I feel like we’ve just come through a war. Millions of bullets were fired, and casualties ensued. Friendships were broken, good opinions were thoroughly decimated, and confusion reigned as king.
But now that Hurricane Chik-Fil-A has subsided, I can look back and see at least one good thing that came out of the storm. I’m still processing through it, but I know that, at least a little, I have been changed for better.
In reading many different articles and opinions of friends as they sounded off about the whole debate, I have been forced to consider my own stance and ask myself some questions that I hadn’t considered. Namely, what would Jesus have done here? I can envision Him walking into a Chik-Fil-A on any given day last week, and the whole place going silent—protestors and assenters alike. I think He would have looked each person in the eye and examined their hearts, and they probably would have left the building. He may have ordered a sandwich, but only if He were hungry…
I envision a roomful of equal sinners, dropping their stones.
Then I considered what God says about our “right” to freedom of speech, and whether He thinks we should work so hard to defend it.
I know that freedom of speech is actually written into the Constitution of our country, but really, freedom of speech is a God-given right for all men. If He gave us free wills and voices, then apparently we’re supposed to use them.
Think of Paul and Peter. They spoke freely about the Gospel, though the government (legal and religious) opposed them. Then they were arrested and beaten. Then told to never speak openly of Jesus again. Then they went right back out to the courtyard and started preaching again. They didn’t wait for someone to give them free speech—they just spoke freely.
I’m not aware of them leading any kind of boycotts, or rushing to support a local scarf-maker for his views on the Torah. They just preached, like they were called to, and loved the people in their spheres of influence.
They also didn’t use their free speech to bash the government, but rather to just speak Truth. Gospel Truth, essential Truth, life-saving Truth. And they were beaten and arrested again. And released again. And on and on it went, until they both gave their lives for speaking openly for the Gospel. Thousands of men were saved because of the way these guys lived their lives.
So, the demonstration at Chik-Fil-A…was that a good use of the freedom of speech given to all men? Or was it a vain attempt to stand up for something non-essential (for one’s salvation, I mean) that we adhere to in the Christian faith? Does God applaud us for taking such a stand for freedom of speech, or rather grieve that an entire people group felt even more isolated from the true God—the God they’re supposed to see in us?
I’m just wondering if we spend more energy being God’s defense attorneys than His actual hands and feet.
Anyway, that’s all I got. Deep stuff for now…like I said, still working through it. And feeling very grateful for the friends who challenge me on what I’ve blindly accepted so that I may truly examine it to find the truth.
6 comments:
My thoughts are that the Constitution that guarantees our freedoms was a God inspired document that still works. I have sworn a number of times to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. My sense of the chicken incident is that free men and women exercised their rights by honoring the right of the owner to express his beliefs freely. It is not a judgement of others as I read it, it was an expression of frustration over the assault on our beliefs and freedoms to express them. Better an eat-in then violence which we may yet see. The overly loud minority just does not get to silence the majority any more than we get to silence them. That is why there is a First Amendment.
Nice job Sarah ! I have a little different take , or maybe it is more of a question . I do not see what happened last week as an act of hate or judgment. I see it more of an act of a large group of people who stand for God 's Word .. Truth . We stood behind a man who spoke truth... A show of support. If we , the church , don't stand up for truth who will ? All that we were hearing was that Chic Fil a's values were not America's values....and the man and his company were being vilified for standing for God's word ... So I guess I see what happened as a movement for what is right and true ... Is it possible that we will be judged one day for our silence ?
I love reading your musings!
Jackie - GREAT point. I also am considering the question of when we should speak out. I'm reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's biography right now. He was a pastor during the time of Hitler and the Third Reich, and was very active in speaking out against the Nazi party--to the point of martydom. I do wonder at what point we may need to take up the same charge. I agree with you about the whole stand-up-for-the-truth thing, but my question is, if a group of people took it as hatred toward them, what effect did our standing-up actually have? And was it necessary to do?
Just wondering if more harm was done regarding people's view of the Church...
Would Jesus wave a flag for freedom of speech? I honestly don't know.
Here's more food for thought. Sometimes when we do the right thing according to our Bible-believing (all of it!) standards, what we do may not necessarily be the action Jesus would have wanted us to take. Case in point: Two times when Peter did the obvious thing to defend Jesus, Jesus rebuked him ("Get Thee behind me, Satan!" and when Peter cut off the soldier's ear.) Peter did and said what most of us (I mean, the brave ones) would have done at the time. Jesus' rebuke came in both instances not because Peter had done something bad, but because Jesus knew that what Peter was trying to prevent had to happen if there was going to be a way for us not to die in our sins.
Another thing to consider is that sometimes our fervor to defend our rights, to defend our originally-intended, God-touched constitution, we lose sight of the fact that the USA is, in fact, our temporary home. We as Christians are more and more experiencing what Christians in other nations, and through many centuries have always experienced--outright hostility to the Gospel and to those who would uphold it. And, frankly, I don't think it will be getting better, according to the Prophets & NT Writers. So that does take us back to one of your earlier thoughts: Is this what Jesus would do? Better yet, "Is this what Jesus would have me be concerned about now? Is this the action Jesus wants me to take now?"
For the record, I did agree with what the owner of ChicFilA said. However, I have never much cared for their food. :)
But I think you can only control what other people think to a point (re: "Just wondering if more harm was done regarding people's view of the Church). "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20
This whole issue is about a way of viewing the world that you can't oppose by standing in line for a chicken sandwich. I think many people, deep down, are convicted and enraged by those with Christian values. There is no way to ever combat this with arguments and words. Therefore, I think the only way for Christians to stay on a straight path through this muddy incident is to follow the straight line of Truth as best we know how. Dan Cathy spoke God's truth. The organizations to which that company donates money speaks God's truth (from all I can tell). I will continue to support people and organizations who stand for a biblical view of the world.
The only way, though, I think anyone's mind will ever be swayed differently is by all those who call themselves Christians--those droves who stood in lines for hours--to now go out and show they didn't stand there because of hatred. Go out and love people beyond anything they ever expected and pray to Jesus they see His face in you.
It's actually spelled Chick-fil-A. :)
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