Cyber Protest Prompts Virginia Paper's Revocation of Anti-Christian Ad Policy
by Ed Thomas
December 15, 2005
(AgapePress) - - A Virginia pastor's e-mail describing the trouble he had getting his church's advertisement published in a local newspaper has resulted in an apology and a reversal of the Richmond paper's decision not to publish the ad. David Crisp, senior pastor of Hanover Evangelical Friends Church in Mechanicsville, says the problem started when the church contacted the Richmond Times-Dispatch to place an ad looking for a part-time accompanist. "In the ad," he notes, "I described our church as a 'vibrant, growing, Jesus-loving congregation,' and I asked for the applicants to pray about it and send us their resume."
The church's ad was refused, however, the newspaper citing its ad policy and the words "Jesus-loving" and "pray" as the reasons the notice could not be printed. The legal counsel for Media General, the local paper's owner, subsequently affirmed the paper's grounds for refusing the ad.
But things changed after Crisp let the matter be known to friends through the Internet. Within 48 hours, the Times-Dispatch was receiving a deluge of e-mail protests from all over the United States. And at the pastor's next exchange with the Richmond newspaper, it was the paper that initiated contact.
"The publisher from the Times Dispatch called me and apologized for not running the ad in the first place," Hanover Evangelical's minister notes. He was told that decision makers at the paper had "reversed their position," he says, "and they placed our ad in the paper."
In fact, the paper ran the church's ad for free, Crisp points out. After that, he says he made sure to thank the Times-Dispatch and to acknowledge both the paper and its publisher, Tom Silvestri, for coming around and rescinding its previous policy decision.
Reflecting on the incident, Crisp adds, "I think Christians everywhere need to know that, when we complain about stuff and it gets fixed, we need to make sure we say 'Thank you' and give credit where credit is due." In the many battles believers face over their religious rights, he admonishes, Christians should be quick to acknowledge their opponents when they have a change of heart.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
