Pastors Urge Wal-Mart to Repent This Christmas | Christianpost.com

Pastors Urge Wal-Mart to Repent This Christmas | Christianpost.com

A national television ad campaign featuring two prominent Baptist ministers who call on Wal-Mart to give the gift of economic justice this Christmas was launched Monday.

"The Bible says, 'To whom much is given, much is required,'" says the Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, interim pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church of Nashville, in the television ad which is being aired in 35 markets across the country.

I am amazed. I cannot stand these looters that are more than happy to tell anyone and everyone ELSE how to spend the money that they earned. What was Wal-mart given, that much should be required of them? Isn't providing an enormous variety of low-cost goods in an extremely efficient manner while providing thousands (millions?) of jobs enough? Further:

The ad is part of the third annual "Hope for the Holidays" campaign by WakeUpWalMart.com, which spent over $1.5 million in radio and TV ads to draw attention to the retail giant’s unique responsibility toward the communities it represents.

The Rev. Markel Hutchins, a Baptist minister who heads Markel Hutchins Ministries, also joins Johnson in the ad to call on the multi-billion-dollar corporation to be a better “neighbor” to its communities this Christmas by paying fair wage, providing affordable healthcare, and ensuring the safety of the goods it sells.

So this is the THIRD ANNUAL "Hope for the Holidays" campaign, which has spent over $1.5 million in ads. Hmm, I'm surprised that a church group (Markel Hutchins Ministries- come on!) has that kind of dough to blow on criticizing Walmart. Wouldn't that money be better spent in fighting back in the "War on Christmas"? Or doing anything else????? Oh, maybe it's because the ad campaign is funded by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Hmm, I wonder if they have a dog in this fight?

More prattle:

“Wal-Mart is not the epitome of all unfairness and injustice in the world but it’s just that they are the biggest,” said Johnson in an interview with The Christian Post. “We want these corporate neighbors to have more equitable policies for their employees.”

The church has the role to be “a voice for fairness and justice in an economic system that is increasingly creating disparities,” said Johnson, a visiting Instructor of Preaching at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta.

“Justice is figuring out what belongs to whom and giving it to them,” he added. “A decent wage is what belongs to the people of God who are workers.”

From a short-term perspective, one may think that Wal-Mart can accrue more profits by keeping its current employment policies, said Johnson. But he believes that through reform, the company can reap greater benefits in the long run.

“It’s not rocket science to see that that will cultivate a more dedicated, more loyal partner in your business,” asserted Johnson.

What a title: visiting Instructor of Preaching at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. Not really sure what a visiting Instructor of Preaching understands about economic theory, but apparently he's a also rocket scientist! Who is the "more dedicated, more loyal partner" that Wal-mart will attract by cutting their own competitive throat?

This is pure greed and class warfare, masquerading as a search for equality and justice. Wal-mart has money, tons of money. This means that they do their job very well. However, that money does not belong to Wal-mart. It belongs to the shareholders, which have elected a board to decide how Wal-mart should allocate the resources so they continue to make money for the shareholders. Here's another thing I've never understood about the low-wage critics: why do people agree to work there? If the wages suck, go work somewhere else. Or go to school so you're qualified for a better job. Or if they are really that bad, don't work at all. If they don't pay health insurance benefits, get them on your own, or find a better job. Since when is working at Wal-mart supposed to be the highest position on the food-chain!?