Australian schools are becoming more and more gender-neutral in order to appease the LGBT community, and Lyall Mercer, managing director of Mercer PR, believes that "America isn't far behind."
Those belonging to the faith community are too afraid to stand up for traditional values because they are afraid of being villified by society, but Mercer thinks a lot of people still trust their churches.
"As a public relations adviser, I would say this concern is reasonable and churches must be careful what they say. However, there is an argument that churches should take a stand because it is the right thing to do," he tells Charisma News. "If public comments are made in a respectful and measured manner, any criticism will be countered by the vast weight of public support."
Mercer says there is a "silent majority" that is simply waiting for someone to take the lead, and it's important for people to do so now unless they want immorality to become more flagrant.
"Unfortunately in Australia--and increasingly in the U.S.A.--labels like bigot, dinosaur, homophobe and intolerant are tossed around, usually by those who are displaying their own intolerance against any position they don't agree with and are trying to prevent a legitimate debate of issues that everyday people care about," he says.
Having lived in America for almost seven years, Mercer discovered that the church still holds the public's trust and respect. He highly suggests that churches utilise this trust and respect in promoting their values so that the community will stand firm in God's values.
"When the American church speaks it does so from a position of strength not weakness," he says. "The lack of a voice by the church continues to cede ground to those with alternative agendas and views, so church leaders should not be fearful of standing up for what they believe."
