Chick-fil-A Saga Intensifies

The firestorm over Dan Cathy’s remarks affirming a biblical view of marriage continued late last week when the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco vowed to keep the company out of their cities.

If you’ve been on Mars for the last week, you may have missed the headlines. Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chick-fil-A and the son of the founder, gave an interview to a Christian newspaper. In the interview, he laid out the company desire to run the company by biblical principles. He also affirmed a biblical view of marriage and family.

The latter statement brought on the controversy. Governor Mike Huckabee and others have endorsed a Chick-fil-A day tomorrow in support of Chick-fil-A. This came after numerous calls to boycott the chicken sandwich company.

This story has had about as much intrigue and twists and turns as you can imagine. For a day or so, Governor Huckabee’s Facebook page mysteriously disappeared, apparently over content. At the same time, a defiant and strident anti-Chick-fil-A page stayed up.

Here are some of the areas that concern me.

First, when did the idea of principle and ideas become abhorrent in America? We were founded on principles. The views of Dan Cathy are the views of our founders.

Second, would we really discriminate because of Christian ideals? If this sounds like it could never stand in America, maybe we should look at other countries where tyranny has reigned. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Third, if Chick-fil-A is unwelcome in Boston, what about the Catholic church? Boston and Chicago have a lot of Catholics. Would they be next? Strangely, Chicago’s zoning laws are allowing a strip club to go up next to a catholic home for the elderly run by nuns but Chick-fil-A is unwelcome. This is weird and extremely troubling.

Finally, this bothers me because the mayor of Chicago has been at the highest levels of American politics as a member of congress and the Chief of Staff in the White House. What does this say about our future?

Please pray for real tolerance and openness. Please pray for a return to constitutional government. Please pray for freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Please pray for a spiritual awakening in America.

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20 Responses

  1. Interesting, I have experienced kinds of reprisals you describe locally, that is, right here in Louisiana. I have had 2 local Mayors shun Biblical Principles as well as a councilman as they curried the favor of a “vote getter.” I was amazed at the lack of support, apathy and at times out right hostility I experienced in and after a Board Meeting when I gave the Glory to God holding up His Principles set forth in Romans for the previous four years of my successful service to the organization. The very same people also opposed me when I stood up to protect the Constitutional rights of two of the 501c3 employees who were separately attacked by constituents of one of those Mayors for different issues. The Board buried the attacks upon one in committee and another resigned. The Board refused to weigh the individual letters and personal testimonies offered in support of the stand I took.

    Perhaps because it is you who is supporting an expression of God outside of the Church walls and other leaders who have made it their “vocation,” it will sensitized your following and the following of other leaders to realize the same struggles for Truth and giving God the Glory when His Principles are Practiced. However, I’m not holding my breath.

    You see the issue was not the Principles but the politically incorrectness to say the author of a success was not the man leading but his God. Isn’t public acknowledgement of His Work what is required of a Christian?

    Again, it is evident God had to show me where organized religion really placed it’s loyalty. I would not have believed it, had I not had the experience.

    Press on!

  2. Waylon,

    Thank you for perfectly stating and clarifying the current situation we are facing in America. It is critical that all Christians remember that our children and grandchildren are watching how we handle this situation.

    This situation isn’t about a chicken sandwich, it really is about the push against Christian values and our place and position in America. For me, this is true frightening. How might this effect our churches and Christian schools or opportunities for Christians to secure employment?

    Smiles,
    Bridgette

  3. An interesting way to look at this situation. I had never thought to look at what would be next, if a chicken shop owners moral view is based in christanity. Watch out Christian book stores…
    Great article!

  4. Interactions/relationships with people who do not understand/agree with my faith & biblical principles are on-going. BTW, I fall short! They are not despised-they are loved & prayed for. Attacks on anyone upset me. I have to look at the attackers & determine if/how I will react/interact. So now I’m questioning where I shop & what I tried to teach my oldest daughter, “closing your pocket book brings fast reaction/change”. What price am I really paying at Starbucks, Amazon, Target, Google, Kraft Foods, The Jim Henson Company (muppets mfr), Ben & Jerry’s, General Mills, & a host of others? What campaigns am I supporting when I shop? Can I even remember who does what? I should not live in a bubble, don’t want to be mean spirited/revengeful & know very little about most companies & the choices of their employees. Will I go to the aid of someone in need who disagrees with me-hopefully yes. Will I bend God’s Word to satisfy another-prayerfully not! For now I’ll pray & redirect some $$ to sponsor a child in Upward Sports. A chicken sandwich sounds good too 🙂 Diane.

