This is precisely how I feel about the Chick-Fil-A debacle and all the other accouterments of the culture wars.\u00a0I am so over it.<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m so over the fear mongering and hate propaganda. I\u2019m over the political posturing and power plays. I\u2019m over the finger pointing and name-calling. The storms are raging overhead, and let me tell you something:<\/p>\nI\u2019m going to the basement.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is obnoxious. So a business leader is no longer entitled to an opinion, even one that roughly half of America shares? Is that where we\u2019re at? Now the mayors of Boston and Chicago and San Francisco are suggesting Chick-Fil-A be denied permits in their cities, and just like that, a hot-blooded difference in\u00a0personal opinion<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 not lewd remarks, not discriminatory actions, not company policy \u2013 has turned into punitive legislation.<\/p>\nMayor Bloomburg, also a supporter of gay rights, condemned the statements, saying \u201ccities should not ask about political beliefs before issuing a permit.\u201d Of course they shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0Where would it end?<\/strong>\u00a0The CEO of the Phoenix Suns is gay; shall we all boycott their basketball games or deny their right to play in the public sphere? Is it time to quiz small-business owners on their positions on gun control, abortion, and immigration reform, and decide if their companies are \u201cwelcome in our cities\u201d?<\/p>\nBecause this will swing every way, you know. Perhaps Chick-Fil-A is banned in Boston, but we will also stand by if a Muslim business owner is banned from operating in Huntsville, Alabama? Mark Zuckerberg is an atheist; should Christians all delete their Facebook accounts? This affront to democracy is infinitely more dangerous than a CEO with an opinion, which, if you\u2019ve ever paid attention,\u00a0we are supposed to have the freedom to hold and express in this country without threat of commercial retribution<\/em>.<\/p>\nTruett Cathy is a citizen; he has a right to an opinion. He gets to have that. He isn\u2019t peddling theology\u2026his currency is the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. There are certainly tens of thousands of gay folks who work for and patron CFA. No one has ever been asked to procure proof of their heterosexuality before dipping into their Polynesian sauce.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t like his personal policy, don\u2019t eat there. Problem solved.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And here\u2019s a money quote:<\/p>\n
When we resort to the same tactics being leveled at Truett Cathy, we sink to the least common denominator and \u2013 this is important \u2013\u00a0we make everything worse<\/strong>. How are these culture wars working out for us? Well, the church is losing around 50K folks a week, and the next generation downright refuses to come. The gay community is ostracized entirely (oh, they\u2019ve gotten the message alright), and Christianity has turned into white noise.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Jen Hatmaker\u2019s blog, a bit of a rant of frustration that appeals for toleration in all directions, and an opinion piece that may well express the heart of the next wave of American Christians: This is precisely how I feel about the Chick-Fil-A debacle and all the other accouterments of the culture wars.\u00a0I am […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1732],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-issues"],"yoast_head":"\n
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