Should Christians boycott businesses which promote sins like homosexuality?

Scripture says to “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22).  God directs us to “not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.  Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4:14-15).

For these reasons, conscientious Christians are always concerned about their affiliations and the causes they support.  This is proper.  Saints should want to avoid giving evil the upper hand.

In modern-day society, this means we are often faced with questions of which businesses we ought to support as consumers.  Should Christians shop at a business who has in some way endorsed something sinful like homosexuality?  This question is one which is commonly asked, and it’s a legitimate question.  Let’s go to Scripture for the answers.

Never Violate Your Conscience

In examining all that the Bible says in reference to this question, it must first be said that we must never do anything to violate our own consciences.  In the context of dealing with the scruples, personal opinions, and idiosyncrasies of Christians whose consciences were violated by eating meat, Paul did acknowledge that God had never commanded Christians to abstain from eating meat when he wrote, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself…” (Rom. 14:14a).  However, he also noted, “…but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean” (Rom. 14:14b).  Having said that, the apostle then said, “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith.  For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:22b-23).

From this we gather that it is possible for the conscience of a Christian to be violated over something which is not sinful in and of itself.  Yet if one’s conscience would still be violated by participating in that inherently innocent action, doing so would make it sinful for that person.  Thus, a Christian should never violate their conscience.  If shopping at a business which endorses a sin violates your conscience, then do not shop there.

“Eat Whatever Is Sold In The Meat Market”

The second thing which should be pointed out from Scripture is that God allowed Christians to do business in markets which sold meat that was offered to idols.  In explaining how this is so, it must first be pointed out that God through the apostles taught Christians that the Old Testament directive to “abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols” was also part of the New Testament (Acts 15:28-29).  Afterwards, a controversy arose in the church at Corinth because some brethren were purchasing food from markets which sold meat that was offered to idols.  They were doing so not to use the food for idolatrous purposes, but rather to simply eat it as sustenance for themselves and their families.  However, doing this offended the consciences of some of their brethren.

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to address this controversy by first pointing out that while there was nothing inherently sinful with the food itself and they had the freedom to purchase it and eat it for sustenance if they chose, they should abstain from using this freedom so as to not be a stumbling block to their weaker brethren whose consciences were violated (1 Cor. 8:7-13).

He then inspired Paul to write:  “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  For ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.’  If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.  But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience — I do not mean your conscience, but his.  For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?  If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?  So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:25-31; cf. Ps. 24:1).

Notice that God allows Christians to purchase products or services from a business that sells things which contribute to the sins of others.  Those meat markets in Corinth sold meat to pagan idolaters who would use that meat for the sin of idolatry, but God still allowed Christians to buy meat from those same vendors for the purpose of simple sustenance (1 Cor. 10:25a).

“Not Raising Any Question On The Ground Of Conscience”

We should also take note of how Paul repeatedly directed Christians to not “rais(e) any question on the ground of conscience” (1 Cor. 10:25b, 27).  If they were informed (without asking) that the meat they were eating for simple sustenance had earlier been used in idolatry, Paul directed them to abstain from eating it…but even then pointed out to them that their abstinence was for the sake of not presenting a stumbling block to the unbeliever they were presumably trying to bring to Christ, not because it would be a sin on their part to eat it (1 Cor. 10:28-29).  The unbeliever who took the initiative to inform them that he had used that meat earlier in pagan sacrifice was obviously an idolater and thus in need of conversion to Christ.  By eating the meat sacrificed to idols after he had informed them of such, these Christians would be giving this unbeliever the impression that they were okay with idolatry, and thus be a stumbling block to him.  However, if he did not inform them about the idolatrous origins of the meat and they did not ask about it, then there would be nothing inherently wrong with them eating the meat for sustenance…even though it had been purchased from a vendor who supported idolatry and even though it had, unbeknownst to them, been earlier used for idolatrous purposes.

The fact that Paul repeatedly told these Christians to ask no questions about where their food came from is significant.  From this we see that God directs us to not take it upon ourselves to research everyone through whom we purchase products or services to determine if they’re good.  There is a reason for this, a fact which we must not overlook.

Be Consistent, Christians!

In examining this fact, let’s first notice that God inspired Paul to write to Christians in Rome:  “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges.  For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things…But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth — you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?  While you preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?  You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.  For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you'” (Rom. 2:1, 17-24; cf. Is. 52:5).

God does not want his followers to show to the unsaved world unrepentant inconsistency by saying that something is wrong while regularly practicing it ourselves.  In applying this to the practice of boycotting businesses who have connections with sinful practices or causes, we should remember that in recent years Disney, Ford Motor Company, McDonald’s, Sears, Wal-Mart, NBC, IBM, Subaru of America, Volvo, Chase Bank, Baby Magazine, Procter & Gamble, Starbuck’s, Olive Garden, Chipotle, Panera Bread, Papa John’s, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC, Cracker Barrel, and many more companies have sponsored or promoted pro-homosexual organizations or causes to some degree.

If one boycotts, say, Procter & Gamble, because they sponsor homosexual causes, then consistency would demand that one avoid buying Duracell batteries, Febreze, Charmin, Ivory, Olay, Zest, Cover Girl, Max Factor, Crest, Scope, Gillette, Folgers, Always, Pringles, and a host of other products which they produce.  Consistency would also demand that one not boycott only one restaurant that has LGBTQ connections, but all of them.

