I am sure by now that every Christianin America is probably aware of the controversy sorrounding Chik-Fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy and his statements regarding his personal beliefs about same sex marriage. If you aren't then you must have been A)living under a rock ; B) been on a news fast and not seen,heard or read any news what so ever in the last several weeks; C) be deaf and not spoken to anyone in the church in weeks, or D) all of the above. For those of you who have not heard let me help to fill you in.
Dan Cathy, CEO of Chik-Fil-A and son of it's founder Truett Cathy was giving an interview to the Baptist Press recently in Raleigh NC and he was asked about the companies support of the tradtional family, his response was " guilty as charged". He went on to say "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.". Now these words have been turned and twisted and have many calling them Gay-Hatred Speach, or Anti-Gay rhetoric, when in truth , they are no such thing. What they are though, is the expression of a mans beliefs being voiced.
Now, I am sure what I am about to say, will upset not just many people that I have never met and never will, but they are also going to upset some in my own family. You see I have several members of my own family who are living an "alternate" lifestyle, and to them I say , I am sorry, I love you, but we always will differ on this as long as you refuse to obey the word of God. Mr. Cathy, I COMMEND YOU!! You have done what to many in America have failed to do for to long, and that is stand up for Biblical Principles. What Mr Cathy has said is not Anti-Gay Hate Rhetoric, it is the personal beliefs of a family. A family that has been raised in a God Fearing, Bible Teaching Church. A family that I can just about guarantee has sat down at the table and prayed the blessing over the meal that is in front of them. A family that on Sunday Mornings was up, dressed and sittingon a pew, regardless of what the kids wanted to do. A family that was brought up to treat people with compassion, love and understanding, not with disrespect, rudeness and blatant disregard for others.
Mr. Cathy continued by saying "We operate as a family business ... our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that,"We're a business that serves the public, all people are welcomed into Chick-fil-A, and frankly we do not feel called to weigh in on a lot of social activism that's taking place as it relates to the definition of the family, but we do definitely want to encourage strong families.We intend to stay the course," he said. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."
Mr Cathy and his family live by the biblical principles they have known since they were old enough to be taught. But unfortunatley, he, his family and his business now fall under Fire from many different directions.
Several Mayors in large metropolitan areas such as Boston, MA; Chicago, Il; and San Francisco, CA, have came out and said that they would see to it that not another Chik-Fil-A would open in their cities, only to later recant. I guess when they figured out how much tax money Chik-Fil-A puts into their economy, they figured they better take it back. Then you have groups like Change.org, who are telling Universities nationwide, to get rid of existing Chik-Fil-A's and to not allow any to open on campuses that dont have one as of now. One group in Chicago is calling for a "Kiss in" on Friday, which is kind of patheitic, becasue Dan Cathy has tried to push his views off on no one, yet this group is going to throw it in your face basically.
What Mr. Cathy and Chik-Fil-A are experiencing, is biblical as well. You see 2 Timothy 3:8-12 states "Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". Through this passage we see that Paul is stressing that as a Christian, we are never promised an easy path. In fact we will be persecuted, mocked, made fun of, and possibly even killed for the sake of the Gospel. HMMMMMM, that sounds familiar, wasn't Jesus mocked, persecuted, made fun of, beaten and crucified for us? Why I believe he was, so if they did that to the Son of God, how much more are they going to do to us? And how much are you willing to take for him?
Brothers and Sisters, I normally do not get political within this blog, or from the pulpit, but I could not sit by and not let my voice be heard on this. Mike Huckabee, former govenor of Arkansas, who is Baptist Minister from the Hope Arkansas/ Texarkana Ar region, has started a campaign for tomorrow August 1, 2012, that asks everyone who supports Chik-Fil-A and their beliefs, to come out and support them by eating there, praying for them and liking them on Facebook and Twitter. As of right now over 500,000 people have committed to this campaign, including myself. If you call yourself a born again Christian, who believes the Bible is the Inspired Word of God,then you cannot sit back and not support Chik-Fil-A. For if you do nothing, then you might as well be saying you do not believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and that Jesus is Lord of all. You see Jesus never said Hate the sinner, he said Hate the sin, pray for the sinner and show them the love of Christ working through you, that they may see Christ in you, and be drawn to the Cross.
I leave you with this Passage of Scripture to read and contemplate, Matthew 22:37-40 "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
May the Lord bless his word as you read it, and may he guide your steps. I pray that you have a blessed evening and that he keeps you safe until the next time we meet , either here on the walls of Facebook, or on the other side.
In Christ's Love
Rev. Bill Roy
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