Chick-fil-A's Christian DNA

[Spiritwalker]

"Responding to these news reports via their official company Facebook page, Chick-fil-A said “First and foremost, thanks for your patience as we made sure we gathered the facts in regards to recent postings. We have determined that one of our independent Restaurant Operators in Pennsylvania was asked to provide sandwiches to two Art of Marriage video seminars. As our fans, you know we do our best to serve our local communities, and one of the ways we do that is by providing food to schools, colleges, civic groups, businesses, places of worship, not-for-profit groups, etc. At his discretion, the local Operator agreed to simply provide a limited amount of food. Our Chick-fil-A Operators and their employees try very hard every day to go the extra mile in serving ALL of our customers with honor, dignity and respect"

Does this seem like "straddling the fence" a bit???

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/0...an-dna/?hpt=C2

The ongoing Chick-fil-A flap - which has gay rights groups blasting the restaurant chain for donating food to an anti-gay marriage group - may be a fleeting controversy for a privately held company that is more accustomed to fiercely loyal patrons and generally positive press coverage.

But Lake Lambert, author of the book Spirituality Inc., says the flap may be a sign of more turbulence ahead for Chick-fil-A as it attempts to hold onto its conservative Christian business culture while expanding its chain beyond the Bible Belt.

“If you have a faith-based corporate identity and you want to function in the national marketplace, you’re going to continue to encounter resistance to those values because not everybody is going to share them,” says Lambert. “The only other option is some sort of secular identity and that’s not where Chick-fil-A is going.”

Lambert says Chick-fil-A is the most visible example of an American corporation trying to foster a specifically Christian identity. The company is privately held and family-run, making that task somewhat easier.

Lambert says Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy signed what Cathy describes as a “covenant” with his children when they took over the company, to help preserve its Christian DNA.

The current controversy erupted when some college campus and gay rights groups blasted the restaurant chain for donating free food to a Pennsylvania organization opposed to gay marriage.

The Human Rights Campaign, a major gay rights group, launched a letter writing campaign to the company, while the Indiana University South Bend went so far as to temporarily suspend Chick-fil-A service in its campus dining facilities.

The fallout provoked Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy to defend his company in a Facebook video and in a written statement.

“In recent weeks, we have been accused of being anti-gay,” Cathy said in a written statement last Saturday. “We have no agenda against anyone.”

“While my family and I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage,” the statement continued, “we love and respect anyone who disagrees.”

The gestures have not mollified many of the chain’s critics, some of whom are airing their grievances on Chick-fil-A’s Facebook page. The Human Rights Campaign is calling on the restaurant to begin participating in the Corporate Equality Index, which rates companies’ treatment of gays.

Christian culture pervades many aspects of Chick-fil-A’s operations, from its corporate purpose – which includes “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us” – to its policy of closing restaurants on Sundays to praying at restaurant openings.

According to a recent case study of the restaurant chain by the Yale School of Management, employees are encouraged to attend prayer services.

Chick-fil-A has over 1,500 locations and began moving beyond the Deep South in the last decade or so. Recently the company has expanded its number of restaurants in the Northeast, creating a more serious presence there.

According to its website, there is only one Chick-fil-A store in New York State, at New York University in downtown Manhattan.

Considering Chick-fil-A’s conservative Christian mission, perhaps the most striking feature of the recent controversy is how unusual it is for the company. As the chain continues to grow, they may find it more difficult to avoid the culture war.

I say Eat More Chikin!!!!

[Spiritwalker]

http://www.ajc.com/business/chick-fi...rs-821566.html

............Earlier this month, Cathy appeared on a Facebook video to argue that the Chick-fil-A sandwiches and brownies to be provided at a marriage-training event sponsored by the Pennsylvania Family Institute are not an endorsement of the group's politics.

On Saturday, Cathy issued a statement saying that "While my family and I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who disagrees." Cathy said Chick-fil-A would not champion any political agendas on marriage and family. That is not a change from previous practice, