Options for boycotting

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me,
cannot be my disciple.  -  Luke 14:27

Businesses and Organizations being boycotted

How you boycott an organization depends upon several factors. Practical considerations Do they have a monopoly on a product or service in your area? Is it a service or product that is a necessity (like a utility, phone service, etc.), or is it a luxury you can do without? How much you are willing to inconvenience yourself and your family for the cause? Are you being heavily pressured to patronize the organization by someone else?  Example, some companies apply excessive pressure on their employees to participate in United Way. Is it the parent company, or a subsidiary? Are there legal reasons that you have to patronize the company?  For instance, in some situations, it is necessary to run legal advertisements in the local newspaper you may be boycotting. If you don't have an abundance of time to participate in other Christian causes, this is something you will have time for because it takes almost no time at all. Spiritual considerations Where is your loyalty, to God or to men?  Joshua 24:15, Luke 14:26-27 Are your spiritual responsibilities to God more important to you that seeking the pleasures in this life?  2 Timothy 3:4 Are you a lukewarm Christian who's looking for ways to have more zeal for God's causes by getting more involved? A total boycott of a company is the most effective, but it isn't always practical.  Here is a list of options to consider including a total boycott: Regardless of how you choose to boycott the organization, you'll still want to contact it (and its parent company if applicable) and express your concerns directly to them.  This puts pressure on them to change their ways.  It also lets them know there's a direct link between their behavior and their profits.  The unfortunate reality is that most of the decision makers are probably not Christians, or are Christian only in name.  They may not respond to anything other than something that impacts their bottom line. A total boycott.  If it's the parent company, boycott all its subsidiaries as well.  This includes getting rid of their stocks, not buying their products or services.  Canceling subscriptions.  Not advertising with them (if it's a media outlet that depends upon paid advertising for income). A total boycott.  If it's not the parent company, boycott the parent company in addition to the offending subsidiary. Encourage others to participate in the boycott.  Write letters to the editor.  E-mail like-minded believers. Ask for the help of your church and area churches.  Post your support for the boycott on your personal web site. You may not be able to avoid patronizing the parent company because of their monopoly on a service or product you need.  However, you may be able to boycott one or more subsidiaries. Decrease your patronage or donations.  Whenever possible, patronize other organizations instead.  For instance, you may have to place legal notices in a local newspaper you're boycotting, but you can still cancel your subscription. Avoid doing business with other businesses that patronize the offending company/organization. If it's a charity organization, stop donating to them, and ask for a refund of previous donations.  Give the money to another organization instead. A response to the main objection for not participating - "It won't matter" Probably the number one reason Christians will choose not to participate in this effort is because they think it won't do any good.  I suspect this is a major reason why many Christians today have chosen not to get involved in any causes at all. What most people don't know is that about a year or so ago, I briefly considered shutting down this web site for that very reason.  The Ohio State Board of Education (OSBE) was in the process of creating new proficiency tests.  They were going to add more blatant evolutionism language to the tests, and they were unwilling to add any language that encouraged opposing scientific views.  They asked for public input on the proposed wording. This request was published in the Columbus Dispatch, and most likely in other papers in Ohio.  I had attended a few Answers in Genesis seminars and had seen 1,000+ enthusiastic people in attendance.  I knew from this, and from polls I'd seen that the majority of the Ohio citizens support allowing students to hear the opposing scientific views.  Therefore, I figured letters from Creationists would come pouring in to the OSBE.  I was wrong. No pastors wrote to the OSBE.  Our spiritual leaders were completely AWOL on this issue. In the entire state of Ohio, only 11 people sent letters or e-mails to the OSBE expressing their opposition to the "evolutionism only" language of the proficiencies. Discouraged, I sent an e-mail to some of my Creationist friends in Ohio and other states.  I expressed my frustration with what I described at the time the lukewarm Christians in this state who were too lazy to get involved in this important fight.  I was especially upset with the complete lack of involvement by any pastor, the ones who are supposed to be leading spiritual charges like this.   I felt that if so many Christians were going to sit on the sidelines, and our leaders were completely AWOL (as far as public involvement was concerned), why am I wasting so much of my time getting involved? After all I have a wife and five sons I could be spending more time with if I wasn't spending so much time on this web site and our Creation Evidences TV program.  I was on the verge of shutting down both the web site and the TV programs. Then I got responses back from a few fellow Christians whom I had sent the e-mail to.  A few of them gently reminded me of a very important fact I had completely lost sight of.  I had been thinking that the primary target audience of the web site and TV program was people.  They reminded me that the real primary audience was our Lord and Creator.  The people come second. They reminded me that we must first be concerned about pleasing, honoring and glorifying God.  It doesn't matter what anybody else is or is not doing.  We must persist in doing what He has called us to do regardless of how much others around us are participating.  Then we must be patient and trust that He will use our efforts in whatever way He chooses to, whenever He is ready to.  And when God makes up His mind that He's ready,  no matter how much power, money or influence they have, the wicked are powerless to prevent Him from achieving His purposes. Even though visits to our web site have almost tripled since then, I no longer rely on the participation of others as my primary source of motivation. I am also not discouraged by whatever short-term victories the wicked have, because I know that no Christian ever fights battles like these alone.  God is always working quietly behind the scenes, or sometimes in very visible ways.  I also know who wins in the end.  I will therefore do what the Lord has called me to do no matter what, and let the chips fall where they may.  I believe that this attitude is appropriate for anything we are called to do by God, including boycotts on His behalf.  So do not be discouraged if at first it seems like it's not making a difference.  Sometimes it takes years before God makes an effort like this bear fruit.  Sometimes it happens a lot faster.  Just do your part, and trust in Him to use your efforts in whatever way He sees fit. We should also be encouraged by the successes of organizations like www.grassfire.net.  They are proof that the use of personal mailing lists on the internet can be the great equalizer against some of these Goliaths.

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