I wasn’t going to enter this conversation, but thought I would after reading a few of the blogs out there on it.
1. I go to CFA a few days a week. The town I live in has 2 CFAs and the busiest fast food restaurant in our town is the CFA closest to our home. I go there because they have CF Diet Coke, a fabulous unsweet tea, and the best chocolate chunk cookies. And they have free wifi. They have free refills. Need I say more? I don’t go there because the food is cheap (because it isn’t, in fact I think it is overpriced for the most part). I don’t go there because I will only support “Christian” companies. I go there because it has what I need and it is convenient.
2. I love listening to the workers interact with each other and the patrons. Tony, the manager at the one I frequent, was having a training conversation with an employee the other day and was sharing life-leadership lessons from his own life, not just what was in the CFA manual. I love hearing management pour into their workers life-long lessons that can be used outside of the workplace. That’s just good management and leadership.
3. I have known several CFA employees and I know every CFA is different, but I hear things about what goes on and what is said and there seems to be just as much disrespect for authority in CFAs as there is in any fast food restaurant. And not every employee they hire is a Christian who lives a Christ-centered life. They may be the majority – but it isn’t the exact way it should be.
4. I am not going to CFA today. I went yesterday. Does that make me a person who doesn’t believe in what they are doing? Ha – I support CFA. But, I just don’t like crowds or bandwagons.
5. What is this boycott really about? Here are some ideas: 1. Some business leaders don’t like the success of other companies above their own. 2. No one likes being told they are wrong (any one not in favor of biblical family values would not agree with Dan Cathy’s statement). 3. One leadership of one company should not be able to influence city management on whether or not to have or build new CFAs in their towns. 4. This whole thing will blow over. 5. CFA may take some hit on their books for July – but they are still standing behind what they said. 6. We have no reason to discriminate against gays and lesbians or folks who just don’t like other people telling anyone else they are wrong. Truth will win out (and that truth is found in the Word of God). 7. As far as I know and have read Scripture, having unbiblical family values or a different sexual orientation isn’t the unpardonable sin. There are many other sins mentioned in the Bible – ones that I do and many other believers who are eating 3 meals at CFA today do: lie, gossip, gluttony, pornography, not go to church, not witness to their neighbors (eating 3 meals at CFA today and not mentioning Jesus is not witnessing in my opinion), debt, consumerism, etc.
6. If you are eating 3 meals at CFA today, think about these things: what are your motives (is it to be right or is it done out of love and faith – since things done without faith is sin), are you spending more than you have budgeted for your food this week, is it gluttonous for you to be eating 3 meals there, and have you told anyone that Jesus loves sinners. We were made to glorify God – not Eat Mor Chikn.