First of all, an admission and a bit of personal history: I love Chick-fil-A.
My first Chick-fil-A sandwich was eaten at Eastdale Mall in Montgomery, Alabama, shortly after my family moved to town in the summer of 1979. It has been over 30 years since I have visited that mall, but, if the store still exists in the same location, I could walk straight to it like a guided missile. My life since then can be somewhat timelined by the significant “Chicks” along the way: Florence, Alabama, in the mid-90s where I witnessed the construction of the first stand alone, “mall-less” store that I had ever seen (in actuality it was built just outside the mall); Allen, Texas, where our weekly men’s breakfast from the McDermott Road church met for a short time and where several of the congregation’s youth would ultimately work; the store in McKinney where Richard Beasley and I would eat after a morning round of golf at Oak Hollow; the store in The Colony where Jeff Jenkins and I would meet regularly for breakfast and conversation; and the innumerable stores across multiple states where my family and I have dined in and “driven thru.”
I have long admired (and occasionally been selfishly annoyed by) Chick-fil-A’s company-wide policy of being closed on Sundays so that employees can attend worship services and spend time with their families. I greatly respect that kind of “principle over profit” approach to business. I have also deeply respected the Christian faith of the Cathy family in the founding and leadership of their company. Several friends of mine have heard Truett Cathy and Dan Cathy speak at leadership conferences and business conventions over the years and they have been profoundly impressed by their authenticity, humility, and commitment to biblical morality and values.
Despite all of the considerations above, the primary reason that I eat at Chick-fil-A is that I really, really, really like their food. Truth be told, I would eat there if their founder and CEO was a Muslim, a Buddhist, or an atheist. I go to Chick-fil-A for good chicken, not to make statements about my faith, morals, or politics. If the food weren’t good, I wouldn’t eat there, not even if the company’s founder was the person who had led me to faith in Christ. I would unquestionably love him and be eternally grateful to him, but I wouldn’t buy his chicken. If Chick-fil-A was open on the Lord’s Day, you would periodically find me having Sunday lunch there, despite the fact that employees were being forced to miss morning church services or prevented from playing with their kids at the park.
By now, most of you are aware of the latest skirmish in our nation’s culture war involving supporters of gay marriage and supporters of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy and his vocal defense of traditional marriage between a man and a woman. I won’t rehearse the entire history of past clashes between Chick-fil-A and the LGBT community, but Cathy’s recent comments resulted in the Jim Henson Company pulling its Muppet toys from Chick-fil-A’s kids’ meals. The mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco went on record as saying that Chick-fil-A’s values did not reflect those of their citizens and, therefore, the Atlanta-based company “need not apply” for building permits or business licenses in their cities.
The Christian counter-offensive has been swift and emotional. I have been made aware of this most keenly from Facebook, where there has been a steady stream of admonitions to join hands, wallets, and palates for “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” on Wednesday, August 1. Organizer Mike Huckabee (or someone very effectively impersonating him on FB!) is “asking people to eat chicken and not to be one” by turning out in force this Wednesday to support Chick-fil-A with our fast food dollars. This effort has picked up endorsements from several significant individuals and organizations.
Just a few observations, primarily for the consideration of fellow believers.
Can we all just take a deep breath and chill a little, my brothers and sisters?
The reactions from the mayors in Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco are predictable, political rhetoric solely intended to further endear them to their constituencies. Their position is unreasonable and irrational, not to mention unconstitutional. Their threat of opposition to Chick-fil-A’s expansion in their cities will never stand. If they haven’t already figured this out for themselves, I assure you that their City Attorneys have done so and have reminded Their Honors of a little complication called the First Amendment. This glaring, potential injustice was even pointed out rather quickly by the ACLU and several liberal columnists. Political posturing at the expense of free speech and free enterprise just won’t be tolerated in the U.S., at least not at the present. I would highly recommend for your reading an editorial in the current issue of Christianity Today entitled, “More Than a Legal Issue: The Gay Marriage Debate Shouldn’t Drive Us to Outrage or Panic.” Published before the latest brouhaha, the subtitle is eerily prophetic.