  5. Thank you for taking a stand on this important issue! It grieves me the changes (not for good) that come every day! We must stand up and be counted!

  6. If anything is refreshing in this is the stand most people have taken after the release of this into the media.

    Here in Hattiesburg, it has extremly hard to get into the chic fil a since then. The local manager says they expect 3 times their normal business on Aug 1.

  7. Very aptly put, preacher. It’s amazing how the values of American people have changed so drastically.

  8. Praise! A report from Foxnews.com reports that the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, former Chief of Staff for Obama, has been called out from the pulpit by the Reverend Charles Lyons of the Armitage Baptist Church:” ‘ Do not disrespect us….We, too, are Chicago'”. The Reverend wants to be respected as a Christian reflecting his Christian values.

    Sadly, The Democratic Party announced today that its platform is moving formally to support gay marriage.
    (Julie Pace, Associated Press, The Times Picayune-Tues., July 31, 2012, page A-3)
    “The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex unions, said the decision set up marriage as a defining issue in the presidential election.”

    May the Word of God guide us and awaken us to end the cultural decay in our country. Romans 1:28
    Watch and listen to other pastors, specifically….Stan Coleman of South Palm Community Church in Florida.
    http://southpalm.org/pop_video.php?str_filename=http%3A%2F%2Fbitcast-g.bitgravity.com%2Fiplayerhd%2Fdata%2Fe%2F66c2c14e.flv One may have to copy and paste to browser, or look on internet for his sermon of July 22, 2012.

    1. Wow. If only The National Organization for Marriage spent as much time worrying about the alarming rate of divorce in the country, we may really get somewhere. It’s currently more then 50%. People spend more time picking out a pet than a spouse these days. But apparently it’s ok. Just ask for forgiveness, rinse and repeat.

      Matthew 7:3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

    1. Great website by Jeanette Edgar above… google- “Courage to Speak: God’s requirement of leaders by Jeanette Edgar….. i.e., delving into 1 Sam. 2: 11-26 empowers us!

  9. Interesting that you support ChicfilA for basing its decision and statement on biblical principles but you do not do the same in your own church. How many adulterers (this would be people who have divorced and remarried) have you, Waylon Bailey, married in your church? You have also married fornicators (people who were living together before being married). Seems to me biblical principles should apply across the board and not to just a select group. Hypocritical much?
    You may want to reflect on who Jesus reached out to and what His message truly was.

  10. All this focus should be the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On biblical understandings of the Holiness of God, justification, sanctification, and abiding in the True Vine.

    All cultural issues will only come into focus with an understanding (from God) of His gospel. Yes, church disciple needs to be practiced. All things should be based on biblical principles.

    The biggest issue we face is the amount of “church members” that are not saved.

    Stay on point with the Gospel (which is His power to save), seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. Pray to be made Christ-like. Stand firm on the Word of God, and in All things, even the most menial of tasks, love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

    He will bear all good fruit through His vine and branches…He will deal with such issues according to His will and His timing.

    Praise Our Sovereign Lord! May His name be made great among the nations.

    Seek Him while He may be found. As our Lord preached, Repent and believe in the Gospel.

  11. When we deal with all things, present the Gospel and the answer to such things from Scripture. Doing so with a firm heart that is rooted in His mercy and love.

    All have fallen short, its our job to proclaim the Gospel, His holiness and righteousness, and to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.

    Psalm 7:11-13 NKJV
    God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. If he (man) does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

    Judgement will be passed. It’s our job to proclaim the Gospel for salvation from Him, to Him, and for Him.

    1. Remember the two verses that transform all into the faith of Christ who saves: Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” But there is repentence and hope for all in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come! All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us a ministry of reconciliation/repentence.”
      The Word of God convicts us all to live more pure, holy lives. ~Amen

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