Archive

From December, 2004:

New York Times Gets It

December 21, 2004 - From the New York Times:

"The U.C.C.'s admirable aspiration to inclusiveness does seem to be bought at the expense of indulging a few stereotypes about other churches." "What might Jesus' parable about the Pharisee whose prayer celebrates his own distinctive merits versus the publican who declares his sinfulness suggest about the advertisement?"

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UCC Loses Indians Fight

December 16, 2004 - The Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Cleveland Police did not violate free speech rights when they arrested protestors who burned an effigy of "Chief Wahoo" outside of Jacobs Field in 1998. The United Church of Christ supported and participated in the protest and was a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

A Peter Harris Research Group poll, published in the March 4, 2002 issue of Sports Illustrated, showed that 81% of Native Americans support the use of Indian nicknames in high school and college sports, and 83% of Native Americans support the use of Indian mascots and symbols in professional sports. Sports Illustrated concluded that the "poll suggests that although Native American activists are virtually united in opposition to the use of Indian nicknames and mascots, the Native American population sees the issue far differently."

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The UCC Identity Problem

December 14, 2004 - The primary reason for the new advertising campaign was to create an identity for the United Church of Christ. Unfortunately, the identification made in the ad doesn't really reflect the UCC, it only reflects what the national office wants the denomination to look like. Unlike most other denominations, local UCC churches are autonomous and are not bound bureaucratically or theologically to the national office. In this sense, the national office really only represents itself and not the denomination as a whole. In this context, the ad campaign only compounds the UCC identity problem.

Just a couple of months ago, the UC News story, "Who are you calling liberal?" demonstrated that the denomination is extremely moderate. But from a quick scan of newspaper articles about the ad controversy, you would think the UCC was a liberal denomination. Some examples:

"Today, the church, which has about 1.4 million members, is considered among the most liberal of Christian denominations..." -Miami Herald

"Now, the relatively little known United Church of Christ, with its proud history of inclusion and liberal identification..." -Baltimore Sun

"The ad, which can be seen at www.stillspeaking.com, portrays the UCC, a liberal Protestant denomination..." Pasadena Star-News

The advertisement has not helped the identity problem. Contrary to the impression left by the ad, less than 10% of UCC churches actually designate themselves as "Open and Affirming" and only a third opted to participate in the national identity campaign.

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This is good?

December 14, 2004 - Quoted from the manufactured blog on StillSpeaking.com:

"253 donors have given gifts totaling $23,055 that's an average of $91.13 per gift and 71% of the givers are non UCC (how about that!)"

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United Church of Christ Files FCC Complaint

December 9, 2004 - From the press release:

CLEVELAND -- The United Church of Christ today (Dec. 9) is filing two petitions with the Federal Communications Commission, asking that two network owned-and-operated television stations in Miami be denied license renewals for failing to provide viewers "suitable access" to a full array of "social, political, esthetic, moral and other ideas and experiences." WFOR-TV (a CBS station) and WJVT-TV (an NBC station) -- whose operating licenses are currently up for FCC review -- are being challenged because "there is substantial and material question" as to whether the stations' parent companies, Viacom, Inc., and the General Electric Company, have operated the stations in the public interest, the petitions state. The action stems from a much-publicized decision by both networks to deny an advertisement that makes clear the church's welcome of diverse, even marginalized, segments of the population. CBS and NBC have said the all-inclusive ads are "controversial" and, therefore, amount to "issue advocacy," something the networks have said they do not allow.

Filing FCC complaints is a typical strategy for the national office - and one that has not been very successful (see WorldCom). It's also interesting how the national office was selective, and deceptive, in citing the network reasons for not airing the ad. Contrary to this complaint, NBC clearly stated "The issue of controversy stemmed from the ad‘s suggestion that other religions are not open to all people for a variety of reasons."

The UCC clearly doesn't want to address the truthful reasons why the ad was rejected and would rather spin the reasons into a story of conspiracy and victimization.

Why lie about it? Because the real reasons for the rejection have merit. As Chris Matthews asked Bernice Powell Jackson last week on television:

Do you think that the networks are smart not to engage in competitive religious advertising?  Like some TV products, they dump—they knock the other products and they can sell their product more successfully.  Do you think religion should say, those churches are no good; ours is good?  Is that a good policy for a Christian religion to follow?

Jackson didn't answer the question.

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Jackson Spins It Again

December 7, 2004 - It's an allegation she wouldn't make on national television, but Executive Minister Bernice Powell Jackson now claims that the networks won't run the UCC ad because "the commercial even tangentially includes gay and lesbian persons, it is too controversial to sell air time to the UCC for these commercials."

The networks won't run the ad because it has gays in it?

Jackson appeared on Chris Matthews MSNBC show, Hardball, on December 2. During the interview, Matthews read NBC's statement to Jackson which included this statement: "The issue of controversy stemmed from the ad‘s suggestion that other religions are not open to all people for a variety of reasons."

For some of us, the truth matters, and for a mainline denomination, it should be a priority.

