Duck Dynasty and the Unequal Yoke

There is another issue that should be raised pertaining to Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson's firing by A&E, and that is the fact that the Robertsons, of their own free will, signed a business contract with a company that is owned by the Hearst Corporation and Disney. These are godless companies that have done a lot of harm to the moral and spiritual fabric of society. Hearst owns, among other things, 29 television stations, Cosmopolitan magazine, Seventeen, O (Oprah's magazine), and some of the most liberal newspapers in America, including the San Francisco Chronicle and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Books publishes the best-selling Cosmo's Kama Sutra which promises "steamy illustrations" and "a sex position of the day." Surely the following commandment applies to the believer's affiliation with such people: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). For a Christian to form a business partnership with an unbeliever is disobedience to this command. Further, in the process of entering this business partnership, the Robertsons probably signed a "morals clause" in which "they promised to, among other things, avoid anything that would embarrass or bring shame to A&E or the brand." The Los Angeles Times reports that "such clauses are standard in the entertainment and sports industries" ("A&E Warned Phil Robertson about Speaking out too Much," LA Times, Dec. 20, 2013). If they did sign such a clause, they were agreeing to abide by A&E's rules.

(Friday Church News Notes, December 27, 2013, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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