A few of the graphics that I have seen on Facebook featured the “Eat Mor Chikin” Holsteins displaying placards that read, “One Man; One Woman” in support of the Biblical doctrine of marriage. Some of us are old enough to remember when this mantra contained a third phrase, “For Life.” That last one doesn’t sell as well anymore, even (and maybe especially) among Christians. Sadly, the divorce rate among Christians in the United States is not radically different from that of the larger culture. Regardless of your understanding of the teaching of Jesus and the Apostle Paul on the subject, it is hard to imagine that the contemporary practice of disposable marriage among believers somehow reflects the will of God for our families. “Inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him” regarding marriage (to quote Dan Cathy) did not begin with the recent efforts to legalize gay marriage. Having surrendered the moral high ground on the biblical model of marriage a long time ago, the call by Christians for the defense of “traditional marriage” tends to ring a bit hollow these days and invites charges of hypocrisy from skeptics and critics of our faith.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for whom millions of Chick-fil-A supporters will likely vote in November, is a member of a faith tradition that, while being solid on the “one man” aspect of marriage, has, historically speaking, been rather fuzzy on the number of women who can simultaneously share in the matrimonial equation. The “mathematics of marriage” in Mormonism hasn’t always been an exact science. Sorry, folks, but it needed to be said.
Chick-fil-A-Gate has also reminded me just how easily we Christians can get our knickers in a twist. When something doesn’t go our way (and why should things ever go our way in a world that largely does not share our faith and values?) we tend to get just as “loud and proud” as the next “victimized” group. I wish that our responses weren’t so painfully predictable when we are gigged and goaded by others. We whine, cry foul, and vehemently insist on our rights, all at the expense of gutting our witness as followers of Christ. We vainly claim persecution at the slightest offense, while believers in other parts of the world truly suffer (and sometimes die) for their faith. “When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things,” (I Cor. 4:12-13). Our many liberties have spoiled American Christians into indignant discontent with being the scum and dregs of the earth; we simply won’t have it.
Might I make a suggestion for those who really want to show their support for Chick-fil-A and for others this Wednesday? Instead of the mere quid pro quo of giving Chick-fil-A money in exchange for a meal that you might have purchased anyway (where is the sacrifice and heroism in that?), why not just walk into the store and make a donation of $10, $50, or $100, asking for nothing in return. Don’t like the non-tax-deductible sound of that? Then make a donation to the company’s incredibly inspiring WinShape Foundation! I assure you that your money will be put to good use. How about purchasing $50 worth of meals and taking them to a homeless shelter, or contacting your local fire station and letting them know that you’ll be providing a Chick-fil-A lunch on Wednesday for those on the afternoon shift; anything beyond satisfying your own hunger with a #1 Combo in the name of morality.
So, will I be eating at Chick-fil-A this Wednesday? I may, if the lines aren’t too long (and they frequently are, to the tune of $4.1 billion in sales last year). And if I do, it won’t be because I’ve been bullied into it by this “eat a chicken or be one” nonsense. My faith and morality have a lot more substance than that. But, if I don’t eat there on Wednesday, I will definitely do so sometime in the very near future. Like I said, I love their food!
Praise the Lord and pass the waffle fries!
64 comments
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July 28, 2012 at 11:01 am
Bobby Ross Jr.
I am one of the guilty ones who got my knickers in a twist. Thanks for calling me out. I needed it.
July 28, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Tim Pyles
Thanks, Bobby! Your encouragement means more than you’ll ever know!
July 28, 2012 at 11:22 am
Kristi O. Byrd
A very thoughtful response…..
Although I support gay marriage as a civil matter, I also support the rights of people and churches to adhere to their interpretations of the Bible. Mostly, I think nobody’s hearts or mind is won over/changed by angry arguments. So, I appreciate the spirit of this post a great deal.
