But the American Family Association got beaten to the punch in releasing their CRLI by another group, Faith Driven Consumer, which just released their updated scoring system for their Faith Equality Index (FEI). Unlike the American Family Association, which did not publish its criteria for how they would be scoring corporations with respect to anti-LGBT bigotry, the FEI is transparent in its methodology. Using a consistent scoring system across a number of categories, businesses receive anywhere from zero to one hundred points, depending on the extentto which their “corporate actions are compatible with biblical faith.”
Here are some highlights from their scoring rubric.
From the “Public Commitment to Faith Driven Consumers” section:
Despite Starbucks’ atheist-communist “holiday” cups this year, they actually got five points for including “Christmas” in their seasonal advertising. The coffee conglomerate has produced a Christmas blend of coffee for quite some time and have a special Christmas menu, which makes one wonder how seriously Christian consumers are taking this index. In any case, their Christ-friendly language didn’t save them from an overall rating of just 27 points.
- Use of the word “Christmas” in seasonal advertising – 5points
- Philanthropic support of biblically orthodox faith-driven organization(s) or event(s) (e.g. financial, in-kind or pro bono support) – 5 points
“Faith-Compatible Corporate Actions”
Happy Holidays, via Flickr
Doritos, you did a promotion for It Gets Better with rainbow-colored chips — an affirmation that bullying is bad of the evil homosexual lifestyle. Well how the hell about a promotion for Vacation Bible School, hm??? And as for all you companies that are going along with Obamacare’s contraception mandate and offering IUDs in your health insurance plans, why can’t you be more like the heroes over at Wheaton College? You know, the culture warriors so committed to Christ that they stopped providing their students with health insurance altogetherrather than let the government set up their IUD coverage free of charge.
- Respect for, acknowledgment of, and compatibility with a comprehensive pro-life view on abortion, embryonic stem cell research and euthanasia – either by supporting these positions publicly, financially or with in-kind resources equal, at minimum, to support given alternative positions, or remaining silent and neutral on these issues – 10 points
- Respect for, acknowledgement of, and compatibility with biblical teaching on sexuality, gender, marriage and family – either by supporting these positions publicly, financially or with in-kind resources equal, at minimum, to support given alternative positions, or remaining silent and neutral on these issues –10 points
“Equal Application of Equal Protections”
Yeah, a non-discrimination policy is all well and good, but what about another policy ensuring that your non-discrimination policy isn’t itself discriminatory? Checkmate, Human Rights Campaign!
- NDP – A workplace Non-Discrimination Policy that includes explicit, enumerated protections for Faith Driven Consumers/employees – 5points
- ERG – Offers an employer-sponsored Employee Resource Group for faith-driven employees – 5 points
- EAEP – An Equal Application of Equal Protection statement specifying that all enumerated groups are protected equally in practice with every other enumerated group – 5 points
“Corporate Competency in the Faith Driven Consumer Market Segment”
Lest you be confused, and wonder why “targeted recruiting efforts” are necessary for a demographic that comprises over 70 percent of the American population, Faith Drive Consumer will have you know that realpeople of faith are actually few and far between — only 17 percent of the American buying public! This being the case, the same sort of efforts companies undertake to promote diversity and include traditionally marginalized demographics should be also be applied to people of faith. They’re just one band on the rainbow, you see?
- Faith/religious identity and expression as a recognized category in the corporate diversity position—stating that Faith Driven Consumers as well as faith-driven employees, suppliers and partners are welcomed and celebrated as a respected community into the company’s rainbow of diversity – 5 points
- Targeted recruiting efforts for both faith-driven employees and suppliers – 5 points
- Faith-inclusive employee training, resources and accountability measures that include (10 points total):
- New hire training that clearly articulates a nondiscrimination policy including faith/religious identity and expression, and provides definitions or scenarios illustrating the policy for each – 2 points
- Training for supervisors that includes faith/religious identity and expression, and provides definitions or scenarios illustrating the policy for each – 2 points
- Professional development covering topics of diversity includes faith/religious identity and expression (e.g. skills-based or other leadership training including elements of faith-based diversity and/or cultural competency) – 2points
- Senior management/executive performance measures of their respective diversity and inclusion efforts also include faith/religious identity and expression – 2points
- Optional questions on faith/religious identity on employee data or survey forms that include other demographic questions such as race, gender or sexual orientation – 2points
But for all of their co-opting of previous civil rights movements’ inclusive language, Faith Driven Consumer is just as gung-ho about anti-LGBT discrimination as their counterparts at the American Family Association. From The New Civil Rights Movement:
Earlier his year, Faith Driven Consumer led campaigns to returnPhil Robertson to “Duck Dynasty,” get SunTrust Bank to reverse a decision to fire the Benham brothers, and protest Houston officials’ decision to subpoena pastors’ sermons in defending the city’s Equal Rights Ordinance.This being the case, it should come as no surprise that two of the companies that topped this year’s list were Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby. Here are the top seven:
The group also got involved in the controversy over “religious freedom” laws in Arkansas and Indiana that aimed to give businesses a “license to discriminate” against LGBT people.
- Chick-fil-A: 63
- Hobby Lobby: 62
- Interstate Batteries: 61
- Tyson Foods: 60
- Cracker Barrel: 53
- Walmart: 51
- Thrivent Financial: 50
Finally, for your shopping pleasure, here are the top ten companies that Faith Drive Consumer says you should “buycott” for having received their lowest ratings (links for more detail as to how they scored so low):
- Bank of America 11
- Unilever 11
- DirecTV 14
- Expedia 15
- Nationwide 16
- Pfizer 16
- Microsoft 17
- AT&T 17
- Apple 19
- T-Mobile 19
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