Detroit News – March 31, 2006:
When Channel 7 fired news anchor Frank Turner in 1998, it followed revelations of crack cocaine addiction and thousands of dollars in telephone sex line charges.
Now Turner’s lifestyle choices have the anchor and the TV station going to the mat again — but the circumstances could not be more different.
Turner, a born-again Christian who returned to the 5 p.m. anchor desk in 2000 a changed man, has filed a complaint against WXYZ-TV with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for refusing him permission to host an evangelical radio program in his spare time.
Experts say the case is a unique one and could be an important test of the protection of religious rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“We spend millions of dollars a year promoting our on-air talent and we want to have them working exclusively for Channel 7,” said Grace Gilchrist, the station’s vice president and general manager.
It sickens me when baptist’s take their fake crap and try to make money off of it. Look at the evangelicals, they are so damn rich. Well atleast catholics don’t put out preachers to make tons of money. Priests mostly have no paycheck.
>>Priests mostly have no paycheck.
Guess that’s why they have to pick on those little boys, huh?
I try not to make forum comments that I wouldn’t feel free to say in person. It’s not too bad of a policy. If you openly degrade some peoples religion they will feel the need to loose the wrath of their God upon your person. Religion and politics……
Stop with the straw man fallacies. Just because some Christians are hypocrites doesn’t intrinsically make them all that way.
Christians have always accepted persecution for their beliefs. Why should this be anything new?
We evangelicals are rich? News to me…
Actually, they kind of have to be hypocrites because they believe in something but always fall short (the whole ‘never being perfect’ thing).
Only those who don’t really believe in anything will not be hypocritical. You can’t really violate a rule you just don’t believe in and don’t follow (and won’t be expected to follow by others)
“Look at the evangelicals, they are so damn rich”
Maybe you shouldn’t be relying on the biased media to get your facts about Christians.
I have attended Baptist Churches my whole life, and very few of the Pastors that I have worshipped with have drawn a salary. In fact, out of those that had, I don’t know of any who didn’t need a second job to barely get by. Please do not let freaks like those you see on TV (Benny “Billion Dollar” Hinn for example) give you a bad impression of evangelicals.
Keep in mind that people that use Christianity as a get rich quick scheme anger Christians much more than you.
On the topic of this guy though, I can kind of see the station’s point, but I would think that if the station his radio show is on is non-profit (as a former Christian radio broadcaster I can say that most are), then it shouldn’t be this big of a deal. But, if it is in his contract, than as a Christian he should respect that and if his radio show is so important to him, he should quit the tv station.
Just a looney Christian’s opinion… you may now bash me as you all usually do 🙂
Good post Adam!
The mere fact that a dispute between an employer and employee involves religion, and is in Dvorak’s blog…..JK John, don’t take it personal.
Where are the stories of the Athiests that want to participate in two different jobs?
Read between the lines.
Perhaps “televangelicals” is the word that was meant?
Adam, you looney Christian. It takes one to know one and I confess to being a looney Christian also.
The real issue here is Frank Turner’s freedom of speech. He wants to use it in the hours he isn’t working. Just remember that the First Amendment that allows some of you to make broad generalizations (that are mostly incorrect) also protect Frank Turner.
You have the freedom to say what you like about Christians even if you are off the mark a little. That same freedom protects Turner’s right to speak or preach. And all of us better hope that the man is not shut down. They’ll be coming for us next.
You might want to go over to Wikipedia and read about Martin Niemoller’s Litiany of Indifference.
No bashing intended here. I think some of us are tired of well meaning Christians trying to convert us and our children- especially young children. Rich TV evangelists telling old people to reach deep into their pockets are not a falacy either.
None the less, I have friends who are Baptist and I love them dearly… even if it means putting up with the odd lecture and their attempts (when they think I’m not looking) to drag my children off to their church. I respect their religious beliefs and the children and I recognize that there is value in their approach even if it’s not our spiritual path.
Adam’s point is well taken. This is not a religious issue but a matter of policy.
Jane
“Where are the stories of the Atheists that want to participate in two different jobs?”
You raise a good point. The guy has a contract that forbids him from working as a broadcaster without the station’s permission. If he is allowed to do this for religious reasons, it’ll be one right the religious have that nonbelievers don’t.
Heck, this wouldn’t be news at all if some atheist anchor wanted to work on some science TV show in his spare time. Why does the mere fact that religion is involved make it an important story?!
Most TV celebrities are under contract. Most of those contracts deny them the opportunity to work for other electronic media without permission from the station management. Heck, it is standard. Why promote your talent so another station may take advantage of that investment? When you see one network’s personality on another network, there is usually something reciprocal between the two.
But hey, the guy is black as well as a Christian, so it must be discrimination.