Re-Post: Nearing Midnight for February 14th (Part 1)

Why Moral Protests and Boycotts and Don't Work

NBC has been the frequent target of Christian watchdog groups. Over the past few years, I recall hearing about three major incident involving the Peacock network:
The first one was the sitcom, "God, the Devil and Bob." The show had God portrayed in the image of the late Jerry Garcia (of Grateful Dead fame). The Grateful Dead were notorious drug addicts and their recordings included lyrics such as "A friend of the devil is a friend of mine" and "I am going to Hell in a bucket but at least I'm enjoying the ride."
The second one was the show, "The Book of Daniel." The main character, Daniel, is a pill-popping Episcopal priest who lives with a variety of daily problems. His wife is an alcoholic, one of his sons is a homosexual and another, his adopted son, is having sex with a young girl. The show also features a blasphemous portrayal of Jesus. The Christ in the "The Book of Daniel" glosses over the son's sexual romps with the comment, "He's a kid; let him be a kid."
The third uproar occurred before the show aired. Christian groups forced NBC cancel to an episode of "Will & Grace" that featured Britney Spears as a conservative who hosts a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's" on a Christian TV network. According to one report, "Spears was to appear as a sidekick to the regular character Jack, who hosts his own talk show on the homosexual network Out TV, which is bought by a Christian TV network. The episode was to air April 13, just before Good Friday."
The American Family Association has been given the most credit for forcing NBC to cancel each of these examples of moral degeneration. The AFA may have won a few battles, but they are not winning the war. In fact, morality in America has been in a steady swan dive.
While Christians were venting their displeasure over the "The Book of Daniel," the movie, "Brokeback Mountain," was breaking new ground at the theater. For the first time ever, a movie with a homosexual sex scene was number one in box office ratings.
Regarding the on-screen sex between actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the movie, "pro-family" reviewer Ted Baehr predicted that the audience would be so sickened they would flee the theater vomiting. With the movie playing on over 2,000 screens and having earned $64 million so far, I don't think his prediction has come to pass.
The primarily reason protests and boycotts don't work is Satan's strategy attacking on multiple fronts. The devil has so many agents in this world, he can afford a loss like the early demise of "The Book of Daniel." Right now, I'm sure some writers in Hollywood are working on a screenplay for a new sitcom that will be equally as blasphemous as any of the examples I've cited.
If Christian groups are going to have any lasting impact in the moral struggle, they need to focus on changing the overall culture. Where they choose to spend their money is a good place to start. If Christians applied a more godly approach to their buying habits, corporations that support and promote immoral activities would quickly get the message.
At one point, Burlington Coat Factory was the only national advertiser still standing with NBC's "The Book of Daniel." I don't recall any Christian group highlighting this company's willingness to support the sitcom. Most of the angry letters were to NBC or its parent company, General Electric.
You don't need to send a letter to NBC or the Burlington Coat Factory. If enough Christians refused to buy outerwear from BCF, the retailer's earnings would drop and the CEO would be out on his ear.
I hardly ever watch any network prime-time TV. I simply cannot relate to the values presented by NBC and the other major networks.
Last week, I ran across a news article that pointed out how many evangelicals demand higher standards for TV, while at the same time, they contradict their wishes by watching shows that are full of sex and violence.
In this late hour, we may not be able to prevent the world from sliding into tribulation judgment. The least we can do is not become part of the problem.

-- Todd