Boycotting Boycotts

I'm not a fan of Christian boycotts. Don't get me wrong, there are some companies out there the Christians would do well not to support.

Still, if it's your money, spend it where and how you see fit. I admit I jumped on the boycott bandwagon a few times, then I noticed something. No one really wins.

There are very few companies that decide they exist only to serve Christian customers. Homosexuals, Pagans, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and people who worship an oak tree all eat food, wear clothes, need products and services and drive cars. Ok, maybe the tree people ride bikes, but you get the idea...

The American Family Association does some wonderful work. They also appear quite frequently in the media for spearheading boycotts against major companies.

In the past they have placed in their cross hairs of morality on Target (fitting isn't it), American Girl, Kraft, Movie Gallery, Disney, Proctor & Gamble, Wal-Mart , the list goes on. While the boycotts gain some attention, the actual impact on these major companies is debatable.

We see boycotts come and go but it's almost impossible to measure if this is an effective method to change hearts and minds. The Disney boycott only came to an end after the release of "The Chronicles of Narnia," a movie that made Disney millions of dollars. Was this an act of Disney repentance, or did someone run the numbers and figure out that there is money to be made if both Christians and non-Christians buy movie tickets?

The AFA announced they are suspending their two year boycott of Ford Motor Company. Were you aware their even was a two year boycott? Unlike most, I've actually was aware of the boycott and no it would not stop me from buying a Ford if I wanted to buy a Ford. It's Ford that would keep me from buying a Ford.

Therein lies the problem. Christians have a phantom army that will sign online petitions, forward an endless chain of emails strewn with half truths and often outright false information and a few will even cast a stern judgemental eys at those who drive their Ford Taurus to Target to buy a Micky Mouse T-Shirt.

Ford has about 283,000 employees. Did anyone stop to think that Ford may have a few Christians working for them? Was the sales guy at the local Ford dealer who is a believer and trying to support his family considered in all of this? Is it right to lead the attack on dealers, suppliers, and others in order to force a standard on some who would disagree with your own faith? Ford spent $87,000,000 on philanthropy in 2006 in the middle of this boycott. We are very good at talking at people, but not so good at talking WITH people?

According to the AFA: "Individuals are free to purchase Ford vehicles again. Your support of the boycott played a key role in convincing Ford to cease its significant support of the homosexual agenda. During the 24 months the boycott was in effect, Ford sales dropped an average of 8% per month. The boycott was not entirely responsible for the drop in sales, but it played a very significant role. A total of 780,365 individuals signed AFA's Boycott Ford petition."

I wonder how many of those 780,365 individuals would have bought a Ford in the first place?Sales for American car makers were down in general. Even for automakers that were not part of any boycott.

While we must honor the intention behind these efforts, let us not fail to realize that a culture war has the potential to destroy the livelihood of tens of thousands of Christian employees, and eliminate millions of dollars of charitable giving to pro-family causes.

All is well, peace is restored, go buy a Ford and make sure you are on the email list for the next boycott announcement.