Parallel

The problem was sin - originating from the Garden of Eden and passed on through generations. But, throughout the ages, we see that God continued to reach out to call people to Himself. Romans 3 says:
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

That is the problem - humanity's separation from God and inability to save itself. But, that is not the end of the story; later in the chapter, we can find these words:
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...

We can ask ourselves: are we content to remain in our sin?  Do we have internal issues that we have continued to harbor, without going to the Lord for help?  And, cultural speaking, even though it seems that sin is so rampant, we can ask if we are being people of complaining or people who are looking for solutions in Christ.  God has a purpose for each of us, and as His representatives, we can be agents of reconciliation, demonstrating to the world God's grace and presence, bringing solutions to the challenges we face.

+++++

We can sometimes feel overmatched with evil in this world, but we realize that Jesus gave Himself to defeat Satan's power. When we see areas of decay or challenges to our faith, we can look to Him for solutions. Romans 12 provides some practical insight:
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Recently, I spotlighted some of the trends in corporate America that represent a threat for people of faith.  From investment strategies where those who don't tow the proper ideological line may find themselves excluded to corporate promotion of ideas that don't line up with Scriptural beliefs to workplaces that don't allow free expression of a person's faith, there is much concern.

One particular company is attempting to operate by his deeply held beliefs and show respect for faith principles.  The Daily Signal reported recently:

PublicSq. Founder and CEO Michael Seifert believes “strong families make a strong nation.” But when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, he began witnessing a lot of companies grandly making “impassioned petitions to pay for their employees’ abortions.”

“I was shocked by that because it’s an immoral and egregious act for an employer to pay for an employee to terminate their children,” he told The Daily Signal. “That’s my opinion. But on top of that, it was also a very blatantly obvious move for just more productivity out of their employees. And it was a stifling of [employees’] potential desires to have families.”

So, Seifert decided that his company would take a different course, offering a $5000 "baby bonus" for employees who have a child or adopt a child.  And, this was done to coincide with the first anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The article says: 

His employees can use the bonus, which is $5,000 after taxes, for anything they want, Seifert said. Some parents who are adopting face exorbitant fees, and the baby bonus could help offset that. Other families with several children already may just “need some more diapers” or a babymoon, he joked.

So what is PublicSq.?  The Daily Signal states:

Seifert’s company, PublicSq., is both an app and a website “that connects patriotic Americans to high-quality businesses that share their values, both online and in their local communities,” according to a company press release.

The company’s goal: to help consumers “shop their values” and “put purpose behind their purchases.”

The company issued a press release at the Business Wire website on June 1, stating that PublicSq....

... announced that its consumer member base increased by over 300,000 from May 23, 2023, to the end of May. PublicSq.’s consumer membership grew by more than 40% in a single week, fast-tracking the platform to more than one million consumer members in less than 11 months since its nationwide launch on July 4th, 2022.

The rise in the platform’s consumer membership propelled PublicSq. to the #2 shopping app and the #3 free app in Apple’s App Store last week, ranking above other shopping apps such as Shopify, Target, Amazon, and Walmart.

Seifert is quoted as saying: “We are thrilled to celebrate this incredible milestone of reaching one million consumer members in such a short span of time and believe this is further proof that many Americans are tired of corporations advancing DEI and ESG agendas...In the same week that Target watched its market capitalization drop by $10 billion, our marketplace experienced exponential membership growth. We’re now providing more than one million Americans with a commerce experience that connects them with the largest marketplace of values-aligned small businesses in the nation, and we’re just getting started.”

Seifert has been featured on a number of media outlets, including the podcast of Heidi St. John - in a short bio corresponding to the feature, it states:

At just 27, Michael has been a thought leader in the areas of politics, culture, and business for many years, especially as these topics intersect with technology. With a combined social media following of nearly 350,000, Michael shares his relentless passion for Truth, Liberty, and conservative values with his patriotic following. Prior to the launch of PublicSq, Michael hosted his own podcast, Refining Politics & Culture, which confronted challenging cultural topics from a conservative, Christian perspective.

Breitbart reports that Seifert...

...mentioned that Public Square is the start of a “parallel economy ecosystem” to rival the corporate push for ESG and DEI.

“So there’s really this cool parallel economy ecosystem that’s been created. And it all starts with consumer spending. We hate ESG, we hate Dei, we talk about these policies all the time in the news. But the only way that we are going to topple those corrupt philosophies that are destroying our economy is by shifting consumer spending. And so we’re offering the easiest directory out there to go and do that as your starting point..."

The article notes that in excess of 55,000 businesses are participants on the platform; businesses that Seifert says are "pro life, pro family, pro freedom – they love the country and the Constitution and the values that it protects..."

Don't like the direction of some corporations?  Concerned about policies that do not line up with our Biblically-based values?  We can stomp and shout and get angry, which is not the most effective way, because anger does not glorify God.  Or, we can take concrete, God-inspired, wise steps to go in another direction.  We can depend on the Lord to provide solutions when we face cultural challenges. 

And, we should always be seeking solutions.  We cannot just stop at pointing out what is wrong with culture.  Certainly, we read in Romans 3 that there is none righteous; you know, as the song, says, "no, not one."  But, there was more - Paul goes on to write about what Jesus Christ did for us.  I think we can follow His example - He directs us to identify issues and challenges, but also provides wisdom to bring honor to His name. 

We have to trust the Lord to provide direction for us - certainly we are called to speak truth, but we are also called to demonstrate the power of the truth that is within us.