This is a question that seems to have Social Media and the Internet aflame, especially in light of Target’s declaration. I have read numerous blog posts and Facebook posts that caution Christians to make sure our words are portraying Christ, and I completely agree with those words of warning and caution. I have also read posts that have questioned whether or not boycotting will actually draw a person into a relationship with Christ or will the boycott actually push people away from Christ, and I have read posts from Christians who have expressed their opinion that fellow Believers should not boycott Target and those who do are not being very wise and are actually being quite ridiculous by being so upset. They argue that Christians should not expect a company who does not claim to be a “Christian Company” to base business decisions upon Christian morals and values, so Christians should understand that the “world is going to act like the world.” I also read that the world is going to get worse and worse, so Believers should just accept that….we are living in the end times. I have also seen the argument that the backlash from Christians stems from ignorance and fear. I have pondered all of these stances over the past few days, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the situation. They are as follows:
1. As Christians, we are to above all reflect The Gospel – the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and what He did for us on the Cross. He bore our sins. He took our punishment. We are so undeserving, but He offered us GRACE! We are to share the HOPE we have in Jesus Christ! We have the best news in the entire world, and we should SHARE that…with everyone!
2. We are to never
speak words of hate. Again, our words
should reflect Christ’s love for us and for others.
3. Standing firm
and speaking truthfully in love on what we believe as truth and supported by
the Bible is NOT hate speech. (Read
Ephesians 4:17-32) A perfect example is
found in Acts 6:51 where Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin because of their
rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, he states, “You men who are stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are
doing just as your fathers did.”
(Note: Stephen did not use
demeaning slurs. He simply stated that
the people were being hard headed and refusing to let the Holy Spirit work in
their lives.) The priests proceeded to stone Stephen to death after his sermon
and after he made this statement, and as he was falling to his death, Acts 6:60
states that “he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin
against them!’” So, we see that even though Stephen stood firm, he still
portrayed love, even in his death. He
was begging for Christ’s mercy on the very ones who were killing him. Oh! What a profound example of showing
Christ’s love, even though he was in total disagreement of their views!
4. There has
definitely been a moral shift in our country.
Why? We live in a fallen
world. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “Be sober
of spirit, be on the alert [stay awake!].
Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.” Our response should
again be with an urgency to SHARE THE GOSPEL!
5. I believe that
the issue is so much more than where Transgender people choose to use the
restroom. In fact, I would not be
surprised in the least to discover that I have been in a restroom with a transgender
person. More than likely, I would have
never known if the person just went in and used the ladies’ restroom without
making it an issue. The larger issue at stake is that men can go in women’s
restrooms/fitting rooms and women can go in men’s restrooms/fitting rooms,
whether he/she is truly transgender or not because who is going to be
“policing” whether a person truly is transgender? Another question is what is going to stop a
man who has terrible motives from pretending to be a woman from entering a
woman’s restroom/fitting room? On the
flipside, what is going to prevent a woman with terrible motives from
pretending to be a man and entering a men’s restroom/fitting room? I am by no means stating that just because a
person is transgender that he or she is a sexual predator.
6. Christians who
are arguing that this is not a “big deal” need to think through this not only
from a moral standpoint but also from a social standpoint. To Christians who may not have children or
who have small children who still need supervision in a restroom/fitting room,
my question would be for him/her to imagine having an 18 year old daughter/
son, niece/nephew, etc. How safe would a
person feel sending his/her 18 year old daughter to Target to run an
errand. When she arrives, she has an
emergency and needs to use the restroom.
Little does she know that a man dressed as a woman follows her in the
restroom. Once she is in there, he
proceeds to film her or attempt to rape her or try to kidnap her for the rapid
growing slave trade in the United States – Human Trafficking. Or on the flip side of that, a person’s 18
year old son, runs the same errand, has an emergency and needs to use the
restroom, and as he enters, a woman dressed as a man enters and begins to
proposition the young man for sex as a prostitute. People could argue that those things are
illegal. However, are we not encouraging
those opportunities by welcoming people of any gender to use any
restroom/fitting room they prefer? Yes,
I understand that sexual predators can lurk anywhere, not just public restrooms
and changing rooms. The argument is that at least by having separate restrooms
and changing rooms for men and women that it does call into question the
motives of a person who willing enters the opposite gender’s private spaces. I
believe that even those who identify with the LGBT community who have children
need to consider this as well.
7. What we need to realize is that this issue is stemming from a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit mandating a public school in Virginia to allow transgender students to use whatever restroom/locker room he/she prefers. This is not just a secular company deciding to allow this. This is the United States Government mandating this. They based this law off of Title IX. Title IX states the following:
The U.S.
Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces, among other statutes, Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination
based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial
assistance. Title IX states that:
No person in
the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in,
be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
As
Dr. Al Mohler states in “The Briefing” on Thursday, April 21, 2016, the authors
of Title IX had no idea that it would one day be used to argue for men to be
allowed in women’s restrooms/changing areas and women to be allowed in men’s
restrooms/changing areas. However, the
implications of this law are enormous.
