Altar Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
January 11, 2009
You can make a difference by taking a stand against
evil
My friend Jere Beasley is well known for his opinions. He has no fear in saying what he thinks. In fact he makes a living by standing up and speaking out. Jere is an attorney, one of the best in the business. Many consider him one of the most successful litigators of all time.
Jere began his law firm in 1979 with the goal of helping victims of wrongdoing. He framed his mission with this simple phrase: “helping those who need it most.” Today the firm’s 44 lawyers and more than 200 support staff work diligently to remain faithful to that mission. I greatly admire their work.
It was not in the courtroom but in church that I got to know Jere. We worship together. Jere is a devout Christian and a solid churchman. I preach the gospel but Jere, and his devoted wife Sara, practice the gospel. I have witnessed their faith in action.
In our multi-cultural society that discourages business people from sharing their faith in Jesus Christ, Jere dares to speak up. Within the pages of his monthly “JereBeasleyReport” he consistently declares his faith in God. For example, in this month’s magazine he urges his readers to “make our first priority (for the New Year) trusting God and living a life that is obedient to Him and His Word.”
Jere does not hesitate to prod his preachers to take a more active role in opposing the rampage of evil in our nation. He keeps telling us that the church should “take the lead” in the fight against those who are turning television into a cesspool of vulgarity. He has convinced me that those of us who are pastors must do more to stir Christians to stand against the encroachment of evil.
As a result of Jere’s prodding, I have resumed a habit that I had given up. I have re-joined the “army” of Donald E. Wildmon. Upon my retirement seven years ago I slacked off my once faithful participation in Wildmon’s crusades. Now I am back on board, ready to respond to Wildmon’s invitations to make my voice heard.
Wildmon is
the Founder and Chairman of the American Family Association; its headquarters
are in
When Wildmon learns that some large company has contributed money to support homosexual organizations, he invites the CEO to stop such giving and “remain neutral in the culture war.” If the company leader refuses, then Wildmon issues an “ActionAlert” calling upon his army of supporters to send the CEO an email protest and respectfully request the company to take a neutral role in promoting the gay agenda.
Some of his boycotts have been effective. Success comes when enough people let business leaders know they plan to stop buying their products. Shortly after Thanksgiving Wildmon informed supporters of one major retailer that had decided to make no mention of Christmas in its advertising. After receiving thousands of protests, mine included, the company chose to include “Merry Christmas” in all its advertising. The boycott, representing the opinions of thousands of people, had made a difference.
I realize that persuading a business to use “Merry Christmas” in advertising is a minor, and perhaps insignificant, victory for the kingdom. But it does show us that when enough Christians stand up and speak out, they can make a difference in our culture. To learn more about AFA, go to www.afa.net.
Jere made me aware of an organization that I believe Christians need to support. It is the Parents Television Council. I signed up. The PTC is new and growing. Its aim is to provide parents with the tools needed to make informed television viewing decisions. PTC monitors primetime television shows on broadcast TV and reviews many PG and G rated movies. They log all content that could be considered questionable and offer parents “traffic light ratings” according to the amount of sex, violence, and profanity in the series or film.
The PTC is warning us that television is a dangerous influence on the minds of our children. Prime time television programs are no longer family-oriented and have become mostly “unsuitable” for families and often directly hostile to family values. By supporting the PTC we can make our voice heard and support the Council’s fight against broadcast indecency and the increasingly vulgar language on television. You can learn more by going to www.parentstv.org.
By now you may be thinking, “This is too controversial for me.” If so, I respect your freedom not to take a stand. But I hope you will not make that choice. After all, the lives of our children, and our sacred family values, are at stake. Surely the time has come for God-fearing men and women to stand up and speak out before it is too late.
What we stand to lose is so much more important than what people may think of us for embracing a position that is controversial. So I urge you to stand up and speak out so that your voice may be heard before it lies silent in the grave. + + +