Now they’re bleeping Jesus
: My sister, the Rev. Jarvis, sent me this outrageous news: CBS and NBC have refused to air a commercial from the United Church of Christ because it’s “too controversial.”
Go here to watch the ad; it merely says that “Jesus did not turn people away. Neither do we.” It is about welcoming all people to worship God.
That is controversial?
Well, the commercial says it’s OK for gays and lesbians and people of color to worship.
If you think that is controversial, then — logically — that means that you don’t think that gays and lesbians and people of color are God’s children. That means, CBS and NBC, that you’re a bunch of homophobic bigots.
I’d call that indecent. But, of course, the FCC wouldn’t.
The UCC announcement says:
The ad, part of the denomination’s new, broad identity campaign set to begin airing nationwide on Dec. 1, states that — like Jesus — the United Church of Christ seeks to welcome all people, regardless of ability, age, race, economic circumstance or sexual orientation.
According to a written explanation from CBS, the United Church of Christ is being denied network access because its ad implies acceptance of gay and lesbian couples — among other minority constituencies — and is, therefore, too “controversial.”
“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.”
Similarly, a rejection by NBC declared the spot “too controversial.”
“It’s ironic that after a political season awash in commercials based on fear and deception by both parties seen on all the major networks, an ad with a message of welcome and inclusion would be deemed too controversial,” says the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC’s general minister and president. “What’s going on here?”
Negotiations between network officials and the church’s representatives broke down today (Nov. 30), on the day before the ad campaign was set to begin airing nationwide on a combination of broadcast and cable networks. The ad has been accepted and will air on a number of networks, including ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, History, Nick@Nite, TBS, TNT, Travel and TV Land, among others.
Is this America?
