Starbucks, Supreme Court and Same-sex Marriage

Many of you know that I have been a faithful Starbucks customer for quite sometime.  Earlier this week my father sent me an e-mail letting me know of the statement that Starbucks CEO made regarding the company's support for same-sex marriage.  Not long after that a church member sent me a similar e-mail.  Needless to say that was a painful and uncomfortable read.  I really like starbucks coffee but I strongly believe in the biblical view of marriage.  Furthermore, while I believe in loving all people in Christ's name, and while I believe every American should have equal freedom and rights, I strongly believe that a nation where same-sex marriage is rampart is a nation that will experience moral decay and disintegration.  

As this same-sex marriage thing has been on the news so much this week and it has been the conversation in many talk shows, etc., we continue to pray and think about our Christ-centered, Bible-based response.  I usually don't jump on every bandwagon issue out there because it can be time-consuming, controversial and divisive.  However, I find it necessary to speak on it this time.  By no means is this blog post a thorough treatment of the same-sex issue.  I am merely responding to the issue of whether or not to boycott companies like starbucks.  Earlier this week I read a blog post from a pastor in Waco that briefly addresses this on the surface:

http://doughankins.com/how-might-christians-respond-to-the-question-of-homosexual-marriage/

I agree that our response has to be primarily in terms of educating our families and our church about what the Bible says on this issue and what the Christ-like spirit looks like in addressing this issue.  We must acknowledge that there are multiple audiences: (1) our children and our church as they seek to be shaped by the Scriptures and a Christian world-view; (2) the people that we personally know or encounter who identify themselves as homosexuals; (3) the unbelieving world that is watching our response; and (4) the GLBT (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender)  movement agenda.  Obviously, the first three require a sensitive, loving but firm approach.  It is the fourth one that is really challenging.  They are advancing an aggressive and offensive agenda with propaganda, government-support, lobbyists, and huge financial contributions.  They are out for the kill.  We cannot be intimidated by them.  We must speak the truth but we must do so in a way that is sensible.  They will probably still dismiss us as bigots, intolerant and haters but we won’t give them much ground to stand on, and perhaps at points the truth may get across to somebody.

Dialogue about the issue is one thing.  How it affects commerce is yet another.  The difficulty that exists in identifying companies that overtly support the GLBT agenda and those that openly support a traditional understanding of marriage is that the list will continue to grow.  For example, I did a quick search on the internet and (unfortunately, I used “Google” which openly supports same-sex marriage) found out the following (To be honest, I quit after about one-hour because it became so overwhelming):

Companies that overtly support the GLBT agenda with their advertising, their employment policies and/or their financial contributions (the actual links to the websites are at the bottom of this e-mail):

1. Budweiser
2. Absolut
3. Target
4. JC Penney
5. Kenneth Cole
6. Amazon.com/Kindle
7. Levi’s
8. Microsoft (Windows, Bing, Xbox, etc.)
9. Expedia
10. Huffpost.com
11. AOL
12. Martha Steward Living
13. Smirnoff
14. Oreo cookies
15. Nordstrom
16. Nike
17. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
18. Google
19. Apple
20. eBay
21. Intuit
22. Adobe Systems (software)
23. Boeing
24. Starbucks
25. RealNetworks
26. Goldman Sachs
27. Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
28. Hewlett-Packard
29. Zynga Inc.
30. Allstate Insurance
31. Facebook
32. Morgan Stanley
33. Verizon
34. American Apparel
35. American Airlines
36. Applebee’s
37. Best Buy/Geek Squad
38. Clorox
39. Brita Filters, Glad storage bags, Hidden Valley Ranch, Pine-Sol
40. Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Minute Maid, Poweade, Dansani
41. Concur Technologies
42. Costco
43. Delta Airlines
44. Electronic Arts
45. Ford/Lincoln
46. Gap
47. Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime
48. General Mills (Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Wheaties, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Hamburger Helper)
49. General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)
50. Youtube, Zagat
51. Hilton Worldwide (Double Tree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Waldorf-Astoria)
52. The Home Depot
53. IBM
54. Kraft Foods (Cadbury, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Planters, etc.)
55. Marriott Hotels (Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard Inn, Fairfield Inn
56. McDonald’s
57. Nationwide insurance
58. Converse
59. Olive Garden
60. PepsiCo (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana, Aquafina, Frito-Lay, Quaker Oats, Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc.)
61. Proctor and Gamble (Bounty, Charmin, Crest, Duracell, Gillette, Old Spice, Pampers, Tide, Vicks, etc.)
62. Red Lobster
63. Rite Aid
64. Sears
65. Land’s End
66. Southwest Airlines
67. State Farm Insurance
68. United Airlines
69. UPS
70. Vulcan
71. Walgreen’s
72. The Walt Disney Company (ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Muppets)
73. Wells Fargo
74. AARP
75. MasterCard
76. Yahoo
77. MillerCoors