July 28, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Tim Pyles
Thanks for your open and honest comment, Kristi! No worries about the typo (I didn’t even notice), but I’ll look into that edit feature option for those who comment. 🙂
July 28, 2012 at 11:27 am
Kristi O. Byrd
no edit feature? Et tu, Tim Pyles blog? “are” , not “is.” My typos get my knickers in a twist.
July 28, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Emma Mosby
Tim – Thanks for the response to this issue as you are right. My first reaction when I heard this was anger and “What? They can’t do that!” Prayer for all concerned will have more power than anything I can do.
July 28, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Tim Pyles
Thanks, Emma! Like we talked about in class on Wed. night, prayer is, by far, not “the least we can do”; it is often the very most we can do.
July 28, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Bobby hopkins
Very well said,friend. May I post a link to this via my Men’s ministry twitter feed ?
July 28, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Tim Pyles
Absolutely, Bobby! Thanks, friend! Blessings to you and your family.
July 28, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Brandon Price
Excellent, Tim.
July 28, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Tim Pyles
Thanks, Brandon! So very glad to see your blog (http://brandonandkatie.com) up and running again!
July 28, 2012 at 7:00 pm
jim burkhalter
Thank you, Tim, for a well thought out and well presented article calling us to put the emphasis where it should be as disciples of The Christ of God.
July 28, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Tim Pyles
Much appreciated, Jim!
July 28, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Tim Pyles
Just had it pointed out through a couple of private messages from friends that I had misspelled Chick-fil-A (consistently, I might add!) throughout the entirety of my original post. Now, THAT’S embarrassing!!! Corrections made, I hope. Thanks for the heads up, Bobby & Kenny! I blame the Holsteins!
July 28, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Tim Parish
Excellent post brother. Well said. I have been thinking along those same lines since this first broke and appreciate you distilling my own thoughts so well. Grace and peace!
July 29, 2012 at 4:57 am
Tim Pyles
Thanks, Tim! I was able to link to your blog and discovered that you are beginning a new ministry with the Maple Hill church. Blessings to you and your family as you make this transition. I’ve never visited there, but Dr. Rodney Cloud always spoke so highly of the congregation and we have dear friends there from many years ago, Randall and Janis Henry. Please give them our love.
July 28, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Jeff Holland
I don’t believe that Paul and Peter would not have stood by and watched this LGBT attack (and attempt to persecute Christians) and be able to bite their tongues and not comment on it. They would have preached the Gospel…the Truth…God’s Word. This whole, “conservatives should be quiet and not rock the boat” mentatlity is NOT working for advancing God’s kingdom in today’s loud, liberal, outspoken, media-driven society. One can still have conservative values and also speak up about their beliefs. In today’s world, the ones who are being the loudest and angriest are winning. It’s not a sin to get angry and cause a little commotion. Even Jesus got angry and turned over some tables when the temple was being misused. If there were news crews and televisions around back then, I’m sure that would have made national news. I for one will continue to speak out. (Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and Mark 8:38.)
July 29, 2012 at 5:23 am
Tim Pyles
Thanks for your comments, Jeff! Like you, I have what I consider to be conservative values, and, as clearly indicated by this posting on my blog, I am neither biting my tongue nor refusing to speak out on the subject. I don’t, however, agree that getting angrier and louder (in a tit-for-tat, evil for evil, reactionary response) will result in opening many hearts and minds to the will of God and the message of Jesus Christ, and I likely have a different definition of “winning” in this situation. I don’t see “get angry and cause a little commotion” as inherent to the Great Commission. You are absolutely right that Paul and Peter would have never been intimidated into silence, but their priority was the transformation of hearts, minds, and souls (one by one) through the proclamation and personal acceptance of the Gospel, not a socio-political agenda that was dependent upon the revamping of the Roman legal code. And I will entrust to the Lord any table-overturning that needs to be done; anger has not served me very well as a Christian.
