The Chic-Fil-A controversy doesn’t seem to be going away. It seems if a business owner says he believes in the biblical definition of the family unit that people get a little upset. According to Gallup half of Americans support “gay marriage.” It is definitely a controversial issue.
We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. 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 few mayors of some very large cities have weighed in with their opinions, saying they don’t fit with the values of those cities, with some even saying they will fight to prevent Chic-Fil-A from expanding in to their cities.
Of course, there are also boycotts, and an anti-boycott among Christians and conservatives who have designated August 1st as Chick-Fil-A day.
My question, and concern, though, isn’t with Chick-Fil-A and whether or not they will survive this boycott. (I certainly think they will.) But, what will happen when this vitriol and hatred spreads to the Christian church. All true churches agree that the bible says homosexuality is a sin, and most Christians are in opposition to same-sex marriage.
As a Christian, I have to believe that homosexuality is not the biggest issue here, but rather it is that people in their fallen nature hate God. And, fighting for homosexuality, which God calls an abomination, is more of an act to oppose God and the way He created things than it is about homosexuality. Homosexuality is just the issue that seems to be leading the growth in persecution in the United States at the moment.
Will the statements by these mayors soon say Christian churches are not welcome in their cities because we don’t conform to their city’s values? What happens then? While I believe the First Amendment will offer us some protection in the short-term, I tend to think that won’t hold up for long, at least in its application to us. It might end up that stating that homosexuality is a sin will be considered hate-speech and will be prosecuted. (In the UK and Canada this is already starting.)
It may be that I’m wrong, I’m surely not claiming to be a prophet, but I do think this is the path we are headed down.
What happens next? Will these “tolerant” liberal cities tolerate our differing values, or will the local governments begin to persecute us? What should our response be?
