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Should Christians Boycott Businesses?
Personally, I don’t believe that Christian boycotts have any biblical warrant, like the ones directed toward J.C. Penny, Disney, Starbucks, Nike, Burger King, Pepsi, The Gap and other corporations. A large number of sound biblical teachers have arrived at the same conclusion. The concept of nonviolent resistance never would have occurred to any of the ancient Hebrew prophets if reviewed historically. The idea comes from proponents like Martin Luther King Jr. who learned his principle techniques from the Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi rather than from following the precepts of Jesus. The practice adopted by Jesus was nonresistance which differs from nonviolent resistance, a tactic that was often stained by the moral impurities inherent in the use of power.
These calls for boycotts stem from a belief on the part of some Christians that all believers have a moral obligation to boycott any company that supports sinful behavior such as homosexuality or abortion. Their motivation is a noble one, for they are attempting to follow the biblical mandate to obey God’s Word and to not love the things of this world (1 John 2:15–17; see Eph. 5:11; James 4:4). However, the aforementioned Scriptures in proper context deal with love of the world’s system of thinking—that is, its evil worldview. Boycotting any business that is associated with non-Christian ethics in any way goes beyond the biblical meaning of separation and, if taken to its logical conclusion, would require that Christians abandon the world. Christians would not be of the world—which is good—but neither would they be in it—which is not good.
This was also commonly misunderstood in the early church, where Paul had to address the confusion head-on in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world." Paul also had to address the Corinthians in chapter 10 about eating meats offered to idols. He said mature Christians know that idols are of no concern, they eat the meat. However the weak Christian must abstain because of their weak conscience. Paul’s clarification on the matter shows that he does not want us to remove ourselves from the world. He wants us to associate with sinners—making ourselves available to them so that they can hear the gospel. This is what Jesus did (Mark 2:13–17), and the Apostles did the same as they took the gospel to pagan sinners (1 Cor. 6:9–11).
Christian boycotts assume that human evil could be overcome by a display of moral courage and absolution. In contrast, Jesus asserted that the only thing that could transform human evil was his death and resurrection on a cross. When boycotts are used against a corporation – specifically defined as the act of refusing to use, buy or deal with a business as an expression of protest or as a means of economic coercion – they are not as necessary and almost always an improper abuse of power. The boycott shows a corporation (or government or service provider) that the aggrieved party can hurt the company, by depriving it of revenue. Boycotts are in fact a form of moral extortion, using coercion to force people to do something they would not willingly do on their own. It is an utterly base method of manipulation, no matter which spectrum is guilty, conservative or progressive.
While Christians may have legitimate reasons for not using a certain product or associating with a particular business other than moral exceptionalism, banding together to cut off commerce to an otherwise licit venture has no obvious biblical warrant. To be sure, we are to refrain from personal sin and to encourage godly living among the brethren, but that is different than staying away from impenitent sinners who make no claim to being Christians.
Someone might ask, “Should we not distinguish between non-Christians who promote immorality openly and those who do not, and then take our business to the former?” Does not our purchasing from those who promote sin make us responsible for sin because our dollars might be going to the promotion of evil? There are two passages that bear on this subject. In Romans 13:6–7, Paul explains that Christians are to pay their taxes, thereby echoing the teaching of our Lord in Matthew 22:15–22. This is significant because the specific government to which Jesus and Paul commanded Christians to pay taxes was the Roman government, which supported and condoned heinous activities. In fact, Jesus commended the paying of taxes to the very authorities He knew would soon crucify Him. The Roman Empire was not merely non-Christian—it was anti-Christian. And yet, both our Lord and the Apostle Paul instruct Christians to pay taxes to that government.
We are to be in the world, and being in this world means participating in the economies of this world. So, we must respectfully disagree with those who insist that all believers are morally obligated to boycott any company that supports sinful behavior. With the confidence of those who have been vindicated by the resurrection of Christ, we don’t need to be vindicated by the culture. Boycotting does not send a message of love; rather it portrays a distorted understanding or our true purpose in the faith. However if what I do causes me guilt because of the weakness of my flesh, then I should abstain. We are instructed to "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak." 1 Corinthians 8:9.
These calls for boycotts stem from a belief on the part of some Christians that all believers have a moral obligation to boycott any company that supports sinful behavior such as homosexuality or abortion. Their motivation is a noble one, for they are attempting to follow the biblical mandate to obey God’s Word and to not love the things of this world (1 John 2:15–17; see Eph. 5:11; James 4:4). However, the aforementioned Scriptures in proper context deal with love of the world’s system of thinking—that is, its evil worldview. Boycotting any business that is associated with non-Christian ethics in any way goes beyond the biblical meaning of separation and, if taken to its logical conclusion, would require that Christians abandon the world. Christians would not be of the world—which is good—but neither would they be in it—which is not good.
This was also commonly misunderstood in the early church, where Paul had to address the confusion head-on in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world." Paul also had to address the Corinthians in chapter 10 about eating meats offered to idols. He said mature Christians know that idols are of no concern, they eat the meat. However the weak Christian must abstain because of their weak conscience. Paul’s clarification on the matter shows that he does not want us to remove ourselves from the world. He wants us to associate with sinners—making ourselves available to them so that they can hear the gospel. This is what Jesus did (Mark 2:13–17), and the Apostles did the same as they took the gospel to pagan sinners (1 Cor. 6:9–11).
Christian boycotts assume that human evil could be overcome by a display of moral courage and absolution. In contrast, Jesus asserted that the only thing that could transform human evil was his death and resurrection on a cross. When boycotts are used against a corporation – specifically defined as the act of refusing to use, buy or deal with a business as an expression of protest or as a means of economic coercion – they are not as necessary and almost always an improper abuse of power. The boycott shows a corporation (or government or service provider) that the aggrieved party can hurt the company, by depriving it of revenue. Boycotts are in fact a form of moral extortion, using coercion to force people to do something they would not willingly do on their own. It is an utterly base method of manipulation, no matter which spectrum is guilty, conservative or progressive.
While Christians may have legitimate reasons for not using a certain product or associating with a particular business other than moral exceptionalism, banding together to cut off commerce to an otherwise licit venture has no obvious biblical warrant. To be sure, we are to refrain from personal sin and to encourage godly living among the brethren, but that is different than staying away from impenitent sinners who make no claim to being Christians.
Someone might ask, “Should we not distinguish between non-Christians who promote immorality openly and those who do not, and then take our business to the former?” Does not our purchasing from those who promote sin make us responsible for sin because our dollars might be going to the promotion of evil? There are two passages that bear on this subject. In Romans 13:6–7, Paul explains that Christians are to pay their taxes, thereby echoing the teaching of our Lord in Matthew 22:15–22. This is significant because the specific government to which Jesus and Paul commanded Christians to pay taxes was the Roman government, which supported and condoned heinous activities. In fact, Jesus commended the paying of taxes to the very authorities He knew would soon crucify Him. The Roman Empire was not merely non-Christian—it was anti-Christian. And yet, both our Lord and the Apostle Paul instruct Christians to pay taxes to that government.
We are to be in the world, and being in this world means participating in the economies of this world. So, we must respectfully disagree with those who insist that all believers are morally obligated to boycott any company that supports sinful behavior. With the confidence of those who have been vindicated by the resurrection of Christ, we don’t need to be vindicated by the culture. Boycotting does not send a message of love; rather it portrays a distorted understanding or our true purpose in the faith. However if what I do causes me guilt because of the weakness of my flesh, then I should abstain. We are instructed to "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak." 1 Corinthians 8:9.