Chick-fil-heyyyyy!

Who would have thought that the battle for the morals of America would come down to a chicken sandwich?-Greg Steir

I promised i would write this blog post as soon as I got my sandwich-man that line was looooonng!

Line outside Hurstbourne Lane Chick-Fil-A at lunch time. 

I've been trying to formulate an opinion on all the craziness surrounding the recent comments of Chick-Fil-A President, Dan Cathy.

I was one of the masses that took my family to Chick-Fil-A on August 1st for Support Chick-Fil-A Day to support the right the company has to free speech. It upset me that elected officials in other parts of our country were attempting to block the company from expanding in their markets because of the owners comments.

As my family and some friends stood in the crowd at Chick-fil-a, a man shouted "GOD BLESS CHICK-FIL-A!" his hand raised, clutching a bag of waffle fries.  The crowd erupted in shouts and applause.  I started to laugh as I thought, I wonder if that guy ever shouted "GOD BLESS BURGER CHEF!!" or “GOD BLESS EAR-X-TACY!!!" before leaving those places of business.  If he had, I may be writing this blog while eating a burger and listening to a rare KISS import CD.

It’s easy to stand in line for a sandwich and shout amongst like-minded people.  It’s more difficult to pray daily for your friends, family and country, or do the work of getting your hands dirty.  

This isn’t to say that guy who shouted isn't doing those things.  He may very well be.  

And maybe he does shout “GOD BLESS RAVE CINEMAS!” every time he sees a movie...i dunno.  I  just want to encourage everyone to use this event to “spur one another on to love and good deeds”.

Or as my friend, Keith, wrote in a recent email:

“May I suggest that going to a local Chick-Fil-A once in awhile does not constitute a spiritual revival.”

That comment made me laugh as well as my spirit jump!  Somebody actually “gets it”!  A spiritual revival can only happen through prayer, followed by action.

What if instead of going to Chick-Fil-A, everyone took their money and donated it to a crisis pregnancy center, or homeless shelter?  What if all the food that was bought was donated?  What if people took their lunch break and prayed?  What if we used the opportunity to start conversations with people?

I’m not saying going to Chick-Fil-A was a bad thing. I went...and will again. However, there is a perception, real or imagined, that Christians:

A) hate gay people 

B) are too political 

C) talk a lot but don’t do anything 

D) are only interested in converting you,  

Sadly, while I was pleased with the turnout, i’m afraid that this is just another event that perpetuated our image problem.

Most of us will get fired up and wait in line for an hour for a sandwich, but complain when the church service goes too long.  We will take a “stand” for Biblical marriage, when we never even open the Bible with our spouse.  We oppose gay marriage, but don’t have any relationships with gay people.

I posted the above picture on Facebook on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.  Among the “Amen” and “Halleluiah” comments posted by others, Chris, a gay kid I’ve connected with at Campus Life, an after school ministry at a local high school, commented, “makes me feel loved...oh wait...the exact opposite”.  

Again, we have a perception problem.  To some, the Chick Fil A Day was a rallying point for lovers of free speech, for others it was saying “Christians hate me because I’m gay,”

If we really want to see the needle move, eating a sandwich isn’t going to do it. 

Jesus said the greatest commandments were to love God and love your neighbor.  

It's time to move from a defense to a discussion.

If we focus on God and people, and not just “causes” God will honor that and hopefully we will see revival.