NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- In Rock Hill, S.C., Wednesday, customers were waiting
75 minutes
(wow!) for a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, when they could have driven down
the road to McDonald's and been in and out in five minutes.
 |
| About 50 people wait outside a Chick-fil-A in Kansas
City, Kan., waiting to get inside on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day." Across the
nations, Chick-fil-A restaurants were packed. Photo by Malachi
O'Brien |
It surely seemed strange to at least a few
observers, but the folks in Rock Hill -- and at jam-packed Chick-fil-A
restaurants across the country -- were making a statement, standing up for a
chain that has been criticized by media members, politicians and activist groups
because of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy's support for the biblical
definition of marriage."Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day," as organizer Mike
Huckabee called it, may have been more successful than even he envisioned. More
than 650,000 people had signed up on Facebook to participate, and it seemed that
each one came -- and brought a friend.
In Clarksville, Ind., the parking
lot was packed, and cars were parked in the adjacent Lowe's lot. In Kansas City,
Kan., a line of at least 50 people stretched outside the doors. That was also
the case in Nashville, Tenn., and Ontario, Calif. And in Chicago, Ill., where
local politicians had spoken against the restaurant, dozens stood outside the
doors, waiting just to get inside.
At some Chick-fil-As, such as in Dyersburg,
Tenn., the number of people in line outside the doors was 100 or more.
In some locations, police were on location to direct traffic, with cars
backed up on main roads. Churches, too, were getting involved. In Salisbury,
N.C., Cornerstone Church cancelled its Wednesday evening services so members
could support the restaurant, the Salisbury Post reported. But at Bellevue
Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn. -- as well as at a host of other congregations
-- church officials were ordering Chick-fil-A food to serve at their weekly
Wednesday evening meal.
For most if not all day Wednesday, #chickfila
was trending on Twitter.
Some people even were pledging to eat at the restaurant
for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Heading into the day, Huckabee said the
event was not about gay marriage -- as some had made it to be -- but about free
speech and religious liberty. A business owner, he said, should be able to state
basic Christian belief without being castigated. He stood by that on his radio
show Wednesday."We're finding out that people in America still believe
that every American -- every American -- has a right to an opinion," Huckabee
said on his radio program. "You don't have to agree with it. You don't have to
like it. But you ought to respect that people have that wonderful right. You
don't have that in North Korea. You don't have it in Iran.
"And I guess
if the mayors had their way you wouldn't get it in Boston, Washington, Chicago
or San Francisco," he added, referencing city mayors who have spoken out against
Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A, which has more than 1,600 restaurants, long
has had a passionate base, led in part by families with young children who
appreciate the family nights and the indoor playgrounds available at various
locations. Support also is strong among Christians who support the company's
values and the fact it is closed on Sundays. Of course, people also enjoy the
food.
The national debate over Chick-fil-A began when Baptist Press
re-posted a North Carolina Biblical Recorder story in which Cathy, asked about
the company's support of the traditional family, said "guilty as charged."
"We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of
the family unit," Cathy said. "We are a family-owned business, a family-led
business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that."
A radio interview with Cathy, recorded several weeks earlier, then came
to light. In that interview, Cathy said, "As it relates to society in general, I
think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him
and say, 'We know better than You as to what constitutes a marriage.' I pray
God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to
think that we would have the audacity to try to redefine what marriage is all
about."
A media storm then ensued, with some gay groups calling for a
boycott of the company. The Human Rights Campaign -- the nation's largest gay
group -- began labeling the restaurant "Chick-fil-Hate." The mayors of Chicago
and Boston implied they would block construction of new restaurants, although
they eventually backed down. One Chicago alderman called Cathy's remarks
"bigoted" and "homophobic."
Huckabee said he launched Chick-fil-A
Appreciation Day to stand up for a company that seemed to be held up to a
different set of standards by society. Companies often support gay marriage,
Huckabee noted, and little attention is given by the media or by the activist
groups. Cathy, Huckabee said, simply affirmed what many Christians
believe.
Chick-fil-A's supporters took to social media Wednesday to speak
up for the company.
"I applaud this man's courage to stand up for his
convictions by speaking up for Christ's teachings," Dorothy Cox Neal wrote on
Baptist Press' Facebook page. "More people need to be so bold."
Irene
Settlemyre Brooks wrote, "Praise God that a godly man like Mr. Cathy has awoken
the Christians to make a stand. We have been silent too long. God will bless his
company."
Pam Parr of Plano, Texas, sent Baptist Press an email saying
Cathy "has the right to be true to his convictions, just as gays can chose to
live the way they want based on their morals/beliefs."
"I am weary," Parr
wrote, "of people trying to force their views on others -- Mr. Cathy didn't say
he wouldn't serve anyone in a respectful manner because they were gay now did
he? If he treats everyone with Christian love, what do they care if he doesn't
agree with their personal lifestyles? He has just as much right to his belief
about what constitutes a family as gay people do. If gay people treat Christians
hatefully because of their beliefs, then how are they different than what they
accused Mr. Cathy of?"
The company, in fact, issued a statement July 19
saying that it does not discriminate. It said "going forward, our intent is to
leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political
arena" and that its tradition is "to treat every person with honor, dignity and
respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or
gender." It also noted that it has applied "biblically-based principles" to
business management and will continue to do so.Several colleges and
seminaries also got involved in Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. In Fort Worth,
Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary paid for about 250 chicken
sandwiches, which the seminary family could pick up at the local Chick-fil-A by
using a seminary ID.
"We feel it's important to stand with Mr. Cathy and
his First Amendment right and his freedom of religion to express whatever views
he believes," said Thomas White, Southwestern's vice president of student
services and communications. "We also believe it's fine for protestors to come.
We welcome them, treat them with kindness and love them even though we disagree
with them."
At New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, seminary
president Chuck Kelley purchased 200 Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits for NOBTS
students, faculty and staff. Kelley said he wanted to show support for
Chick-fil-A because of the company's consistent commitment to biblical
values.
"The Cathys have done a marvelous job of seeking to keep their
faith, their personal lives and their business practices in alignment," Kelley
said. "Along the way they have been generous and consistent givers to more
people and causes than any of us will ever know. They were extremely kind to the
NOBTS family in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We stand proudly with them
as they stand for marriage as God intended it to be."
The Cathy family's
involvement with the seminary dates back to the late 1940s when Jeanette
(McNeil) Cathy attended New Orleans Seminary before she married Chick-fil-A
founder Truett Cathy. Truett Cathy and his sons, Dan and Bubba, have each spoken
at NOBTS events and the company often donates food for seminary functions.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Chick-fil-A provided
breakfast for the displaced NOBTS faculty and staff members meeting in Decatur,
Ga.
Praise God! It is encouraging to see so many people still standing for what is right. I think sometimes we can get very discouraged at the downward spiral our country is in, but we need to remember that we have a God who is MUCH bigger than any politician, evil agenda, and activist group. All we need to do is stand for God and what is right, and hope that others will somehow see God's glory through us and decide to follow Him. This is the ONLY way we will turn this country around; no new plan, no activist group, and certainly no politician can turn this country around if the people do not embrace God's truth. Who knows, maybe our country has seen the last of its glory days, but we know also that whatever happens its God's plan.
