You’re hungry and it is lunch time and you’re looking for a place to grab a quick bite to eat. And as an evangelical Christian you know right where to go: Chick-fil-a. But now suddenly, your favorite fast-food entre has become a political ping-pong ball, a pawn in a match between conservatives and liberals. Personally, I’m not sure the cows ever intended this to happen. Now you can’t “Eat Mor Chikin” without being accused of hating homosexuals.
And I must admit; I’m torn. I don’t like having a business I respect be accused of hatred, which is, if you knew anything about the founder of Chick-fil-a and the many who work there, the last thing that they should be accused of. At the same time, I don’t like the “us vs. them” tone that this controversy has produced.
So here is a smattering of thoughts on the current Chick-fil-a kerfuffle (it was worth writing this article just to be able to use the word “kerfuffle”). What’s a Christian to do?
We want to support a man and his business that has been attacked unfairly for simply stating his opinion.
We want to stand up for free speech. We want to stand up for free business practices. We don’t want the “intolerant” mayors of certain cities to keep Chick-fil-a from opening businesses there.
At the same time, we want to be careful that we do not hate the sinner while calling the sin a sin.
But in calling the sin a sin, we want to be careful that we do not make a hierarchy of sins. Our self-righteousness is just as hell-worthy as less socially acceptable sins like homosexuality.
In fact, we need to be Biblically wise as to when to call the sin a sin and when to say nothing at all.
At the same time, we need to be confident that not calling the sin a sin, but maybe saying nothing at all, is not condoning the behavior. It is simply not making the behavior the main spiritual issue.
We want to deal with sins that make us fearful and uncomfortable, like homosexuality, with a log in our eye. Jesus cautioned at casting stones at sinners unless you yourself were without sin.
At the same time, we must not apologize for holding Biblical beliefs, and we must not fear expressing those beliefs.
But we want to express those beliefs and enter the public debate/discussion in order to bring a Biblical perspective and a gospel influence. And we must do so without rancor or vindictiveness.
We must love like Jesus loved, the one who hung out with sinners such that he was called a glutton and a drunkard.
So we can’t create an “us vs. them” attitude. As far as sin goes, we are the “them.” For that matter, “us” needs the gospel as much, or more, than “them.” And if we don’t believe that then it shows how much we truly do need the gospel. We are the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), but it is only sinners that Jesus came to save.
We need to be careful that our tone and our attitude don’t keep us from loving those who in our opinion are unlovable.
At the same time, we shouldn’t be surprised by persecution from a godless world. Holding to the Biblical design for marriage places us outside the mainstream.
So we need to remember that as evangelical Christians we are part of a neglected, ridiculed, dismissed, marginalized minority whose views are not honored or respected in the public square.
If that is the case, then, without feeling paranoid, we need to know that there really is an anti-God agenda in the world, led by Satan himself. Powers and principalities are real.
However, because Jesus died for people who opposed him, we must love those who oppose us. We are duty-bound to love and serve others, no matter their lifestyle or particular version of sin. We don’t get to pick and choose who we will love. We see this in the parable of the Good Samaritan. Love is what brings about change, not anger or strife. It was God’s love that brought about change in our hearts.
We must remember that it is only the good news of the gospel and the cross of Christ that can bring about change. The gospel is more powerful than social action or legislation or even appreciation days. And if that is the case, then our task is to bring the gospel to bear on society and on the lives of those who are homosexual. This is a spiritual issue, and as such requires a spiritual solution.
We must always remember that we are saved by the sheer, absolute, unadulterated grace of God, not by a good moral lifestyle, or good doctrine, or good knowledge, or good choices. Remembering that should help us battle our natural tendency toward self-righteousness and superiority.
We should repent of our hatred, fear, and anger toward those in the homosexual community. If we do not, we will also perish (Luke 13:1-5).
But we must also not be ashamed of the truths of the Bible. God designed us and he knows how we best operate. He is our Creator and he has the right to place boundaries on our behavior. We can say that, and we should be able to do so without being accused of hatred.
We must remember that it is not homosexuality that sends one to Hell, any more than adultery (or greed or anger or gossip) sends one to Hell. It is the rejection of Jesus as Savior.
We must remember that God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat, a conservative nor a liberal. We need to be ready to spend eternity with people with whom we don’t currently agree.
We must learn to engage the world with the gospel without resorting to sound bites, caricatures, or trench warfare tactics.
We must be committed to making the heart the focus, not the behavior.
Now the task is to somehow, with the wisdom of God and the power of the Spirit and the love of Christ, bring all of these bullet-points together as we make our lunch choices and as we represent God in the world.
Yep, you covered it! And now I know why I’m so confused er… kerfuffled, about this issue. Tomorrow’s post is going to tell us exactly how to “somehow… bring all of these bullet-points together as we make our lunch choices “. Right? 😉
No, I’ll that to you and the Holy Spirit.