Because this law is based on institutions who receive Federal Funding,
which includes public schools and universities, it will only be a matter of
time before every school will be mandated to comply with the new interpretation
of Title IX. Therefore, children who
attend public schools will be using restrooms/changing areas with children of
the opposite sex. Imagine the
implications, especially as children begin reaching puberty and
adolescence. So, before people attack
others who are opposing Target’s policy, each person needs to realize that for
many people the outcry is based on something much deeper. Christian brothers and sisters who are
currently sending their children to public schools and do not have a problem
with Target need to ask themselves if they will be okay with this law being
applied to the restrooms/changing areas of their children’s schools. As believers who want to engage the world,
public school settings give us great access to do that either through working
at one of the institutions or having children who attend a public educational
institution. However, what are the
consequences going to be when every public educational institution is mandated
to comply with these new “Bathroom Laws?”
Do we simply disengage and send our children to private schools or
homeschools? Do we send them to school
and tell them to “hold their bladders” as one article suggested – that
“Christians can still shop at Target and hold their bladders.” We might be able to make a shopping trip to Target without making a bathroom stop, but I do not think it is possible to ask our children to not use the restroom for the 7-8 hours while they are at school. Because the U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit made their ruling in favor of the transgender student in Virginia, it will only be a matter of time before every Public school system and Public University will be forced to comply.
For more on the major implications of this decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, please read the following: http://erlc.com/article/the-sexual-revolution-public-education-and-what-christians-should-do.
8. For a moment, let’s take “religion, Christianity,
etc.” out of this argument as far as Target is concerned (since they do not
claim to operate from a Christian worldview) and as far as the ruling is
concerned with the “bathroom wars.” From
a societal standpoint, what are the ramifications of this law? Historically, society as a whole has leaned
toward advocating for the rights of children and for the protection of the weak
and innocent (as long as the child is outside the womb, but that is another discussion
for another day). So, why we would want
to make it easier for sexual predators to have access to their “prey”? Again, I am not saying a transgender person
is a sexual predator. I am arguing that
a sexual predator could easily disguise himself/herself as a transgender person
just to gain access to restrooms/changing rooms. Also, if society and the United State
Government condone these changes and enforce the new approach to Title IX, what
will be next? What laws will be revoked, reinterpreted, rewritten in the future
that will continue the downward spiral of society as a whole? When will one argue for it not to be illegal
to rape or sexually abuse a person? One
may think that I am taking this a little too far, but 44 years ago, the authors
of Title IX did not think that the law would one day be used to grant equal
access to restrooms for the opposite sexes.
It was written to give males and females equal access to public
education.
9. “Those who stand for nothing fall for
anything” is an old adage that speaks much truth in the “bathroom wars.” As
fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, again, we must not be afraid to stand
firm on truth. Concerning the argument
that boycotting is ineffective, I have a few questions to ask. What if Martin Luther King, Jr. had not stood
firmly for social change during the horrible period of segregation? What if he had not led thousands to boycott
peacefully but to stand firm on truth? What if a peaceful protester had not
softly whispered to a pregnant woman walking into an abortion clinic, your baby
has 10 fingers and 10 toes? If that had
not happened, a successful college football player would not have life
today. We must not be afraid to stand
for truth! On the May 5th The Briefing podcast, Dr. Al Mohler discusses the lack of Moral Courage in America. You can listen here http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/05/05/the-briefing-05-05-16/. I feel that the lack of courage to stand for truth is truly a reflection of the lack of moral courage in America out of fear of being called a bigot or reflecting hate, which can be seen by the many articles and blogs written to encourage Christians to not boycott Target.
I
have heard the argument that by boycotting Target, Christians are hurting the
minimum wage workers who are struggling to make ends meet because when
corporations like Target take a hit financially it is the minimum wage workers
who suffer first. How is that showing
Christ to them? That is something to consider.
I believe from a corporate standpoint it is Target who is hurting their
own employees, not Christians who are boycotting. Target is making decisions
that affect a majority of society and if Christians take a stand against the
corporation’s decision, especially when a reasonable compromise is very easy to
accommodate, Christians should not be the blame for the company’s actions. An article I read sited the Disney boycott of
1997 when Disney started hosting “Gay Days” as an example of an ineffective boycott. I contend that particular boycott was
ineffective because Christians could simply decide not to visit Disney during
Gay Days. It was not something that was
forced upon them with its backbone endorsed and upheld by the United States
Government. Disney’s decision to host
Gay Days also did not freely open the doors to potential sexual predators to
more easily access victims in restrooms.
