1996: Resolution On Disney Company Policy
June, 1996, in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention
WHEREAS, Southern Baptist and their children have for many decades enjoyed and trusted The Disney company’s television programming, feature-length films and theme parks which have reinforced basic American virtues and values; and
WHEREAS, The virtues promoted by Disney have contributed to the development of a generation of Americans who have come to expect and demand high levels of moral and virtuous leadership from The Disney Company; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, The Disney Company has given the appearance that the promotion of homosexuality is more important than its historic commitment to traditional family values and has taken a direction which is contrary to its previous commitment; and
WHEREAS, In recent years we have watched the world’s largest family entertainment company with growing disappointment as Disney company’s moral leadership has been eroded by a variety of corporate decisions, which have included but are not limited to:
(1) Establishing of an employee policy which accepts and embraces homosexual relationships for the purpose of insurance benefits;
(2) Hosting of homosexual and lesbian theme nights at its parks;
(3) Choosing of a convicted child molester to direct the Disney movie Powder through its subsidiary Miramax Productions;
(4) Publishing of a book aimed at teenage homosexuals entitled Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out through its subsidiary Hyperion, connecting Disney to the promotion of the homosexual agenda;
(5) Producing, through its subsidiary corporations, of objectionable material such as the film Priest which disparages Christian values and depicts Christian leaders as morally defective;
WHEREAS , These and other corporate decisions and actions represent a significant departure from Disney’s family-values image, and a gratuitous insult to Christians and others who have long supported Disney and contributed to its corporate profits; and
WHEREAS, Previous efforts to communicate these concerns to The Disney Company have been fruitless; and
WHEREAS, Boycotts are a legitimate method for communicating moral convictions; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, We as Southern Baptist messengers meeting in annual session on June 11-13, 1996, go on record expressing our deep disappointment for these corporate actions by The Disney Company; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we affirm the employees of The Disney Company who embrace and share our concerns; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to give serious and prayerful reconsideration to their purchase and support of Disney products, and to boycott The Disney Company and theme parks if they continue this anti-Christian and anti-family trend; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage the Christian Life Commission to monitor Disney’s progress in returning to its previous philosophy of producing enriching family entertainment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage state Baptist papers and national Southern Baptist publications to assist in informing the Southern Baptist family of these issues; and
FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Convention requests the Executive Committee to send a copy of this resolution to Michael Eisner, CEO of The Disney Company, and to encourage the Southern Baptist family to support this boycott with our purchasing power, letters, and influence.
1997: Resolution On Moral Stewardship And The Disney Company
June, 1997, in Dallas, Texas, at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention
WHEREAS, Everything Christians possess of time, money, and resources is given to them by God as a stewardship for which they will give an account before a holy God; and
WHEREAS, Those who serve the public in any manner also have a stewardship before God regarding their service, and those who have greater influence have greater responsibility for their stewardship and must give a greater accounting; and
WHEREAS, Many entertainment providers including, but not limited to, The Disney Company are increasingly promoting immoral ideologies such as homosexuality, infidelity, and adultery, which are biblically reprehensible and abhorrent to God and His plan for the world that He loves; and
WHEREAS, The 1996 Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution regarding these issues with a specific appeal to The Disney Company, which had long been a respected leader of family entertainment in keeping with traditional moral values; and
WHEREAS, The aforementioned resolution called for our Christian Life Commission to monitor Disney’s progress in returning to its previous philosophy of producing enriching family entertainment and the Christian Life Commission has now reported that The Disney Company has not only ignored our concerns, but flagrantly furthered this moral digression in its product and policies; and
WHEREAS, We realize that we cannot do everything to stop the moral decline in our nation, but we must do what lies before us when it is right through a proper use of our influence, energies, and prayers, particularly when it affects our nations children;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, That the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 17-19, 1997, urge every Southern Baptist to take the stewardship of their time, money, and resources so seriously that they refrain from patronizing The Disney Company and any of its related entities, understanding that this is not an attempt to bring The Disney Company down, but to bring Southern Baptists up to the moral standard of God; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to refrain from patronizing any company that promotes immoral ideologies and practices, realizing that The Disney Company is not the only such provider; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we ask our pastors and church leaders to become informed regarding these issues and teach their people accordingly, and that we urge all Southern Baptists to graciously communicate the reasons for their individual actions to The Disney Company and other companies; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That we pray that God would use these actions to help the employees of such companies to respect the enormous stewardship they have before God, and we affirm those employees who embrace and share our concerns.
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After the Southern Baptist Convention officially joined the boycott in 1997, the American Family Association (AFA) produced a video urging even greater participation. You can watch it on You Tube here.
From the AFA video, here is a clip of Pastor Adrian Rogers speaking to his congregation, Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, about the boycott.
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2005: On The Disney Boycott
June, 2005, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention
WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention rightly and appropriately adopted a resolution in 1997 calling for Southern Baptists to refrain from patronizing The Disney Company and its related entities; and
WHEREAS, The boycott has communicated effectively our displeasure concerning products and policies that violate moral righteousness and traditional family values; and
WHEREAS, For a boycott to be effective, it must be specifically targeted and of limited duration; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, declare a conclusion to our boycott of The Disney Company; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge The Disney Company to serve the families of America by providing only those products that affirm traditional family values; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we pledge to continue to monitor the products and policies of The Disney Company; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists to practice continued discernment regarding all entertainment products from all sources.
This page is part of a larger Word Foundations article.
top image credit: Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash