More about Jesus, less about chicken…
This whole Chick-fil-A thing has really been bothering me. Yes, I’m a Bible believing Christian that holds to the truths in God’s Word. I believe in all of what the Bible has to say, even that which is culturally unpopular, including the design of marriage. I also believe that it’s okay to publicly say what you believe, especially when asked. When the owner of Chick-fil-A said what his beliefs were on marriage, he has the right to say it just as someone from the opposite side has “freedom of speech” to say their beliefs. However, with that being said, I’m bothered with what Mike Huckabee turned it into to have this big day to unite Christians to come out and support the business corporately. All it becomes is a huge profit day for Chick-fil-A and Christians all over eat chicken and waffle fries. Then what? Are people getting saved while we eat chicken? Is the love of Christ reaching the lost? Or are Christians just looking like chicken eating haters that are priding themselves on their own self-righteousness? So much is lost in translation. We may think we are just supporting a Christian business, but to those around us, on that day, we are seen for hating others rather than loving the lost. Don’t you think that our efforts would be better used to join corporately in a park for prayer for those that don’t know Jesus or that don’t want to know Jesus? It’s so hard to get Christians to come to a prayer meeting BUT you throw chicken in the mix and it’s on!
We are called to love the lost, not to “sit in the seat of the scornful”. Sin shouldn’t cause us to run out and eat chicken thinking we are somehow winning. Sin should cause us to have hearts of compassion to pray for and love those in the sin, while realizing we are ALL sinners in need of the same love and forgiveness too.
It’s like if the owner of Macy’s came out and said that they believed that all sex or sexuality outside of marriage was wrong, and so let’s all gather and shop on a certain day (avoiding the lingerie department of course *wink wink*). How is that profitable to anyone except for Macy’s?
On the other side, it’s like the Christian that boycotts Target or another business because they say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”. Yes, we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ on Christmas but instead of getting all up in arms about a greeting, let’s show the love of Jesus by humility and caring for the lost, not in pride and anger AT the lost. It would be silly for me to walk up to a drunk man on the street and get upset that he said a cuss word, because he doesn’t know Jesus! That should be expected! It shouldn’t horrify me and send me running with my prayer partner to go grab a chicken sandwich. We can’t hold non-Christians to the same standards we hold Christians to. Until someone knows the beautiful saving grace of Jesus and are walking in relationship with Him, we are capable of anything. Now if we see someone who claims Jesus walking in sin, then go to them and lovingly confront them, but to the non-Christian our goal is to be like Jesus, and He came and brutally died to seek and to save the lost. Jesus ate with sinners. He did not eat to rally against them. That should be our mission. We should unite as Christians, humbly, to pray and seek the face of Jesus and then go out by the power of the Holy Spirit to share the love of Jesus.
I love Chick-fil-A (and I’m so glad it’s not their company promoting this for sales). My kids LOVE Chick-fil-A. My husband LOVES their special Chick-fil-A sauce. I’m thankful for a company that holds to what the Bible says and isn’t afraid of voicing it, but more than loving Chick-fil-A, we are called to love Jesus and to love those around us, not rub their sin in their faces by eating a chicken sandwich. More than elevating what the owner of Chick-fil-A said, we as Christians should stand for what the Bible says, hold fast to it and show the love of Christ to a dying and lost world. If we believe that the wages of sin is death, that there truly is a Heaven and Hell and that those that don’t accept Jesus are going to the latter, then maybe fasting that day is more profitable to the kingdom of God than eating a chicken sandwich…
… just a mommy thought
Abbi: you (& your family) are the most incredible example of Christ's love in my life. I'm really blown away by how gracefully yet forcefully you redirect the focus back to the most important aspect of your faith (& away from Huckabee's polemical grandstanding). This is the most Christian response I've seen to what is a pretty ugly media war. So thanks, from your big brother & even bigger fan. jic
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks, big brother! I'm honored you would say all that... You just blessed my day! I love you!
ReplyDeleteAbbi, You have some amazing and practical thoughts. Thank you for sharing them!! I'm so proud of you.
ReplyDelete-daddyman
Gosh, I never thought of it as rubbing someone's nose in their faces. I just thought of supporting Chick-Fil-A as merely saying "Speaking out won't cost you my business." Sort of the opposite of a boycott, which I have also participated in. I appreciate your thoughts and the way you have expressed them. I guess in some ways, the way you have put it reminds me of a line from a song by Jason Gray where he says that, like Peter, we are busy cutting off people's ears with our swords "for the cause of Christ" instead of humbly leading them to the cross. I see the concern you have shared. I think, for me, I think of the Chick-Fil-A thing today NOT as a stand to the world, but as a way to support my brother in Christ. Does that make sense? :-)
ReplyDeletearg...should have edited before posting...rubbing their SIN in their faces! Or nose in their sin!
ReplyDeleteGrampa- Thanks for your encouragement!
ReplyDeleteHeidi- thanks for reading and with an open mind. I totally get the point of supporting them but like you said, let's not cut the ears off but lead them to the cross.