July 29, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Jeff Holland
That may not have come across the way I meant it about the getting angry part. I’m not saying have an angry heart and dish back hate for hate. What I was saying is to get angry enough to speak up and defend the faith and not back down. I do believe you can be angry and at the same time not be hateful. But we should voice our beliefs proudly and boldly.
July 29, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Tim Pyles
Jeff, thanks for the clarification, brother!
July 29, 2012 at 7:20 am
Lena Gross
About time that some one makes a point of each side’s making a point that not only the Gay’s and other ’causes’ have a right to our beliefs and following our committments as well….If the Gays want a business that supports their cause, let them open thier own businesses…..leave others to the same perogitive…….God gives us all the right to choice…who are the Gays or anyone else to take that away,……even the Supreme court has no rigtht to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 31, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Keline
So, ‘gays’ have the right to eat chicken, but they should open their own chicken restaurants in order to eat it? Is that like when people said back in the 50’s that black people have the right to drink water but should do it at their own fountains? I believe that the last thing God would ever want is intolerance. Not even hate – plain old intolerance is bad enough.
July 29, 2012 at 8:30 am
Noah
I disagree.
How could you as a Christian not support somebody who supports the Bible?
July 29, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Tim Pyles
Noah, I’m assuming that the “you” referenced in your comment is “me” in regard to what I wrote in this post; if not, my apologies for misunderstanding your comment.. I’m not exactly sure how I’m not supporting someone who supports the Bible. Quite the contrary, if you read the post carefully. In this current situtation, I am just suggesting that there are more substantive and selfless means of supporting Chick-fil-A than a person merely buying themselves a meal.
July 29, 2012 at 11:33 am
L hartwell
Noah….we are all supporting businesses that are not owned or run by Christians…..we just don’t do enough research to know for sure who they are……if we did, there would be lots of places we probably wouldn’t shop..
July 29, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Tim Pyles
Point well taken; however, I don’t believe that we have either a Biblical mandate or a moral imperative to only engage in business with people who share our faith.
July 29, 2012 at 1:03 pm
t sanders
Thank you! That is the best response I’ve heard so far. The whole conversation has felt extreme and exhausting. Thanks for keeping it real, straight, and simple.
July 29, 2012 at 9:26 pm
Tim Pyles
Thanks so much for your comment!
July 29, 2012 at 3:04 pm
emily patterson
fantastic as always tim!
July 29, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Tim Pyles
Thank you, Emily! You are such an encouragement!
July 29, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Richard Kaiser
Very though provoking article. My son & I were talking about this very same thing the other day & if we respond out of anger or simply political motives, what are we doing to our witness for Christ?
July 29, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Tim Pyles
Thanks, Richard! Agreed!
July 29, 2012 at 11:50 pm
daddycabal7777
I share your thoughts. Though in this blog, I decide that since everyone has talked about this issue enough, I want to look at some other feature of Chick-fil-a that are going ignored, particularly their being closed every Sunday, which I think is a more powerful pro-family gesture than a random statement about marriage.
http://calebcoy.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/home-style-chikin-fellowship/
July 30, 2012 at 6:30 am
Tim Pyles
Caleb, thanks for the link to your blog; it is a very well-written and thought-provoking treatment of the subject. I especially like your emphasis on the “closed on Sunday” aspect of Chick-fil-A’s business model and the call for Christians to share meals in their homes on Sundays or collectively in their places of worship. Thanks for your comments!
July 30, 2012 at 6:27 am
Ross Mitchell
Thanks Tim. A very good article. A couple of observations. One, Jesus saved his harshest words for the self righteous and not for sinners. We would do well to remember that if we try to leverage anything but the love of Christ, we lose all leverage. Also, Jesus never endorsed a protest group to accomplish his purposes. I’d much rather engage those who disagree with me in a dialogue than a shouting match. Keep up the good work!
