Josh Benner

Tag: Chick-fil-a

  • Another city tries to troll Chick-fil-a

    Chick-fil-A_-_Hillsboro,_Oregon.jpg
    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

    Another story regarding an airport Chick-fil-a. There had already been recent stories of politicians trying to block or hinder Chick-fil-a locations at the San Antonio and Buffalo airpots.

    Now it’s San Jose who has set its sites on the popular chicken restaurant. Next month, a new Chick-fil-a is set to open at the San Jose airport. Ir’s an agreement which was made last year.

    As is often discussed, Chick-fil-a was founded with Christian values, is closed on Sundays, and donates money to Christian organizations who adhere to Christian values (among those values, traditional marriage).

    The San Jose city council (who approved Chick-fil-a opening the location) unanimously voted to fly rainbow flags near the new Chick-fil-a.

    What planet are we living on?

    How childish can you be?

    Santa Clara county supervisor Kevin Yeager said, ““to counter the bigotry of Chick-fil-A and to let people know that even though there’s that restaurant there, the city is showing its support for the LGBTQ community.”

    Many in our society hate the values and teachings of Christianity.

    These attempts to troll Chick-fil-a are a display of that hatred.

    Do elected officials have nothing better to do than to troll and antagonize a successful restaurant that provides jobs? We live in a free country. If people don’t like what Chick-fil-a believes in, they don’t have to go there. Some airports have tried to shut down and interfere with Chick-fil-a.

    Matt Walsh, writing for the DailyWire put it well:

    This is not normal or healthy behavior. An adult should be able to cope with the fact that not every other adult in the world necessarily agrees with everything they do and think. There are many companies run by people who hold views I find abhorrent. I either choose to patronize those establishments or not, but I am not going to spend years of my life trying to penalize them for the crime of failing to abide by my every ideological whim.

    Despite all of the vitriol and opposition, Chick-fil-a continues to dominate as one of the most profitable and beloved fast food restaurants in America. Meanwhile those who oppose the restaurant are doing a great job helping them get lots of free publicity from media outlets.

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner  has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has served churches in Minnesota and Illinois. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in St. Louis.

  • Politicians decide to pick on Chick-fil-a

    800px-Chick-fil-A
    Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

    Chick-fil-a has been the target of political ire in two different states in as many weeks. In late March, the San Antonio city council approved a new dining area in Terminal A of San Antonio International Airport. The agreement had originally included opening up a Chcik-fil-a location, but the council didn’t give approval until Chick-fil-a was excluded from the agreement.

    While Chick-fil-a is one of the most beloved fast food restaurant chains in America, famous for it’s chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, lemonade, and excellent customer service, the company also has a strong foundation of Christian values which permeate throughout the chain.

    Chick-fil-a does support organizations who share in the company’s traditional values, and some of those organizations oppose same-sex marriage. Among those groups are the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Salvation Army.

    One piece of the story that I feel rarely gets mentioned in media reports is that FCA and the Salvation Army happen to oppose same-sex marriage and value traditional marriage, but that is not the primary reason for the existence of these organizations. It’s a result of their Biblical values.

    The issue with airports discriminating against Chick-fil-a is that there isn’t evidence that the company actively discriminates against anyone. They serve everyone. And considering the federal funds which the airport receives, it’s illegal to discriminate against a company based on their religious values.

    A similar situation happened last week when Chick-fil-a was given approval to open up at the Buffalo airport. Once again, people tried to block it.

    Do politicians have nothing better to do?

    A person has the ability to choose not to eat at Chick-fil-a if they find the company’s values to be so offensive that they just can’t support it.

    It’s also ironic that I think of the calls to be inclusive, tolerant, and accepting, but then people want to bash a company for being true to their values. It’s this idea of “we’re inclusive, and if you’re not inclusive in the way we think is right, you should be excluded.”

    Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear what you think, and don’t forget to subscribe! 

    Josh Benner  has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has served churches in Minnesota and Illinois. He enjoys writing about faith and culture. He lives with his wife Kari in St. Louis.