FRC
It’s two weeks until Thanksgiving, but the NFL’s halftime singer is already calling time out. Ellie Goulding, the musician who was scheduled to perform the turkey day game, is threatening to pull out of the show if the Cowboys’ spotlighted charity — the Salvation Army — doesn’t fold on its Christian beliefs. Either give a donation to an LGBT group, Goulding demanded of the nonprofit, or I’m out. In that case, some say, don’t let the arena door hit you on the way out.
For Goulding, who’d just posted a glowing endorsement of the Salvation Army on Instagram, the threat was a complete surprise. A smiling Ellie, wearing a red apron at a homeless shelter, had nothing but good things to say about the organization two days earlier, insisting that the Salvation Army helps “Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services.” She says she sat and spoke to “several people who had come in from the bitter cold for some food (they serve to over 150 per day here), warmth and perhaps a chat with one of the volunteers.”
All it took was one follower, replying with a ridiculous lie that the Salvation Army “let[s] queer homeless people die,” and Ellie snapped to attention, willing to throw millions of needy people under the bus to prove her LGBT loyalty. “Upon researching this, I have reached out to The Salvation Army and said that I would have no choice but to pull out unless they very quickly make a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community,” she wrote. “[S]upporting an anti-LGBTQ charity is clearly not something I would ever intentionally do. Thank you for drawing my attention to this.”
No one is quite sure what “research” Ellie actually did, since even members of the gay community have insisted that the charity helps all people. In fact, Madeline Fry points out in the Washington Examiner, one LGBT group (the Prairie Pride Coalition) decided to test the theory — encouraging people to rate the Salvation Army’s tolerance at local shelters. The response was so positive, the organization endorsed them. “Given this information and the sincere, earnest efforts by the staff and leadership at our local Salvation Army, we feel comfortable recommending that members of our community support our local Salvation Army.” Too bad no one drew Goulding’s attention to that.
Meanwhile, David Hudson, the national commander of the Salvation Army, is used to the Left’s harassment. “With an organization of our size and history, myths can perpetuate. An individual’s sexual or gender identity, religion, or lifestyle has no bearing on our willingness to provide service. We stand firmly behind our mission to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of a “hate group” feeding, housing, and treating 23 million people a year. What I have heard are plenty of liberals willing to let families starve in the name of a “fairness” they don’t practice.
“If you can’t handle the Salvation Army,” Tim Carney tweeted, “then you’re the totalitarians.” He’s right. It sounds like the Dallas Cowboys could use some change — on the schedule and in the kettle.
SOURCE: FRC
Tony Perkins’s Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.