July 30, 2012 at 7:18 am
Tim Pyles
Great to hear from you, Ross! Great points! I fully agree that Christians need to be leading the way in respectful, loving, and civil discourse with those with whom we disagree, whether they be fellow believers or those who do not share our faith and values.
July 30, 2012 at 7:25 am
C. Hostilo
ONe of the best discussions on this issue that I have heard to date! Thanks so much!
July 30, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Tim Pyles
Thank you, C.! Much appreciated!
July 30, 2012 at 9:18 am
Shannon S
My daughter works at CFA…and she is honestly dreading the the day of appreciation as all it means to her is probably triple the workload and stress. I think walking in and making a donation makes much more sense and would ease the extra burden off the workers there.
July 30, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Tim Pyles
Shannon, thanks for your comment. For your daughter’s sake, and that of all CFA employees and managers, I pray that those who turn out in large numbers on Wednesday and face potentially long lines and crowded parking lots will “go the extra mile” in being patient, kind, and courteous to everyone: employees, other patrons, protesters, etc. Did I mention patient?
July 30, 2012 at 10:53 am
Drue Wright
Tim, I do not know you but already love you (as a sister in Christ.) I not only enjoyed your blog, but was even more impressed with your responses to the comments. From this I know that you have the kind of heart Christ would want us all to have.
July 30, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Tim Pyles
Thank you for your kindness, sister Drue!!!
July 30, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Robert Prater
Tim, thanks for this excellent article and contribution towards a more healthier, balanced and Christian perspective to this whole uproar. Thanks for the reminder about Christians not having a “Christian over reaction” to these type of news stories and always keeping a gospel focused perspective. You can check out my similiar blog thoughts on this issue over at: http://www.preacherprater.blogspot.com/2012/07/chick-fil-gays-and-gospel.html
Take care my good brother! Keeping preaching the faithful word! Robert Prater
July 30, 2012 at 3:32 pm
Tim Pyles
Good to hear from you, Robert, and thanks! Thanks, also, for the link; I especially appreciated your reminder that Christians should stop being so shocked or surprised when our values are misunderstood or rejected outright, and that we need to stop looking for political solutions to spiritual problems.
July 30, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Judge Morris
Tim…Thank you very much for taking the time and expending the effort to post such a well written and thought out article. Your insight is keen and your williness to share it is greatly appreciated.
July 30, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Tim Pyles
Judge, you are a great encourager and friend. Thanks, brother!
July 30, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Steve Orr
Nicely reasoned, Tim, and thought-provoking. Thanks for taking the time to gather your thoughts and share them with us. One of the things I most love about Facebook is that I get to see what my friends are reading; for more than one of them, that is your blog. While it is not directly related, you may be interested in reading a blog I posted this week entitled “Rule Number 8” which deals with corporate philosophies and how one of them relates to King David (it’s at steveorr.blogspot.com). Keep up your writing. I enjoyed this and will be reading some of the other posts on your blog.
In Him, Steve Orr
July 30, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Tim Pyles
Steve, thanks for your kind comments and for the link to your blog. LOVED “Rule Number 8.” I was unaware of Google’s “don’t be evil” philosophy and the excellent rationale behind it. Thanks for the way you connected the principle with David, “there’s weakness, and then there’s evil.” I look forward to reading more. It was nice to “meet” you!
July 30, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Cynthia Salmons-Lang
Well, you have said it way better than I could have. And I totally agree with you. And prayer is the best option. I do believe that as Christians we should show kindness and love, even to those whom we disagree with.
July 30, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Tim Pyles
Agreed, Cynthia! Thanks for your comment!
August 11, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Lynn McMaster
Cynthia, the overwhelming response of Christians to the Chick-Fil-A day was an attempt by Christians to show kindness and love to someone with whom we agree (about marriage)who has been abused by those who disagree just because he answered a question. He wasn’t showing a lack of love to those with whom he disagreed. Neither are we. The greatest unkindness a Christian can show to sinners is to fail to share the truth.
