Free to Speak Corporate Censorship~ Chuck Colson

Free to Speak Corporate Censorship~ Chuck Colson
January 13, 2010 Chuck Colson
I remember the days when the term "freedom of speech" referred to, well,
actual speech.
Of course, it's come to mean "freedom of expression." That is to say, an
artist can claim a constitutionally protected right to display a picture
of a crucifix in a jar of urine. Or pornographers can claim free speech
by peddling obscene pictures over the internet or in a magazine.
Such expression is, of course, protected by law. We don't even argue
about it anymore. But while restrictions on expression are vanishing,
how is it that restrictions on actual speech in the public square are
increasing?
One obvious case in point is Apple's decision to pull the Manhattan
Declaration app from its iTunes app store. Apple has decided that the
document, which uses civil and biblical language to declare that
marriage should be reserved to one man and one woman, constitutes the
equivalent of hate speech.
We do not live in a truly free, liberal democracy when a major
corporation like Apple, which controls so much of the information flow
in our society, can seek to control the great moral debates of our age
by simply denying access to one side of the debate.
It's true, if government seeks to censor, say, a newspaper or a
magazine, all kinds of lawsuits are sure to follow. But private
censorship of free speech can be just as deadly; even more so. And
this, I fear, is what is happening in American life today.
Now, in banning the Manhattan Declaration app, Apple decided to bend to
the wishes of a small but very vocal group of homosexual-rights
activists. But don't think those activists will stop at the Manhattan
Declaration. They are on the lookout for any organization that dares to
oppose so-called "same-sex marriage." Just last week, homosexual
bloggers squawked that the Pennsylvania Family Institute was sponsoring
what they called an "anti-gay," "anti-equality" conference; and worse
yet, that a prominent food chain, Chick-fil-A, was a co-sponsor. Of
course, the conference was no such thing. The conference's title is "The
Art of Marriage, Getting to God's Design."
I happen to know the founder of Chick-fil-A- Truett Cathy-a wonderful,
outstanding Christian businessman. Why should they be bashed for
supporting a good thing-promoting healthy marriages?
More and more, the forces of political correctness and intolerance are
seeking to ban Christian beliefs and Christian speech from the public
square. And they are targeting corporations and the media to enforce
stringent sanctions against what they deem to be politically incorrect
speech.
And that's why we're not going to give up on defending our right to
speak freely and civilly to the important moral, ethical, and political
issues facing our society. As I talk about on today's Two Minute
Warning, we must embrace the Christian virtue of perseverance. Because
we are in for a long, hard struggle. And the forces of political
correctness are counting on
Christians to back down, give up, retreat to the pews or the
monasteries. Well I, for one refuse to do that.
Please, go to ColsonCenter. org today to watch my Two Minute Warning
video commentary on the importance of perseverance.
Folks, we must continue to speak out. Or we will, indeed, be silenced.
[For further reading, click here]
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/16187