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A Protest About... Nothing

December 6, 2004 - UCC members in Minneapolis held a candlelight vigil outside WCCO television station to protest CBS and NBC's decision not air the new UCC advertisement. Unfortunately for the protestors, the local affiliate was never asked to air the ad in the first place. From WCCO:

With respect to the United Church of Christ commercials, until today WCCO-TV has never been formally contacted about airing these commercials and no commercial broadcast plan, investment level, or screening of these commercials has taken place.

While the networks have decided not to air the advertisement, nothing prevents local affiliates from running the advertisement.

December 7, 2004 UPDATE:

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The protest singled out a local station but should rightly be directed at the national networks, said WCCO vice president and general manager Ed Piette. "Their issue is with the network," he said. Piette said that he met with six UCC members on Monday afternoon and that they seemed content for now to protest the advertising decision and gain free media attention. "The fact of the matter is they have no money and they did not choose to show us the spot," said Piette.

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12/6/2004 Op/Ed: Tolerance up to a point - Church ad deserves an airing, but not applause

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Christian Right: Let the Ad run

COMMENTARY

December 5, 2004 - From Jerry Falwell to Sean Hannity, conservative ministers and commentators have been pretty consistent: Let the ad run. Is this some new revelation on the right, a change in course in the culture wars? Not at all. In fact, this seems to be exactly what they want - for two reasons:

1) They believe the ad will backfire - as many in the UCC do (just see the message boards)

2) They want to reserve the right to run the same types of advertising

Whether you like the ad or not, one thing is certain: The ad perfectly represents the national office of the United Church of Christ... but not the local churches.

Contrary to the impression left by the ad, less than 10% of UCC churches actually designate themselves as "Open and Affirming" and only a third opted to participate in the national identity campaign. While no one will disagree that the ad represents the national office, there is no broad acceptance of it within the denomination - and the participation numbers reveal that.

The ad also makes people feel uncomfortable - not because it has gay themes intertwined, but because it makes the strong allegation that other churches don't let gays, minorities or handicapped into church. Like Chris Matthews said the other night on his television show, no one can identify a church that blocks people from entering.

The intentional misrepresentation is not new - it's a pattern that this web site has documented. Whether the UCC is making unsubstantiated accusations of racial profiling just before the last election or it's unethically working with telecommunications lobbyists, the national office of the UCC  does not represent the local church - and that's why the ad campaign will backfire.

Most of the attention from the national office has focused on the number of new members the new ad will create (and there's no doubt it will attract new members). However, little attention appears to have focused on the effect the ad will have on current members - and that's the greatest risk for a denomination that's lost 23 percent of it's members in the last 15 years.

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UCC: "CBS, NBC refuse to air church's

television advertisement"

Bernice Powell Jackson on 'Hardball':

"I think we are pointing a finger at all churches"

Chris Matthews: Do you think that the networks are smart not to engage in competitive religious advertising - like, you know, like some TV products - they knock the other products so they can sell their products more successfully? Do you think religion should say "those churches are no good, ours is good"? Is that a good policy for a Christian religion to follow?

Bernice Powell Jackson: Well, I don't think we are trying to point fingers at any one church and...

CM: Sure you are.

BPJ: No.

CM: (emphatically) Oh come on. You're showing a bunch of brown shirts, you're showing people in crew cuts - they look like bouncers in a nightclub...

BPJ: Right.

CM: ...shoving people away who happen to be African-Americans or apparently gay - gay couples - and you're saying you're not pointing a finger?

BPJ: No, we're not pointing a finger at any one church, I said. I think we're pointing a finger at all churches.

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The Story Behind the TV Networks' UCC Ad 'Ban'

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12/2/2004 UPDATE: Christianity Today - "Because the message of this ad isn't that the UCC welcomes minorities—it's that all the other churches out there hate you."

Statement of concern about the United Church of Christ "God is Still Speaking" advertising campaign from John Loven

NPR: CBS spokesman said the network has "a long policy of not accepting advocacy advertising."

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December 1, 2004 - According to a UCC press release, CBS and NBC have refused to air the new UCC television advertisement... and predictably, UCC leaders are going nuts.

According to the release, CBS offered this explanation:

"Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations," reads an explanation from CBS, "and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and UPN] networks."

The advertisement is controversial and a little deceiving on a number of levels. It portrays the UCC as an "Open and Affirming" denomination while strongly implying that other churches are not... but even within our own denomination, according to a UCC website, less than 10% of the churches are "Open and Affirming" (500+ out of 6,000). The advertisement goes beyond identifying why the UCC is a good and open church by trying to tag other churches as brutish thugs - and this appears to be the concern of CBS.

Of course, the facts stated in the release don't quite match up to the outrage of Robert Chase (of 'WorldCom scandal' fame) who twists the rejection into some anti-gay thing:

"We find it disturbing that the networks in question seem to have no problem exploiting gay persons through mindless comedies or titillating dramas, but when it comes to a church's loving welcome of committed gay couples, that's where they draw the line."

It's anyone's guess whether the ad campaign will be successful or not, but one fact is certain: The ad is negative and it's message is not representative of local UCC churches.

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