July 31, 2012 at 1:35 am
Robert Michael
Amen, brother. Sometimes in our country I am amused by our tendency to have immoral indignation.
July 31, 2012 at 6:14 am
Tim Pyles
Thanks, Robert! I agree that the sensitivity settings on our indignation meter could use some adjustment.
July 31, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Chuck Smith
That was incredibly good! God bless!!
July 31, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Tim Pyles
Thank you, Chuck!
July 31, 2012 at 8:28 pm
Bill Foreman
We may be fighting a rear-guard action in the culture wars, but I think it’s an action worth fighting. The United States remains a beacon to the world. And, if we were to just fold on this issue, I think it would invite a moral rout. Should gay marriage become generally acceptable, and traditional marriage become generally dispensable, how much more dispensable would other Christian norms, mild in comparison, have become? I do not think divorce is a good analogy to gay marriage, nor do I think its pervasiveness in modern culture justifies any complacency with regard to the gay marriage issue. Divorce, in and of itself, while deplorable, does not threaten the very definition of marriage. Moreover, (and correct me if I’m wrong) divorce is expressly sanctioned by the Lord in the case of adultery. Gay marriage, conversely, is not sanctioned in scripture in any fashion, expressly or impliedly. I cannot think of an institution more worth defending than traditional marriage. To that end, I think the decision to fight against gay marriage is both an easy and worthwhile one to make.
July 31, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Tim Pyles
Bill, thanks for your thoughtful and reasoned comments. I’m not sure how much your comments were directed to the overall cultural and political debate and how much they may have been given in particular response to my blog post, but let me offer a few responses/clarifications just in case, and forgive me for any misunderstandings on my part. You know that I respect and appreciate you!
I would agree with you that the U.S. still remains a beacon to the world in many respects, but I would suggest that the moral rout is already well underway and has been for quite some time on multiple fronts: violence and crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity (not only tolerated, but celebrated through the pornography industry, and mainstream Hollywood), domestic abuse, sexual abuse, white collar crime, and on and on the list goes. For that reason, I believe that the identification of gay marriage (by many well-intentioned people) as “the” moral issue of our time or the critical issue that is holding back a tsunami of evil is just myopic and misdirected.
I was not suggesting that divorce is analagous to gay marriage; only saying that, in my opinion, a culture of disposable marriage, and divorce-on-demand, has seriously (and maybe irreversibly) eroded the footing on which a credible defense of traditional marriage can be made. This has just dawned on me (seriously!!!), but perhaps I have been mistaken about a critical point. Up to this point, I have assumed that “traditional marriage” meant “biblical marriage”, but I believe that the concept of “traditional marriage” in the minds of many has been reduced to the least common denominators of a man and a woman, regardless of how many sequential heterosexual partners there may be. This would explain why the appeal is frequently made to Jesus’ definition of marriage between a man and a woman, but no mention at all is made of His next breath in which He said, “what God has joined together, let no man separate.” It would also explain why no one (including conservatives, Christian or otherwise) is spearheading an effort to make divorce illegal in the U.S. except for the cause of adultery. It’s not “biblical” that we really want; it’s just “traditional” that we’re trying to protect. So, yes, I believe I can think of an institution more worthy of defending than traditional marriage, and that is biblical marriage. While you may be right that divorce in and of itself does not threaten the definition of marriage, it does, sadly, threaten the definition of family.
I think you know me well enough to know that I am not defending or advocating gay marriage, encouraging moral complacency, or recommending that socially and religiously conservative people just lay down and roll over on this one or throw in the cultural towel.
I do, however, believe that Christians should be much more thoughtful and prayerful (and much less reactionary) in their responses to issues that challenge our faith and values. My blog post was intended to call and challenge Christians to that kind of introspection, and accountability to a higher standard.
