Hulu Bans Church's Ad over 'Religious Indoctrination'; Then First Liberty Steps In...

Todd Starnes : Feb 29, 2024
ToddStarnes.com

...When people of faith take a stand good things happen.

[ToddStarnes.com] The censorship of Christians is far from over. (Screengrab image: via Hulen Street Church)

A church in Fort Worth, Texas learned that lesson the hard way.

Hulen Street Church had wanted to advertise on Hulu—a 22-second video featuring Pastor Wes Hamilton inviting viewers to attend services.

The congregation includes lots of First Responders—and the church wanted to promote a special weeknight service for those who could not attend Sunday services.

"Does your work schedule or busy family calendar not allow you to attend church on a Sunday morning? If so, I want to invite you to Thursday nights at Hulen Street Church beginning on February 1st. We created Thursday nights at Hulen Street because we know that even though Sunday may not be an option for you, that doesn't mean your faith isn't important to you. For more information, hulenstreet.com." -Hulen Street Church

But Hulu rejected the video—not once, but twice. They accused the church of violating a policy regarding religious indoctrination.

"Your ad was rejected for failing to adhere to our advertising policies as it violates our current policies regarding religious advertising, specifically citing Religious Indoctrination due to asking viewers to attend Thursday services," a Hulu advertising manager wrote in an email to the church.

Instead of surrendering—Pastor Wes reached out to First Liberty Institute. And some 48 hours later—Hulu changed its policy.

"We are grateful to Hulu for its quick response to our demand letter and for accepting Hulen Street Church's ad," said Jeremy Dys, the senior counsel at First Liberty Institute. "In the future, Hulu—and others in Big Tech—could avoid these kinds of conflicts by adopting advertising policies that do not discriminate against religious organizations, being transparent about its advertising policy, and applying it fairly." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Turns out it's against the law to discriminate against Christians. Good on Hulu for righting a wrong. Good on First Liberty Institute for taking up the case. And good on Pastor Wes for speaking out. As I wrote in my new book, "Twilight's Last Gleaming," when people of faith take a stand good things happen. Click here to read.