as well as let them know what we think about their decision.
God hates sin and homosexuality is one of those sins. We are to hate what God hates. God hates the sin not the sinner. It is what saved me. I was gay for many years. Now I am saved and not gay. Thank you God!!!
Gay-donalds will not see another dime of my money. I will pray for them instead.
Tim
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." You will find this first up in the book of John.
Still, statistics has shown one author over the hundreds of years in which the Bible was written. Some translators (who hadn't had enough sleep!) started to see a pattern. They had the translation matrix run the pattern and went to bed. As it turns out the entire Bible is in groupings (what we might call paragraphs). When you add up the sylibles in the groupings...any group about God is divisible by 7 without error or remainder through the entire text. Any about Satan are divisible by 6 without error or remainder. Yet, it is accepted as fact to have be written by different people of different backgrounds.
Even with that said...the problem is not with the Bible. You are looking for proof in the arena of faith. Either you are going to believe the Bible for what it says it is or your aren't. For data I would recommend "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" parts 1 & 2 by Josh McDowell. You'll find quite a bit of information. He started the project as an athiest at Berkley.....
Tim, We as Bible believing Christians believe that the Bible in its original manuscripts is the Word of God, that God by His Holy Spirit both inspired and superintended the writng of His Word, we don't need to put the author's name on the cover of the book because we know that God is the author of His Word. We also believe that in it's original context the Bible is inerrant and it is a matter of faith that allows us to personally accept it as God's Word, but the bottomline is that whether or not we accept it as God's Word it is God's Word none the less.
I'm curious. Where did God say ANYTHING? I don't see any author name in the front cover of any of the copies of the Bible I have. Men said things that they believed, and, in the case of those people who may have known the historical personage who may have existed called Christ, they wrote down what they SAID he stated many years after the fact. Memory is subjective - and, while we're at it, so is translation (all those references to women priests mistranslated into things like 'helpers').
antigone01, there is a difference between taking snipits out of context to attack people and using the Bible in context to say what it says. "Thou shalt not kill" isn't really repeated over and over in the Bible. Yet, it is accepted to be a Biblical principle (kill in this usage is to murder).
The passage in Romans is absolutely clear and is in a context discussing immorality of the Romans. These principles along with how God responded to Sodom is quite clear. This is not the abuse of scripture to abuse people. It's simply what the Bible says. It isn't hypocracy either. The Bible says all have sinned. What is sin? Whatever God says is sin! All these arguements made will not somehow change that each of us will be judged before God and found to be in compliance or out of compliance (with no chance for rework). What does the Bible say about how your judging will turn out? Each of us needs to take a REALLY good look at that and engourage each other to be honest in their own judgement. Anything less would be hypocracy.
antigone01, you are 100% correct Jesus ministered to all kinds of sinners but never once did He condone their sin. Some say Jesus friends were dishonest tax collectors and prostitutes but what they fail to insert in their statement is the word former. The difficult task we have in the Christian community is taking stands against sin and sinful practices without inadvertently alienating those caught up in the sin or sinful practices, hating the sin while yet loving the sinner as Christ hates our sin but still loves and loved us enough to go to the cross and pay the penalty for our sins. I have personally come to believe this ability is somewhat easier for those of us who have struggled with and perhaps are still struggling with the same or similar sin or sinful practices ourselves.
It is inappropriate to use tidbits from the Old testament to discriminate against other people. Jesus would hang out with gay people and I never read anything he said against LOVE, but I did read about hypocrites and how HE threw them out of the temple. Judge not lest ye be judged. Blessings to all that your minds may be opened to the fullness of Love and Life bestowed on us all by out Divine Creator.