And if that happens, the question then comes up about businesses which hire and support liars, alcoholics, and unscripturally divorced people, among other sins, as well as the businesses which sell alcohol and immodest clothing.  Should I not give Wal-Mart — or just about any grocery or retail store — my business because they sell alcohol and immodest swimwear, even though I myself do not purchase or partake in said alcohol or immodest swimwear?  Every gas station of which I’m aware sells alcohol, porn, lottery tickets, and/or tobacco products.  Consistency would therefore demand that I not only avoid buying Ford, Volvo, or Subaru cars because they support homosexual causes…but that I also avoid paying for gasoline for whatever vehicle I do purchase.

Friends, can we name even one business which is completely free from some association with sin?  Are we going to boycott them all for consistencies’ sake?  Logistically, it can’t be done.

When we keep this in mind, we can see God’s wisdom in directing the Corinthian Christians that there was nothing inherently sinful in doing business with these vendors who sold meat to idolaters.  What mattered to God was that they not practice idolatry themselves and put stumbling blocks in the paths of unbelievers who needed to come to Christ.  One of those stumbling blocks would be to present oneself as hypocritical in the eyes of the lost.  This is why we who hate to think we are supporting sin must remember that the New Testament teaches that purchasing a product or service which is innocent in itself is not inherently a vote of endorsement for that company or business’s immoral policies.

Don’t Forget One of the Most Forgotten Commands in the New Testament!

We saw earlier how Paul commanded that Christians with scruples must not violate their consciences under any circumstances (Rom. 14:22b-23).  However, immediately before giving that command the apostle gave another command which is one of the most overlooked divine directives in the entire Bible.

“The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God…” (Rom. 14:22a).

Contextually, “the faith that you have” refers not to the faith that comes from God’s Word (Rom. 10:17; Jude 3; Eph. 4:4-5), but rather to the scruple, personal opinion, and idiosyncrasy you have (Rom. 14:1ff).

Note that God commands that we keep that scruple, personal opinion, and idiosyncrasy “between yourself and God.”  In other words, don’t advertise it.  Don’t talk to others about it.  Keep it to yourself, between you and God alone.

When you think about it, keeping your boycotting practices to yourself would completely eradicate the possibility of presenting oneself as inconsistent or hypocritical in the eyes of others, including the lost.  If giving your business to a certain company who has ties to sinful causes violates your conscience, then simply don’t give them your business.  No one needs to know about that except you and God.  Telling the world about it immediately opens the door for others to say, “Okay, but do you also not give your business to X, Y and Z who do the same thing or something similar?”  And when you, as you must at some point, admit that you do because consistency along these lines is impossible in this sin-filled world in which we live, then you have just shown yourself in the eyes of others to basically “cherry-pick” how you apply your own high standards to yourself.  This does not help convert others to Christ (1 Pet. 2:12).

Keeping your scruples to yourself would also take away one of the major causes of strife and division among brethren in the church.  If the brethren in Rome who had the scruple that eating meat is wrong had simply kept it to themselves, no division about that matter would have existed in that congregation.  If the brethren in Corinth who had the scruple that it is wrong to buy meat from vendors who sold meat to idolaters had simply kept that idiosyncrasy to themselves, there would have been no division about it in the church there.  Paul had asked, “For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?  If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced…?” (1 Cor. 10:29-30).  No one likes to be told either directly or by insinuation or peer pressure that something they know they have the freedom before God to do is wrong simply because someone who is not God has decided and declared to the world that they have decided that it is wrong for them.  As a result, the person who feels pressured to conform to the scruples of someone else will tend to feel the need to defend themselves and the freedom they have…which in turn will upset the one who had advertised his scruple to everyone and cause him to want to defend it.  This will inevitably result in strife, quarreling, resentment, and division among brothers and sisters in Christ.

Unity and peace in the churches of our Lord is what God desires (1 Cor. 1:10; Ps. 133:1), brethren.  So let’s try to keep our scruples to ourselves, including our scruples about what we boycott in the name of honoring the Lord and fighting against sin.

Let’s Boycott The Actual Sin Itself

I’m reminded of how Paul had to clarify to the Corinthians that he wanted them to withdraw fellowship from actual Christians who were unrepentantly caught up in actual sin and not try to withdraw from anyone outside of Christ who unrepentantly sinned “since then you would need to go out of the world” (1 Cor. 5:9-13).  Our Lord’s prayer for his followers that they be “not of the world” even while they remain in the world and that they be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word also comes to mind (John 17:15-17), as does John’s plain statement that the purpose behind the Scriptures he was writing to Christians was that they “may not sin” (1 John 2:1).

Ultimately, that is what God wants from us.  He wants us to not sin.  When we do sin, he wants us to repent and keep prayerfully striving to serve him (1 John 1:7-9; 2 Cor. 7:9-11; Acts 8:22).  So let’s strive to boycott sin itself, as best we can.  We may or may not choose to buy batteries or a meal made by a company that endorses homosexuality, we may or may not choose to purchase gasoline or groceries from a business that also sells alcohol…but let’s make sure that we do not choose to practice or endorse the sins of homosexuality and drunkenness ourselves!  Let’s make sure we boycott sin itself, above all else.

We have seen that it is not inherently sinful to give one’s business to worldly businesses who have some sort of connection to sin.  Therefore, the choice to boycott is left up to each of us as individuals.  If we choose to do so for conscience’s sake, then let us do so because violating our conscience would be sin (Rom. 14:22b-23).  However, let us also make sure that we keep our decision “between us and God” (Rom. 14:22a), because to do otherwise would also be sin and open the door to causing division and accusations of hypocrisy.

In the meantime, let’s examine ourselves and acknowledge the sin we ourselves commit and strive to turn away from it in favor of giving ourselves to the will of God.