I have a strong urge to not view anything on CBS or NBC right now. Reason for the thought to boycott? Our church (The United Church, of Christ) is commencing a series of promotions and created an ad which very clearly states that we welcome EVERYONE. In the promo are a gay couple who are turned away from a church (as are a latino man and a black woman) by two thug-like guys. The text says: "Jesus never turned anyone away". then: "Neither do we." The networks mentioned considered the ad "too controversial"

if anyone is interested in viewing the ad go to www.stillspeaking.com and wait a bit. After the black screen and initial message run you will see the home page and roughly in the center you can see a short clip of the video.

I'm not going to say much other than I feel that the ad is an honest
statement of my church's "position" on recent negative behavior on the part of various religious organizations and leaders. We aren't trying to pick a fight, just offering our congregations as a haven for those who are feeling alienated and pushed out.

We are a "mainstream" church and have always been at the forefront of struggles for justice and human rights. We decided we needed to become more "proactive". The defrocking, today, of a Methodist minister because of her sexual orientation is one of many recent events which we find we must respond to in a truly Christian way.

Thanks for reading this.

CB