A leading consumer group says Christians are being excluded from business “diversity” agendas and is calling on five top U.S. corporations to live up to their own “inclusion” policies.
“Our community is making a simple request, treat us equally,” says Chris Stone, Founder of Faith Driven Consumer.
“Respect and welcome us with the same vigor, intentionally, and purpose that you offer other communities, or, publicly acknowledge that you will not equally include faith driven consumers and employees alongside your preferred communities,” he said. “It’s time to walk your talk or stop talking.”
Faith Driven Consumer describes itself as “the economically powerful subset of the overall Christian market.”
In a press release, the organization states that AT&T, Comcast, Allstate, Marriott, and Wells Fargo all score in the high range on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index – which provides ratings for companies on LGBT equality; the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility Corporate Inclusion Index; the Black Enterprise 40 Best; and Diversity Inc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity.
“However, none of the five score higher than 27 out of 100 on Faith Driven Consumer’s Faith Equality Index,” the group asserts.
FDC represents 41 million Americans, the press statement says. Those Americans spend $2 trillion annually.
The group has already earned wide recognition for its FaithEqualityIndex (FEI) that rates “more than 500 major brands for compatibility with the FDC community.”
On Tuesday, the organization campaign began a new phase specifically targeting these five corporations that have received public recognition for their diversity and inclusion policies, yet exclude Christians. The group’s grassroots “movie to movement” campaign – called #GodsNotDead2Us – has a message of Christian inclusion that reflects the theme of the film, God’s Not Dead 2.
“God’s Not Dead 2 is a cause-oriented, destination film. It was successful this weekend because millions of consumers of all stripes registered their support for universal inclusion,” said Stone. “They recognize the only way to achieve true diversity is to ensure that all of the colors in America’s rainbow are welcomed, celebrated, and embraced equally—including Faith Driven Consumers.”
Stone says that viewers of the film are eager for action:
Today, we are asking our community, and all who value equality, to hold AT&T, Marriott, Comcast, Allstate, and Wells Fargo accountable for their conspicuous exclusion of Faith Driven Consumers. These companies all have high marks from the most respected diversity indexes, demonstrating a sustained, serious, and deeply intentional commitment—including other prioritized communities.
However, when those high marks are compared to each company’s Faith Equality Index score—built using similar standards and methodologies as the other indexes—their low scores reveal a massive gap.
“While each company states clearly that they do not discriminate—even on the basis of religion—in practice that is exactly what they are doing,” Stone continues. “That’s not inclusion, it’s not diversity—it’s hypocrisy—and it’s time to change.”
According to a recent Lifeway Research survey of 1,000 Americans, 60 percent agreed in 2015 that religious liberty is on the decline in the country, while 36 percent disagreed. In addition, 63 percent said Christians face increasing intolerance.
“Our community is making a simple request, treat us equally,” Stone says. “Respect and welcome us with the same vigor, intentionally, and purpose that you offer other communities, or, publicly acknowledge that you will not equally include faith driven consumers and employees alongside your preferred communities. It’s time to walk your talk or stop talking.”
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