Mike Huckabee has called for a buycott of Chick-Fil-A tomorrow. If there were any stores around here, would I go? I've been to one in Phoenix, and I wasn't impressed, despite supporters claiming that it was "healthier" than other fast food options.
It is almost as if Christians have to participate on 8.1.12 in order to show the opposition that their threats of boycotting Chick-Fil-A will not harm the business. Have we been reduced to showing supporting corporations in order to make a statement about what believe or where we stand on certain issues, to posturing through token actions?
It may be a corporation that is run by a "true-believing" Christian but it is a corporation and chain nonetheless, with its own interest. Does it rely on local suppliers or corporate supply chains for its chickens? It is said that it donates some of its profits back to the communities in which stores are located. How much? And for what causes or groups?
So what if they lose business? It's not as if they hire only Christians to work at their stores. One could argue that we should at least patronize businesses started and run by Christians or help them out when others threaten to put them out of a job. But a corporation?
Should Christians be working for alternate economic structures? What was the economy that made the growth of the early Church possible, despite occasional persecution? Did the early Christians possess sufficient economic freedom? (How about the ownership of homes in the early Roman Empire?) Do our property laws and the burden of usury limit us in our goals of building a community of authentic witness to the Gospel?
Should we be thinking about unified action on a nation-wide level in this manner? And what about the oppositional mindset? Are we headed towards a flashpoint for greater conflict, maybe even violence? Mark Mitchell's essay, Culture War No More is apropros. Is Mr. Mitchell correct about the use of war as a metaphor to describe the conflict in beliefs? It goes beyond mere intellectual opposition. While "anticulture" may be a clever rhetoric, it won't be accepted to those who believe that they are working in favor of "love" and "community."
Are we who uphold traditional morality right to feel besieged? And if that is the case, should our response be that of a "siege mentality," withstanding and buffering the attacks of our opponents and planning some sort of counter-attack? Many envision the culture war as being a struggle to impose their values on the other, who are wrong. But this is not about "winning" or showing who is right through coercion and the power of the state. The young believe they are right in their understanding of love and equality. This is a struggle for hearts and minds, but if we cannot persuade people, should make a statement about morality through the power of the national government? Would it not be better to let them go their own way, if possible? But the problem is that those who hold power would never allow this sort of tolerance through separation to occur. The so-called Democratic Party is drafting a pro-SSM plank for their platform. What can we do but struggle to resist this at all levels? At the same time, we should recognize that the outcome may turn out to be in their favor. Many in the urban areas are already convinced of the novel definition of marriage, and the great social reset may not happen until after the rejection of traditional mores has become a legislated fact. The mass media is against traditional morality, and do what they can to replace it through propaganda.
Even if something like the Exodus movement seems too extreme an option, why shouldn't Christians consider living with other like-minded folk? There may be the option of strengthening communal witness where one lives presently, but that requires even greater heroism and may come to naught with respect to success as the world understands it. But until the Church gets serious about revitalizing parish life and finding ways to counter the economic pressures associated with wage slavery, Christian communities will remain in danger of fading away.
Building a Culture of Religious Freedom by Charles J. Chaput
Related:
James Antle, Bullying Chick-fil-A
Chicken Gate – An Exercise in Media Induced Hysteria and Fascism…
Paul Gottfried, Chick-fil-A Eats Crow
Tim Stanley, Chick-fil-A vs gay marriage: how a chicken restaurant became a culture war battleground
Eat more hyperbole…on Chick-fil-a
Rod Dreher, Bonfire of the Chick-fil-A and Christians, These Cities Don’t Want You
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