I previously posted here about CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC refusing to air this United Church of Christ ad. It was reported on Friday that LOGO, MTV’s channel for “entertainment programming for lesbians and gays and just about anyone who enjoys a gay point of view,” is also refusing to air the church’s commercial “because of the political nature of its content.” Yes, the “gay channel” feels that airing the gay-friendly church ad would be going too far.

When asked for an official reason, MTV Networks responded, “Our guidelines state we will not accept religious advertisements that may be deemed as disparaging to another religion.”

Ron Buford, director of the UCC’s Stillspeaking Initiative, says the 1.3-million-member denomination’s four-year identity campaign was created after focus group testing revealed the depth to which people felt alienated or rejected by organized religion. The church’s new “ejector” ad uses humor to convey the message, “God doesn’t reject people. Neither do we.”

Buford insists that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons are among those most in need of a welcoming, affirming Christian message, one that the UCC is wanting to share.

“I guess the idea of gay TV doesn’t really mean it’s your community’s network,” Buford told United Church News. “It’s just something that’s targeted at you to sell product.”

On April 6, the UCC’s media action website — http://www.accessibleairwaves.org — launched a letter-writing campaign to LOGO executives, urging them to rethink their decision.

“Viacom’s refusal to air this new commercial is an example of an apparent policy that fails to allow for a full range of religious expression in the United States,” the action alert reads.

U.S. Newswire reports the following networks have accepted the United Church of Christ ad: A&E, AMC, BET, CNN, CNN en espanol, Headline, Hallmark, History, TBS, TNT, E!, Lifetime, Si-TV, and Azteca America.

Heel click: SistersTalk