Today, thousands upon thousands of ‘Christians’ turned up in droves in support of Chick-Fil-A. In what I thought was supposed to be a support for our first amendment right, but by the posts on Facebook, it was really more about supporting a Christian based company. (Nothing wrong with that.) What I have real issues with is the way it was approached.
It really saddens me that such a HUGE group of believers can rally around a multi-billion dollar franchise basically just to say “we showed you”. I just can’t, at all, find it in me to think that is what Jesus would do. What saddens me more is, Christians were so ready to prove a political point that they waited in long lines for hours today when most of those can’t find the time to attend an hour long church service on Sunday mornings. Or to even volunteer of their time to church ministries. Or to volunteer in the community, reaching the people, taking Jesus to them. But, let’s all gather to support a fast food chain, to “show” those non-Christians, to stick it to them! Did you know that 1/2 the world lives on $2.50 a day? That 1/2 the world lives in poverty with no adequate shelter or food. No safe drinking water. That roughly 29,000 children will die today, before ever reaching the age of 5 because of their living conditions. Those are all statistics from April of this year. Just 4 months ago. People in this world need us, they need the salt & the light. And the best we have to offer is rallying around a fast food joint. That’s what gets us worked up. What about the BIG picture??
This isn’t about Dan Cathy’s first amendment rights, he doesn’t need us to support that. I’m fairly certain CFA will be just fine. This is about Christians who let themselves get so worked up because the culture that we live in today, didn’t agree with his stance. Jesus didn’t have the “I’ll show you” attitude when people criticized, mocked, & persecuted Him.
I know many people will disagree with my opinion and that’s ok. These are just a few thoughts I’ve had. I think Jesus expects better of us. We will never reach a generation or culture when all they hear is condemnation.
So by all means, continue supporting Chick-Fil-A if you feel you need to. Or don’t, that’s the beauty of being in America. But before we say “I’ll show you” to those that disagree with us in the first place, let’s step back and ask what Jesus would really have us do.
*I wanted to edit my post and say that I still love Chick-Fil-A. My cousins operate one and I’ve always admired the way they handle their store and treat their employees. You couldn’t find two better people for the job. Chick-Fil-A has always given me top-notch service, good food, and have always gone the extra mile to make sure my experience is enjoyable. And that’s why I will continue to eat there. I’m not buying their politics, just their food. My issue has never been with the restaurant itself and didn’t want it to seem like I was criticizing the chain. I will never give up my cookies n cream milkshake. 😉
Also, this article says it much better than I.
http://theamericanjesus.net/?p=7515
Run For Your Life 
Cayla,This is an incredible blog!I am in complete agreement with you.We must take such special care when we step out into the light and declare ourselves representatives of the entire Christian faith. I would hope one would do so with love and compassion, not hatred or even an eagerness to point fingers.
Thanks for this post, Cayla. As a fairly new Christian, sometimes I am disheartened at the way so many of us seem to use Jesus' name to spread hate instead of love. Personally, I believe in equal rights for everyone, and I am an avid supporter of same sex marriage (and am proud to live in Canada where it is legal across the country). But regardless of my personal opinion (and regardless of the fact that I HATE that people pick and choose things from the bible to hyper-focus on), isn't all sin supposed to be equal? I thought it didn't matter WHAT the sin was. So to everyone going out, allegedly in support of CFA, to denounce gay people, I have to ask: have you never lied? Have you never stolen anything? Have you never envied someone for something they have that you didn't? Have you never been too proud?Until the day we can say we are perfect… we are hardly in any position to judge others, for anything they do.