The First Amendment of the United States Constitution declares, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”
But is this sentiment shared by all in America today?
In 2020, Pew Research Center found that most Americans believe social media platforms actively suppress certain political viewpoints.
“Americans by and large believe social media companies are censoring political viewpoints they find objectionable,” states the Pew study published on August 19, 2020. “Roughly three-quarters of Americans (73%) think it is very or somewhat likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints they find objectionable.”
But it isn’t only social media platforms that have it out for conservative Christian voices, as AFA discovered four years ago.
According to an AFA newsletter sent to supporters in December 2020, Discover, one of the largest credit card brands in the United States, suddenly stopped processing donations to AFA – without any warning – in April 2020.
The newsletter recounted that Discover began initially blaming a third-party processor. However, the company later told AFA directly that it was “unable to reopen [AFA’s] merchant account” due to a violation of operating regulations, but it refused to provide details. In response, AFA urged supporters to cut up their Discover cards and mail back the pieces along with a protest message on their next billing statement.
The fight for free expression
The Stand spoke with Walker Wildmon, AFA vice president of operations, to get his perspective on this increasingly contentious issue.
“The impact of being ‘deplatformed’ from major tech platforms is significant for Christian organizations aiming to share their message and connect with audiences online,” Wildmon explained.
Given the high stakes, AFA is taking an active stance on this issue.
Wildmon shared, “We are actively petitioning various companies to resist the urge to deplatform and de-bank individuals or organizations simply because they do not share the same worldview or political beliefs.”
In a high-profile example, mega-corporation Apple Inc. scored just 8% on the 2023 Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, which measures corporations’ protection of free speech and religious freedom.
Wildmon presented a ballot proposal at Apple’s 2024 annual shareholder meeting, which called for Apple to investigate and report on its commitment to viewpoint diversity. Unfortunately, despite AFA’s efforts to have the proposal voted on by shareholders after initially being blocked by Apple, the ballot measure ultimately failed to pass at the meeting.
Truth v. suppression
“In a culture that is awash with godlessness, the truth is at times a potent force and strikes at the root of what is happening in our society,” Wildmon stated. “The truth about God’s Word and His plan for humanity require repentance and humility that some people don’t want to submit to.”
Wildmon said that on topics such as abortion and LGBTQ issues, there are powerful people in America who don’t want God’s truth to be spoken into the American culture.
“We are truly living in a ‘Romans 1’ society, and it shouldn’t surprise the believer when we face opposition from the unbelieving world,” he asserted.
Wildmon also said AFA remains committed to the fight for freedom of speech.
“We must resist the deplatforming push and ensure the ability for everyone to speak and communicate freely across the internet,” he declared.
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the July 2024 print edition of The Stand. Click HERE for a free six-month subscription to The Stand magazine.)