Again, I go back to my previous statement in argument six. I know that sexual predators can attack their
victims in other places besides restrooms and changing rooms. However, by keeping restrooms and changing
rooms separate based on sex, I do believe that it is a deterrent instead of a
welcoming opportunity. Once again, I am
afraid if we do not stand for truth now, that we will truly “fall for anything”
because we are too afraid of what the repercussions may be. Going back to the example of Stephen, he gave
his life for speaking truth in love. Are
we not called to stand for Christian morals and principles no matter the
result? Again, it must be done in love
and not hate or anger but in firmness and much, much love. As a side note, and as a way for the church
to show love if an individual was to lose his/her job due to the Target
Boycott, the American Family Association who is leading in the boycott could
establish an assistance line for those individuals.
10. There are many other companies who support
organizations and ideologies who I do not agree with. So, if I decide to boycott Target am I being
“hypocritical” by not boycotting the other companies as well? Once again, my issue with Target goes back to
the safety issue – the willful decision to freely open public restrooms and
changing rooms to sexual predators. I reiterate--I
am not saying transgender people are sexual predators. (Please see Arguments 5, 6, and 8 again if
needed). As of now, other publicly
traded companies have not mandated such a radical policy change that affects
everyone who enters their businesses. As
a company that does not claim to be “Christian” one would think that the dollar
would drive policy change; however, with Target the company has declared such a
radical policy change for the sake of a few that I can not help but think that
the bottom dollar has to be feeling the effects with nearly 1 million people
boycotting compared to the relatively small number of transgender people who
they declared the policy change to please.
This leads into the next point.
Target did not have to sacrifice financial gain. The company could have simply stated that
their stores welcome all people and to make sure all shoppers feel safe and
welcome, they will be adding additional family and unisex restrooms and
changing rooms. Simple Solution.
11. Simple Solution: For Target and Public Schools: Keep men’s/boy’s and women’s/girl’s restrooms
and fitting rooms as they are. In
Target, add additional Family and Unisex
Restrooms and Fitting Rooms. For Public
Schools, build or transition locker rooms to “Unisex” changing rooms with more
private stalls and add unisex restrooms to provide options. Do not bend to the pressure of one or two for
the sake of the majority.
Yes,
as believers we do not need to expect people who do not find their identity in
Christ to have responses that reflect our beliefs, but we must not be afraid to
stand for truth and to engage others in healthy conversations about who we are
in Christ and lovingly point them to God’s Word for the basis of our
beliefs. Just because I disagree with
someone’s lifestyle does not mean that I hate them. I am afraid that some fellow brothers and
sisters in Christ who have chosen not to boycott have portrayed those who are
boycotting as bigots or have at least lumped those who are in a generalized
category. If we are asked why we are
choosing to boycott Target, whether it be by someone in the LGBT community or
by a curious heterosexual, I believe we can very easily lead into a
conversation explaining Christ’s love for everyone and the hope we have through
the Gospel without being condemning…but by speaking the truth in love. As a parent, my children disobey daily, but I
still love and forgive them. As an
adult, I sin daily, but I know that I have the love, mercy, and grace of my Savior
Jesus Christ. Again, we have the hope of the Gospel, and we are not called to
cautiously share that, but we are commanded to share that to the very ends of
the earth! (Acts 1:8).
11.
In Conclusion, it is absolutely okay for a Christian to boycott Target if that
is how he/she is feeling lead to take a stand for Biblical truth and the social
well-being of others as long as he/she does not portray language or attitude
that would hinder his/her witness as a follower of Jesus Christ. It is also important for fellow believers to
not attack one another on their individual convictions concerning the boycott
of Target and the implications of the “Bathroom Laws.” I read an article recently interviewing a
Syrian Christian who states that it is not ISIS who is destroying Christians in
her country, but it is Christians destroying each other. That is a huge indictment on fellow believers
who viciously attack one another. We
are going to have different opinions even if we share the same beliefs on
doctrinal foundations of our faith. We
must respect one another and show love for one another as well as those who are
not Believers. Remember the world is
watching us! In addition to and more
importantly than boycotting and writing letters to corporations and law makers,
is to SHARE THE GOSPEL and ENGAGE a community of people who believe the lie
that Christians do not care about them.
We must present a solid front in that area!
**As I stated earlier the majority of articles, blogs, and Social Media posts that I have read have been in support of Christians not boycotting Target, even Dr. Mohler in his April 26th issue of The Briefing (http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/04/26/the-briefing-04-26-16/) implies that a boycott historically does not accomplish the targeted goal, and that it should be an individual's decision of whether or not to boycott. Although I do not agree with his implication that since historically boycotting is ineffective that boycotting Target will be ineffective as well (see point 9), I do agree that it should be a personal conviction. I want to conclude with sharing the following articles which take a strong stance on gender roles, and of course the last one takes a strong stance on Target.
1.) Author: Benjamin Watson, Former New Orleans Saints Football player, now with the Baltimore Ravens.
