So,
did you eat a Chic-Fil-A yesterday? I
didn’t. It’s not because I don’t support
marriage. You’d be hard pressed to find
anyone who is more of an advocate of Christian marriage than me. It’s certainly not because I have some beef
with Chic-Fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, or the company or its executives. The truth of the matter is, I don’t like waiting in line at a crowded restaurant.
My
gut (and a whole lot of chatter on Facebook) tells me that the majority of the people
were there to make a general political statement--free speech or a show
of support for a particular political party.
Far less were there to make a moral statement about marriage. And a very, very small number were there to
make any kind of significant theological statement about marriage. (It's interesting that those who both rallied for and against Chic-Fil-A yesterday used Jesus as the model for their position.)
For
those of you who went, my primary question is this; how has your chicken sandwich
translated into a better, more godly, more Kingdom-focused marriage? Please understand, I’m not coming down on you
if you went to Chic-Fil-A yesterday.
They have great food and even better customer service. If you feel strongly that you made a stand
for Christian marriage by going, then I don’t want to undermine that. But what happens now? What about your marriage? Did you go home from Chic-Fil-A with a
renewed drive to better love your spouse in action as well as word? Did being there help you and your spouse to find a
joint purpose in the Kingdom of God? Once
you dumped your tray after dinner, was
anything significantly different in the way you and your spouse handle
conflict, practice forgiveness, respect each other, or serve each other?
We
don’t make Christian marriage mean something by waiting in line 2 hours to eat
at a fast food restaurant, or by trying to use political machinations to legislate
our views, or by endlessly arguing and debating with those who have differing
positions. We make Christian marriage
mean something by embodying Christ in our marriages. We make Christian marriage mean something by
living in love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, kindness, and gentleness. We make Christian marriage mean something by
having a theology of marriage that is born of scripture and calls us to a
holistic, covenant relationship of man, woman, and God.
When
the world sees husbands and wives in Christ-centered marriages working to bring
redemption and reconciliation to a broken world—well, then we’re making a much
more eternal impact than we’ll ever make eating a chicken sandwich.
What is God calling you to
in your marriage?
Marriage Enrichment
Weekend
August 31-September 2
Fall Creek Falls
State Park Inn
Email dfcamp@gmail.com for more info
Danny,
ReplyDeleteGood article. Here's my response I shared with others concerning this issue.
Gary
Several members have asked me my thoughts regarding supporting or boycotting businesses and individuals due to their views on biblical issues. First let me say there is absolutely nothing wrong with Christians supporting businesses or politicians that exhibit practices and beliefs that we believe hold true to the teachings found in scripture. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with Christians not supporting businesses or politicians that promote and support issues that are contrary to God’s word.
Much has been said in the news and on social media sites regarding the statement by Chick-Fil-a’s president, Dan Cathy, regarding his support of biblical marriage. Mr. Cathy did not say he doesn't like people who are homosexual, but stated what he believes the bible says about marriage and that's his right to do so.
I believe some people supporting and condemning Mr. Cathy’s statement are guilt of saying things that are not true, hurtful, and yes, sinful. It’s important that we exhibit Christ’s love for others even when we disagree with their stance on a topic. There is much truth in an old saying, “Love the sinner, but hate the sin.” We are called to be the salt and the light to the lost of this world.
Matthew 5: 13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Personally my choice is to support Chick-fil-a as I have done for several years because they do promote God’s view of marriage, One man and one woman. They contribute large sums of money to organizations supporting biblical marriage and family values. Our standard as Christians must always be measured by God's word. I appreciate the Cathy family's public support for God's definition of marriage. Many in Our society strive to avoid any possibility of offending anyone, except God. The farther we get from God and His truth, the more our nation spins out of control.
Chick-Fil-a Executive Vice-President Steve Robinson stated, "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect –regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." All Christians need to hold to this standard, as we love others and promote the truth found in God’s Word. Christians need to realize, as the Cathy family has, that not everyone will agree and Christ’s words as found in Matthew 5:11-12 remain true today.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Please pray for our nation that God’s word in matters such as this will always prevail.
The purpose of the demostration was not to strengthen marraiges. It was to show support for Cristian values and the right to express them, especially when asked, as Mr. Cathy was. The world has not gone totally down the drain---there are many who will stand in line or do whatever they can to support Biblical values. I only waited 20 minutes, but I wanted my voice to be heard by my support. I also bought gift cards for later use.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I'm certainly okay with someone standing up for their Christian values (so long as it is in a non-violent way that is not intentionally demeaning), but I believe we make a much stronger and longer lasting statement by treating our spouses in a loving way on an ongoing basis.
ReplyDelete