In 1946, Truett Cathy opened his first diner in the Atlanta, Georgia area. This accomplishment inspired him to found Chick-fil-A twenty-one years later. He lived by Biblical principles which he applied to his business management practices, such as remaining closed on Sundays and operating without debt.  

Truett was committed to positively impacting the lives of young people. He was an avid philanthropist. Through his company, he gave to Christian organizations such as the Paul Anderson Youth Home, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Salvation Army, due to their Biblical stance on marriage. In 2012, then president, Dan Cathy, the founder’s son, made a public statement regarding that he stands on the Biblical definition of marriage.       

On Monday of this last week, November 18, 2019, Chick-fil-A announced that its support expired for several Christian charities, and they will now focus their attention toward “charitable donations on education, homelessness, and hunger.” They will give their support to Covenant House who actively promotes the LGBT agenda.

Regarding this decision, the current president of the company, Tim Tassopoulos, stated, “When there is a tension, we want to make sure we are being clear. We think this is going to be helpful. It’s just the right thing to do: to be clear, caring, and supportive and do it in the community.” Concerning Covenant House, he explained, “This provides more focus and more clarity.”  

This political saga of decision-making plunges deeper than this recent announcement. Rodney Bullard, Executive Director of the CFA Foundation, could be mistaken by his credentials as a conservative. He served in the Bush Administration and on Fellowship of Christian Athletes National Board of Trustees. Currently, he serves on Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board, but his actions speak otherwise. In 2016, he personally donated to Hilary Clinton’s campaign, as well as Obama’s, while working for Chick-fil-A. He became Vice President of Chick-fil-A’s Corporate Social Responsibility which is a buzz-phrase for the liberal radical agenda of identity politics.   

A contrast appears between the two Chick-fil-A presidents, as the former stood for biblical marriage and the latter chickens out to the pressure of the LGBT agenda. This action of the current president not only betrays Christians and Biblical principles but the organization as a whole. Many local restaurant owners, who are Christians, are frustrated with this decision.

Even though each Chick-fil-A is individually owned, this antithetical decision could affect local business success. Furthermore, it could cause the persecution of Christians for many local store owners and customers. The decisions made at corporate to support the Liberal agenda conflicts with many of the local owners’ Christian views and business practices. This contrast could send a confusing message to the general public about Chick-fil-A’s code of conduct.

For those of us who are conservative and/or Christian, herein lies a teachable moment. Do not be caught by surprise at a sudden negative news report about the direction of a conservative organization. Look at their corporate headquarters decision making and giving record which indicates where they are heading    

Stand strong in prayer for President Tim Tassopoulos, that he has a true change of heart, recants his decision, returns support to those Christian agencies, and upholds the Biblical principles the founder practiced in business. Instead of boycotting locally owned Chick-fil-A stores by eating more burgers, give a “letter of support” (you will find in the paragraph of the second bullet point) to encourage each owner to let their voices be heard at corporate.

 

Anne Marie