August 1, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Jeff Holland
As Christians, we should welcome anyone to come and worship with us. We have on our sign, “Visitors Welcome!” Sinners cannot hear the Gospel and learn what they need to do and change in their lives to be saved if we won’t let them hear the message. I hope there aren’t congregations of the church of Christ out there who would tell someone they weren’t welcome to worship with them.
However, if they are coming to worship with us so that they can try to get us to re-write the Bible for them and be tolerant so that they can choose to live in sin and get into Heaven too, it should be pointed out to them very quickly that it does not work that way. God’s Word if final…majority doesn’t rule…there are no loopholes by getting our earthly government to accept it…and we’re not going to condone their sinning so that they can feel good about themselves. We love them and God loves them…and we and God want them to go to heaven, but they have to do their part.
That being said, if the LGBT movement were to get their way and they get laws passed to “protect their rights,” they WILL try to come into our worship assemblies and catch ministers preaching from the Bible that homosexuality is wrong. And they will go to the press and tell them how the preacher said that Christians hate homosexuals, and the persecution will then turn to the churches…not a fast food restaurant. And they will go to the authorities and have preachers handcuffed in the pulpits. And they will use hidden cell phone cameras and leak it to the media to try and defame and discredit the Lord’s church. That is my fear, and that is why we mustn’t stand by silently and do nothing. This is spiritual warfare, and it is real, and the Devil is sitting at the chess board moving his pieces around while laughing and having a good time.
I love the Bible, I love the Constitution (especially the First Amendment) and I don’t want to lose the wonderful freedoms we have to discuss this and not have the government come into our homes to arrest us for doing so (as they do in other countries.) We must always approach issues, no matter what they are, in a loving way. The greatest command is love. If we approach it any other way than that, the devil will find a way to make an example of us and show the world how hypocritical we are. Yes, the divorce rate in America is high, and I know many who have left the church to choose to marry someone without a biblical right. It’s no different really…they are choosing earthly love that will last for a few years over an eternity of peaceful tranquility with the Almighty God. Bad choice, but the same idea. I’m not choosing to speak out against homosexuality over other sins, but this LGBT Movement is definitely one of the biggest threats against our Christian freedoms that we have ever faced in our time, and the divorce rate, while depressing, isn’t leading the charge in the church’s modern day persecution. So I do believe standing up at this time against this issue is important to retain our freedom of religion.
If you have ever studied history in depth, you realize that it is much easier to fight for your rights and keep them than it is to lose them completely and then try to get them back. (That’s almost impossible.)
August 1, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Christian Resources for Thinking About Homosexuality « Peter’s Patter
[…] Tim Pyles: Thinking Out Loud “The Politics of Chicken“ […]
August 1, 2012 at 7:51 pm
ozziepete
Tim, a friend pointed me to your blog. I appreciate the tone of your comments. If you don’t mind I’ve added a link to your post over on my blog.
August 1, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Tim Pyles
Peter, I don’t mind in the least that you added a link on your blog; much appreciated, actually. I enjoyed reading your post and look forward to reading more. God bless you in your ministry!
August 2, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Lydia Walsh
You know, I believe one man one woman. I also own a Chevy. Does that mean if I was way up in the company that people would stop buying Chevys. Just because I believe The Word, doesn’t mean the chicken’s not good.
August 3, 2012 at 7:19 am
Kim Mills Ivey
Thank goodness for the Chick Fil A in Eastdale Mall…serving teenagers and shoppers for years! Although my Chick Fil A of choice has become the one closest to my work, I still gravitate toward a sweet tea if I am shopping at the mall. =) Totally off the subject, I know. I enjoy reading your blog…I feel so smart just knowing that I know wise people!
August 3, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Tim Pyles
Kim, great to hear from you and great to know that the Chick-fil-A is still there in Eastdale Mall; great memories! Thanks for your kind comments. Most days I don’t feel very wise, but I think I am at least starting to figure out what some of the right questions are… still working on the answers!