Contact: Chris Kofinis (202) 486-6422
WAKEUPWALMART.COM, THE BAPTIST CENTER FOR ETHICS, & OVER 130 EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN LEADERS CHALLENGE WAL-MART TO CHANGE & FOLLOW THE “GOLDEN RULE” THIS CHRISTMAS
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER/CANDLELIGHT VIGILS TO BE HELD AT WAL-MART STORES IN OVER 24 STATES
POWERFUL NEW RELIGIOUS AD CAMPAIGN ASKS CHRISTIAN CONSUMERS TO “SEARCH YOUR HEART, WOULD JESUS SHOP AT WAL-MART? SHOULD YOU?”
Washington, D.C. - Beginning today, as part of the 2006 “Hope for the Holidays” campaign, the Baptist Center for Ethics, WakeUpWalMart.com, and evangelical leaders from across the county have joined together in the first nationwide initiative to reach out to evangelical Christians to help change Wal-Mart for the better this holy season.
In honor of Christmas, the joint letter released today and signed by 131 evangelical leaders challenged CEO Lee Scott to make “Wal-Mart a Golden Rule company, one that is mindful in reflecting the best of Christian values and one that seeks a higher standard for its employees and their families.” The letter to Lee Scott is part of WakeUpWalMart.com’s new faith-based initiative called “America, Pray for Wal-Mart to Change.”
“When we celebrate Christmas, we mark the birth of Jesus Christ who gave the moral imperative of the Golden Rule, a rule that should challenge Christian consumers to consider where they shop, and that should challenge Wal-Mart to change its corporate practices for the better,” said Robert Parham, Executive Director of Baptist Center for Ethics.
The “America, Pray for Wal-Mart to Change” holiday initiative also includes a new nationwide media campaign with a stirring faith-based TV ad, entitled “Search Your Heart.”
The new TV ad, which is headlined by Pastor Joe Phelps, a Baptist minister from Louisville, KY, raises the moral question of whether or not, especially during the Christmas season, people of faith can ignore Wal-Mart’s exploitation of its workers and their families. The spot ends by calling on people of Christian faith to, “Search your heart. If these are Wal-Mart’s values, would Jesus shop at Wal-Mart? Should you?” The 30-second TV ad will be running in over 25 states and 43 media markets across the country beginning Thursday, December 14, 2006.
“This Christmas, Wal-Mart has an incredible opportunity to shun its immoral past, embrace the best of our values, and become a moral employer that puts faith and family first this holy season,” said Chris Kofinis, communications director for WakeUpWalMart.com.
As part of the 2006 “America, Pray for Wal-Mart to Change” initiative, families and children of supporters of WakeUpWalMart.com, as well as community leaders and local leaders of faith, will hold local candlelight vigils and a day of prayer at Wal-Mart stores in over 40 cities and 24 different states, including Florida, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi and Missouri. In addition, supporters will be distributing over 120,000 flyers to consumers across the country calling on people of faith to pray for Wal-Mart to change for the better.
The “Search Your Heart” TV-ad can be viewed in its entirety at WakeUpWalMart.com beginning Dec. 14, 2006.
A copy of the joint letter to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott signed by Christian Evangelical religious and the script for TV spot, “Search Your Heart,” are attached.
“Search Your Heart” TV Ad Script
Pastor Joe Phelps: Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
But if these are our values can we continue to shop at Wal-Mart without insulting God?
Knowing that Wal-Mart has repeatedly broken child labor laws, is being sued for gender discrimination, and leaves over half of their employees and families without company health coverage.
So as we celebrate Christmas together, search your heart.
If these are Wal-Mart’s values, would Jesus shop at Wal-Mart?
Should you?
A Pastoral Letter to Wal-Mart
Baptist Center for Ethics
Nashville, Tennessee
www.ethicsdaily.com
A Pastoral Letter to Wal-Mart
December 13, 2006
Mr. H. Lee Scott, CEO
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Bentonville, AR 72716-8611
Dear Mr. Scott,
We write you as moral theologians with grave concerns about Wal-Mart’s corporate practices-practices that conflict with our commitment to pro-family values.
The Christian prophetic witness teaches that justice is the highest family value for any society-protection for the fatherless, security for the single mother, honesty in the marketplace, fairness for the weakest one in society, respect for the elderly.
The Hebrew prophet Micah said that God required justice (Micah 6:8). The prophet Amos said that God wanted justice to flood the land (Amos 5:24). The prophet Isaiah said that God wanted his people to seek justice (Isaiah 1:17). Jesus told community leaders that they were neglecting justice (Luke 11:42).
The biblical witness also teaches responsibility-parents are responsible for children (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and employers are responsible for fair wages for their employees (1 Timothy 5:18). Jesus said, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (Luke 12:48).
We believe that Wal-Mart has been given and entrusted with much wealth, power and influence. We believe that much is required of and demanded from Wal-Mart in terms of its responsibility to working families. That responsibility necessitates that Wal-Mart treat well its employees with such things as:
• fair-living wages, not poverty-level wages;
• generous health care benefits, not eliminating low-deductible health care plans;
• decent places to work that treat women with dignity and equality;
• respectful schedules for children in school; and
• good benefits for sound retirements.
A company with the wealth of Wal-Mart has the responsibility to advance the common good for a better society, not seek only personal gain. Wal-Mart’s leaders need to recognize their moral obligations to be good stewards of what the corporation has been given and entrusted, not simply through acts of charity but with justice for working-family employees who have built but not necessarily benefited from Wal-Mart’s vast earnings.
When we celebrate Christmas, we mark the birth of the Messiah who gave the moral imperative of the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31; Matthew 7:12), a rule that encourages Christian consumers to consider where they shop and that guides corporate practices.
We challenge you this Christmas to make Wal-Mart a Golden Rule company, one that is mindful in reflecting the best of Christian values and one that seeks a higher standard for its employees and their families.
*Respectfully,
For a complete list of signatures, please contact WakeUpWalMart.com