Companies that have taken a stand for traditional marriage with their statements or their financial contributions (the actual links to the websites are at the bottom of this e-mail):

1. Chick-fil-a
2. Urban Outfitters
3. Exxon
4. Wal-Mart
5. A-! Self Storage
6. The Salvation Army
7. Cinemark
8. Pep Boys
9. Lowes
10. Toys R Us
11. AutoZone
12. Cracker Barrel
13. Dish Network
14. Domino’s Pizza
15. Gold’s Gym
16. Golfland Entertainment Centers
17. Insure.com
18. Meijer Inc.
19. OutsidePride.com
20. Request Foods
21. Forever 21
22. Whole Foods
23. Tom’s of Maine
24. Tyson Foods, Inc.
25. Hobby Lobby
26. ServiceMaster (Terminix, American Home Shield)
27. Herman Miller
28. Interstate Batteries
29. In-N-Out Burger
    

The discrepancy in the size of these lists is incredible.  We might argue that it is hard to know which companies support what and so ignorance is bliss.  However, the stand these companies take is very open and overt.  You can find it with a very simple internet search.  It is evident that the traditional (biblical) marriage stand is counter cultural in the U.S. at least when it comes to corporations.  The difficulty becomes in how we respond with the stewardship of our money against this growing giant?  It should be noted in our conversation that there are two aspects of this: (1) individual choice by each Christian and (2) use of Calvary church funds.  To be honest, it gets pretty overwhelming to carry around this list and it is probably a list that grows and changes each week!

Suddenly, I identify with the first century believers in Rome who lived in an environment that was completely hostile or ignorant of Christianity.  The meat sold in the market place was all offered to idols.  Believers had the choice of going completely vegetarian or of buying the meat asking God to bless it in spite of where it came from.  The apostle Paul then offers Spirit-inspired counsel in Romans chapter 14.  Admittedly, eating meat sacrificed to idols is not exactly the same issue as buying things from companies that support same-sex marriage.  Nevertheless, as Bible-believing Christians we begin to wrestle with the issues that the first century believers faced: namely living in a world that is hostile or ignorant of a Christian worldview.  (This is without even considering companies’ stands on other moral issues such as abortion, immigration, fair-trade, human-trafficking, child-labor, pornography, legalization of marijuana and other drugs, etc., etc, etc.).

So what do we do?  Personally, some choices are easy for me.  I don’t care for Budweiser, AOL, absolut, Smirnoff or MillerCoors.  It’s easy to give up what you don’t really use!  But what about other more subtle choices such as food products from the grocery store and restaurant chains, etc.  That becomes a bit more difficult.  It is certainly important to be informed and be aware.  One action that is constructive is to definitely support traditional marriage companies.  So Chick-fil-a, Wal-Mart, Cinemark and Hobby Lobby can definitely count on my continued support.

As far as the church is concerned, the level of difficulty increases.  The choice is easy when you have Home Depot on one side and Lowe’s on the other.  But what about when both Microsoft and Apple are on the same side.  That’s Windows and iOS.  IBM and Hewlett Packard are also on the same side.  It’s easy to serve Folger’s instead of Starbucks but to get rid of computers and software becomes much harder.  Most airlines are on one side of the issue.  Do we drive everywhere and make sure we only use Exxon?  When Coca Cola and Pepsi products are on the same side of the issue, does it mean we’ll have to resort to Dr. Thunder or some other HEB private label pop?  For some, it does.  (You should drink water anyway!)  What about our food pantry?  The items that we get from the food bank to give to those who are hungry?  The ingredients we use for our Wednesday night suppers?  Our baskets of hope ministry?  Do we limit the amount of food we distribute to the needy by identifying brands that should be avoided?  These are the issues Pharisees spent much energy on and Jesus corrected.  Jesus said it was more important to heal a man with a withered hand than to observe the Sabbath law, for example.

That’s where Romans 14 provides at least 7 good principles even if the issues are different (Wow! Multiples of 7.  I’m feeling good about this!):

1. The issue is complex and should be treated with concern and sensibility (Romans 14)
2. Our energy should not be spent on quarreling over disputable matters (v. 1)
3. We should be sensitive to each other as we sort out our convictions (vv. 2-5)
4. The focus in our decisions and actions should be to glorify God (vv. 6-9)
5. The effect of our decisions and actions should not cause our brother to stumble (vv. 13-16, 19-21)
6. Our energy should be invested in the kingdom of God: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (v. 17-21)
7. Our actions and decisions should be made with great reverence toward God (vv. 12, 22-23)
   

Allow me to note that these principles are used to guide believers when there is not a biblical prescription.  The issue was not whether idolatry was wrong or not.  Idolatry is always wrong.  The issue was whether to buy/eat meat that was offered to idols or not.  In other words, Romans 14 does not apply to whether same-sex marriage is right or wrong.  The Bible is clear about that already.  Romans 14 can be used to apply as to what you do about doing business with particular companies.  The Bible did not include a list of these companies obviously.  What Paul says is that deciding whether or not to buy "tainted" stuff is a matter of the conscience.  Both, vegetarians and meat-eaters can be right if their heart is right toward God.  Both boycotters and non-boycotters can be right if their heart is right toward God.  Both should be respectful of each other's position without passing judgment.  So Paul would say that if you choose to boycott every company that supports anti-biblical principles, like the vegetarian believers of Rome, you should do so because of your own conviction.  If you choose to use your freedom in Christ to buy from these same companies, like the meat-eating believers of Rome, you should also do so because of your own conviction.

So, what should be our action responses?

1. Teach our families and church what the Bible says about the issue (marriage is for one man and one woman for life; homosexuality is against God’s design and homosexual behavior is sinful; Jesus loved all sinners and died for all sinners);
2. Love those who identify themselves as homosexuals while communicating God’s design for marriage & sex;
3. Speak the truth in love when interacting with the culture around us (Ephesians 4:15a);
4. In terms of personal financial stewardship, support those companies that stand for traditional marriage in as much as possible and, when personally convicted, avoid those companies that stand for same-sex marriage.  This should not be done out of legalism or by imposition of others but in the freedom of Christ and in accordance with the principles in Romans 14.
5. As a church, be sensitive, informed and diligent about identifying companies than can be avoided.  In as much as possible, avoid doing business with companies that are hostile to Christianity or biblical principles, understanding that we don’t want to develop burdens that no one can carry.  Let Romans 14 guide our attitude, our decisions, our actions and our freedom in Christ.
   

At Calvary, we will give attention to the teaching/curriculum issue in the weeks to come.  We will also do our due diligence in regard to number 5 in the list above.

I report to you that this week I have opted for brewing my own coffee and also drinking the coffee from Taco Palenque and Corner Bakery.  (I'm afraid to ask about their stand on the issue but their coffee is almost as good as starbucks).  Of course, I also believe that  my God is bigger than the idols of Rome and the CEOs of America.  My God can bless a cup of Starbucks coffee as much as he can bless a T-bone steak that was offered to idols in the City of Rome.  That's me.  I'm not imposing that on you or anyone else.  I'm also committed to not being a stumbling block to anyone, in as much as it is within my power.

Let us not be afraid or discouraged.  The church of the New Testament thrived in the hostile environment of the Roman Empire.  It did so because it had the power of the Holy Spirit.  We too have the Holy Spirit and the promise from Jesus that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.  God is not surprised by what goes on in the world.  If He is for us, who can be against us?

Here are the links to the websites that I used to make the lists above:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/26/companies-that-support-gay-marriage_n_2957634.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/major-brands-that-support-gay-marriage-photos-2013-3?op=1

http://www.policymic.com/articles/10810/you-would-never-believe-which-anti-gay-companies-you-support-with-your-money

http://money.msn.com/investing/where-companies-stand-on-gay-rights

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2013/03/26/which-big-name-ceos-back-same-sex.html?page=all

http://money.cnn.com/2013/03/29/news/companies/same-sex-marriage-companies/

http://www.examiner.com/article/shopping-to-support-traditional-or-gay-marriage

http://mainfo.blogspot.com/2012/08/17-pro-traditional-marriage-companies.html

http://www.ketknbc.com/news/10-religious-companies-besides-chick-fil-a