Chick-fil-A Flustercluck: The Day After

Last updated on: October 20, 2012 at 4:48 pm By Fred Clark

“Had there been a Fox News back in 1960, I’m sure there would have been a Woolworth’s Lunch-counter Appreciation Day, too.” “The people who organized boycotts of these bigots and the places they represented back then were similarly accused of ‘intolerance’ at the time.” “If Mike Huckabee had declared yesterday ‘Homeless Appreciation Day,’ would the response have been even half as large and loud?” “It’s a systemic pattern of discrimination for a certain way of being a ‘family.'” “Please stop... Read more

Help of the helpless

Last updated on: August 2, 2012 at 3:02 pm By Fred Clark

NBC apparently opted not to include the hymn above in their coverage of the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, so here’s a lovely rendition by Alison Krauss. I also like the version in the movie 28 Days Later, which will do until such time as Sinead O’Connor performs this song. And this Gospel arrangement by the James Herndon Singers is old-timey, but still pretty awesome. But “Abide With Me” is not my favorite hymn. My favorite is probably “Faith’s Review... Read more

Progressive religious voices not irrelevant, just ignored

Last updated on: August 2, 2012 at 1:23 pm By Fred Clark

So yesterday, more than 60 Christian leaders released a statement “expressing their strong opposition to any legislative proposal that fails to extend the 2009 improvements made to refundable tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.” I’m quoting there from Nick Sementelli of the progressive Christian group Faith in Public Life. Pretty much have to quote from a group like that because statements like this are mostly otherwise ignored by cable news and the... Read more

‘I hope he’s OK’

Last updated on: August 2, 2012 at 10:27 am By Fred Clark

Here’s an excerpt from a 2006 post with my initial reaction to the scandalous outing of mega-church pastor and former National Association of Evangelicals president Ted Haggard: There’s a script for how this will play out in the evangelical community — a script written out on [the NAE website]: … homosexuality [is] a sin that, if persisted in, brings grave consequences in this life and excludes one from the Kingdom of God. Individual Christians, ministers, and congregations should compassionately proclaim... Read more

Clowns, prophets and the Chick-fil-A Flustercluck

Last updated on: October 20, 2012 at 4:48 pm By Fred Clark

I suspect James McGrath is probably right when he says, regarding Chick-fil-A: “Satire is likely to be a more effective weapon in the controversy … than protests and boycotts.” That calls to mind an exchange from Robert Wiede’s Directors Guild interview with Mel Brooks: Q: On the surface, The Producers is simply good, silly fun. But do you take personal pleasure in the subversive element of making fun of Nazis? There are Nazi jokes in many of your movies. A:... Read more

Drop the needle again

Last updated on: August 1, 2012 at 8:09 pm By Fred Clark

“Mississippi town tries for better” “People who endorsed conspiracy theories such as ‘9/11 was an inside job’ and ‘the moon landings were faked,’ were also more likely to reject established scientific facts about climate change.” “In this political climate, all of science is vulnerable to ideological attack when reality disagrees with political beliefs.” “While Mitt Romney can ‘reject’ his adviser’s statement, the reality is that such comments about Barack Obama are part of a now long established pattern where the... Read more

Smart people saying smart things

Last updated on: August 1, 2012 at 10:48 am By Fred Clark

Adam Ericksen: “Same Sex Unions: A Faithful Response“ [Christians] who embrace same sex unions are attempting to be faithful followers of Christ. I know because I’m one of them. We read the Bible. We know our Christian history. We have sound doctrine. And it’s because we are rooted in those places that we feel called to embrace those who find themselves excluded. For example, let’s take a look at Original Sin. This doctrine is based, in part, on the human... Read more

It’s the end of the world — chaos, the apocalypse, and well-woman visits

Last updated on: August 1, 2012 at 6:58 am By Fred Clark

Today, August 1, is either: A. Cause for celebration for 47 million American women who, as of today, gain “access to eight new prevention-related health care services without paying more out of their own pocket,” according to Health and Human Services; or B. Cause for calamity, woe, despair for all patriots and Christians who, as of today, witness the death of religious liberty, the death of the Constitution and the End of America, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic... Read more

Chik-fil-A flustercluck link roundup

Last updated on: October 20, 2012 at 4:48 pm By Fred Clark

“I mean, it’s so unhealthy it’s probably killed more Southerners than crystal meth, Gen. Sherman, and illegal fireworks combined … but it’s undeniably tasty.” “The folks at FRC lie about the LGBT community and they spread hatred. Not mere disagreement, but actual hatred.” “Do all of my economic decisions ascribe to a morally perfect model? no. But when I know better, I try to do better, and in this case, I don’t agree with the company’s sponsorship and support of... Read more

The Chik-fil-A Flustercluck: What’s Next?

Last updated on: October 20, 2012 at 4:49 pm By Fred Clark

For all the buzz about “boycotting” Chik-fil-A, we haven’t really seen anything that formally organized yet. Basically, thus far, what we’ve seen is a big corporation telling part of the public that “We don’t want your money here,” and that part of the public unsurprisingly responding “OK, then, you can’t have it.” This latest corporate flustercluck is mostly following the standard script for what happens when a business decides to fire off a volley in the culture wars on a... Read more

Whose sheep did David care for before he became king?