Chick | The Recovering Legalist

The Story

If you haven’t heard about Chick-fil-A and what happened August 1, 2012, then you’re probably living under a rock. This privately-owned fast-food restuarant chain broke all sales records as people from all over the country showed up to support them by buying their food. It was called “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.”

Now, what got all this started was an outcry by the liberal and LGBT crowd. They were made aware of a statement made by Dan Cathy to the Baptist Press (a Southern Baptist news paper) regarding his views on same-sex marriage – he’s against it. When they heard this, a call was made to boycott Chick-fil-A. In response to the call for a boycott, millions did the opposite.

The Craziness

What is really crazy about all of this is the argument behind all the hate towards Chick-fil-A. Those protesting have made erroneous, unfounded accusations that the resturant chain discriminates toward homosexuals. What a load of, well, chicken poo!

The thing that is making people on the left angry is the simple fact that Dan Cathy expressed a belief that disagrees with the pluralistic, post-modern, hedonistic, amoral segment of society – and he is a wealthy, conservative Baptist. So, because of an individual’s personal beliefs, the left, including politicians, want to punish a legitimate, non-discriminatory business.

I have heard it said over and over, “Chick-fil-A hates gays!” How is that even defensible! In order for that to be true, we should be seeing gays turned away or offered poor service. In order for that to be true, we should be reading of multiple, nation-wide examples of discrimination in the work place. None of that can be found. The accusation is totally bogus.

Can’t Win for Losing

Then there are those who are griping and complaining over the response from communities nation-wide. Believe it or not, there are believers in Christ (who themselves disapprove of gay marriage and support Dan Cathy’s right to express his opinion) condemning all of those who showed up to support the unfounded condemnation of Chick-fil-A. What’s the deal?

How many times have we heard it preached that it is time for the Christians to stand up for what they believe? Then, when they do, what do we hear? We hear, “The Church has failed…We should stay out of politics…They’re just out to get free food.” Aside from the fact that it wasn’t just Christians showing up yesterday, it was people who were expressing their support for a business.

My Decision

This is what I am going to do. Tomorrow (Friday) I am going to drive our church van to a couple of different Chick-fil-A locations, look for any gays or lesbian kissing in public, and offer to buy their food. I am going to go with a $100 budget.

You see, the whole argument against Cathy and Chick-fil-A, and all Christians, is that we hate gays. Sure, there are some idiots who do, just like there are hateful people on all sides, but as a whole we don’t. What we hate is sin. What we hate is being forced to accept something we firmly believe to be wrong. What we hate is being unjustifiably attacked and maligned. We do not hate gays.

For the Record

God made man (generically speaking) in His image, which makes each individual precious in God’s eyes. Jesus even gave His life so that those who hated Him could be forgiven and offered eternal life. If I were to hate homosexuals, how could I claim to be a follower of Jesus? But does this mean I agree with the act of homosexuality? No. Do I believe that marriage, an institution ordained by God to be a covenant between a man and a woman, should be expanded to include the union of same sexes? No. What it does mean is that I will seek to love people like Jesus did.

So, if you want to show the love of Christ in a tangible way, do what I am going to do. Show those who have claimed we hate them that we actually do love them. If you see a couple of men kissing in a Chick-fil-A, go up to them and tell you that you want to show them that you do love them, and in the Name of the One who first showed you love, buy them the best chicken sandwich known to man.