A billboard request with a Bible verse and link to a church’s website has been rejected by Lamar Advertising, while a pro-homosexual pride message has been approved.
Independence Reformed Bible Church, located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, requested a digital billboard spot in Lititz, Pennsylvania, containing the text of Proverbs 16:18 and a link to the church’s website.
The text of the verse is “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
The link directed viewers to the church’s webpage containing information about an upcoming outreach to a homosexual pride festival in Lititz.
Last year, the pride festival in Lititz Springs Park contained a drag show and performances mocking the Bible.
Earlier this year the Lititz Moravian Congregation Board of Trustees – the official owners of Lititz Springs Park – released a statement denying use of the park for a pride festival and saying that at last year’s pride festival Lititz Chooses Love “failed to supervise their authorized participants and demonstrated behaviors reasonable community members – including members of our Boards of Elders and Trustees – found grossly inappropriate.”
The church board later retracted their statement.
The pride festival is scheduled to occur at Lititz Springs Park on June 17.
In an e-mail provided to The Lancaster Patriot, a representative from Lamar wrote that the church’s billboard design was “not approved to post.”
According to the e-mail, a “corporate creative guidelines person” at Lamar said the ad is “misleading because the original bible quote is not referring to ‘pride’ in the sense that it is being portrayed here.”
Lamar offers billboards to churches and often sends out marketing e-mails targeting churches, with one e-mail saying “we can help you both target and increase your congregation.”
For at least the past two years, Lamar has conducted campaigns in support of the homosexual pride movement.
“In celebration of #PrideMonth, Lamar Advertising Company is launching a national digital billboard campaign to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community and encourage tolerance and respect for all,” a June 2021 Facebook post from Lamar Advertising of Ocala said.
According to WHTM, Sean Reilly, CEO of Lamar Advertising Company, said in 2021, “We proudly express our support for the LGBTQ+ community in the hopes that we can encourage the millions who see our billboards each and every day to treat everyone with kindness and respect.”
As of Thursday, a digital billboard spot on a Lamar billboard in the Park City Center shopping mall area in Lancaster contained a pride flag background with the text “Enjoy your Pride.”
Lamar has not responded to The Lancaster Patriot’s request for comment.
I just wanted to say I have zero problem with people making fun of the Bible and I find that behavior perfectly reasonable. I mean, we learn that in grade school. You are allowed to be a free thinker.