Being Southern Baptist, I associate with a group of people who love the boycott. We were famous for boycotting Disney–I was raised wishing I could watch the Disney channel at home, though now I wonder why. Here are some reasons why I think we like the idea of boycotting corporations and organizations:
We like that “us vs. them” feeling. I think this is a good thing. King Jesus is an “us vs. them” kind of King, and we have to realize that there are only two kingdoms in this world: Light or Darkness (they’ ain’t no in between).
It makes us feel like we are doing something for the Kingdom. Again, this isn’t bad; most “Christians” in America do absolutely nothing, so I have to applaud those who understand that Christianity is more than “belief”. Faith without works is dead.
It’s easy. This gets more to the heart. Is it easier to stand up to a faceless corporation, or is it easier to confront an individual like a friend or family member with the message of the Kingdom? I would argue it is easier to skip a Big Mac or to go to Lowe’s instead of Home Depot than it is to confront someone about their sin.
We are afraid that America is no longer a Christian nation. That fear is justified; unfortunately, America never was nor will be a Christian nation. The Church is (2 Peter 2:9). This is one of the saddest parts of this mentality; it misunderstands our citizenship.
We think that taking a stand on moral issues will turn our nation back to Jesus. This is possible. The only way for man to see his sin is to be confronted by the moral character of God. However, we stop short in that once we have won the moral victory (i.e., the corporation relents from whatever egregious sin they have enacted), we are satisfied as though morality=Christian.
Here is why Satan likes the Christian boycott:
It gets Christians fired up–about the wrong thing. Can you imagine if Christians took all of that effort and energy used to organize boycotts and channeled it into winning people to Jesus? Satan is more than willing to fight Christians on the corporate stage because nothing is at stake. If the Christians win, what have they won? Has anyone’s eternal soul been rescued?
Satan knows that we settle for less. If he can convince us that participating in a boycott fulfills our Christian duties, then he doesn’t have to worry much about his kingdom. Christians will be content with their efforts and will never venture beyond the corporate moral battles.
The Boycott mentality only fuels the Christian misconception that America is a Christian nation. As long as Satan can keep the Church confused, fighting for a moral America rather than fighting for our churches, he can quietly tear our churches apart until we have neither a Christian nation nor a Church.
Boycott is hypocritical. Satan loves this. The entire Christian community was up in arms about the whole Chick-fil-a issue a few months back. When people were calling for a boycott of Chick-fil-a because of its stance on marriage, Christians were offended. But this is exactly what we do to corporations.
Paul gives us instructions in 1 Corinthians 10:25-26,28-29–“Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof’…but if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed, and for the sake of conscience–I do not mean your conscience, but his.”
We are not held responsible for what a vendor or corporation does with our money. We are to be wise, but we do not have to burden our consciences with the ‘meat’ we bought from the ‘market’. Our time and efforts would be much better spent if we realized that the Kingdom of Heaven does not consist of corporations and companies, but of people and souls. If we will spend less time convincing organizations and more time convicting individuals, King Jesus’ dominion will spread to the glory of God.
