Still dealing with Chick-Fil-A?

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Dealing with Chick-Fil-A. Mercy.

Still dealing with Chick-Fil-A? You’d think that the Apocalypse is upon us, and all over fast food.

In the last week or so I’ve read more news about Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A is the third largest restaurant chain. It allegedly has one of the slowest drive-throughs.  (I don’t know about that last one – ours moves customers through as fast as humanly possible, and the workers are unflappable.)

Is there anything bad about celebrating traditional Christian marriage?

Unless you’ve been vacationing on Uranus for the last couple of years, you are well aware of the firestorm over CFA’s Dan Cathy’s comments in favor of traditional Christian marriage. It just won’t go away, or be left alone. It’s been years since his comments.

While you’re at it, note, too, the responses from elected officials. Wow. It has come to this: “Not only do we disagree with you, we want to silence you.”  Folks take Machiavellian steps to prevent the chain from opening in their community or venue.

The success of Chick-Fil-A.

Some folks are still dealing with Chick-Fil-A. I’m not sure to what end other than expressing endless frustration that, by any metrics you use, Chick-Fil-A is wildly successful.

As a Christian, I’m trying to glean from all this something redemptive, while at the same time acknowledging a paradox (and thanks to John Piper who helped me sort all this out.)

We Christians are commanded to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed. On  the other hand, we are shown that we are to “become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.”

We live in the middle of a fallen, failing American culture. We aren’t to conform to that.

But – we are not to give offense, try to please, and become all things to all people so as to save some. There’s your paradox, right there.

Our fallen world.

Here are the facts for believers: This country is not our home. We are out of synch, out of step with the  culture. The world recognizes that, and that brings on scorn. We are the ultimate outsiders and pilgrims.

On the other hand, we are called on to take on some of the traits of the culture …if we don’t conform at all, then we are the salt trapped in the shaker.

The challenge is to describe homosexuality as sinful while at the same time be willing to lay down our lives in love for homsexual persons. That is what Christ did. To take this thought into even more radical realms, we MUST believe that homosexual behavior is sin in order to love homosexual people.

Rejoice in the truth.

According to First Corinthians, “Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.”

If you deny the truth that homosexuality is a sin and instead approve or rejoice in it, what you bring to a homosexual person will not be love, no matter how affirming, kind, or tolerant.

The whole issue, it seems, has found its nexus in the relationship between homosexuality and marriage. Jesus confirmed God’s will in creation in Matthew 19:4-6.

The argument which must be considered, if we’re to be intellectually honest, is when someone asks, “Why do you impose your religious beliefs on American culture?”

Legislated morality. Dealing with Chick-Fil-A may be a component of that.

Well, all laws impose convictions on culture. All convictions come from worldviews – they don’t come out of nowhere. People argue for laws on a basis of a particular view of the world. It follows that Christians should be involved in the business of lawmaking. Deciding whether or not still dealing with Chick-Fil-A is part of how you approach culture.

We should pray and work to shape our culture so that it reflects the revealed will of God, even if that reflection is dim and external. Goodness knows others will be attempting the same thing.

So we pray and work so that marriage is understood and treated as a lifelong union between a man and woman. The law has spoken otherwise. I understand that. We are still to stand firm, though.

But believers, we do this knowing that we do this with brokenhearted joy. Joy because God is God, sovereign over all, and He will establish justice in His own time in this fallen world.

We are brokenhearted because we will experience pain and misery because of the pain that sin has brought into the world. That should not make us cynical. The salt of the earth does not mock rotting meat. Where it can, it saves and seasons, and where it can’t, it weeps.

Many are still dealing with Chick-Fil-A. It is a metaphor, in many ways, of the nature of our culture.

Evil can and does triumph for a season.

Look. We can’t get all bent when evil triumphs for a season. Let’s don’t whine when we don’t get our way. We shouldn’t be hardened with anger.

What’s happening isn’t new. The early Christians were terribly out of step with their culture. Jesus Himself said, “You will be hated for my name’s sake … Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.”

We don’t own culture, and we don’t rule it. We serve it with brokenhearted joy and longsuffering mercy.


I’d be honored if you’d visit Transformational Encouragement Academy and check out the free resource you’ll find there. You input is valuable to me!

Pilgrim, sojourner, encourager.

2 thoughts on “Still dealing with Chick-Fil-A?

  1. I weep for my own family and I weep for our laws legislating immorality and giving folks a false hope of righteousness. In a perfect world, our laws would legislate morality over immorality. But, as you point out as does the Word of God, we live in a fallen world. But for the grace of God there go we. If God loved us when we were yet sinners, we should love others who are lost as Jesus did. Rejoice in the truth with love!

  2. Tony, regarding:
    “If you deny the truth that homosexuality is a sin and instead approve or rejoice in it, what you bring to a homosexual person will not be love, no matter how affirming, kind, or tolerant.”

    I am reminded of an aphorism (I think that is the proper term) from Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”—“The harder the truth to tell, the truer the friend who tells it.”

    As you have so skillfully pointed out, the challenge is to communicate truth in a loving manner rather than angry or mean-spirited. A bold prayer is to ask “Lord,break my heart by what breaks yours.”

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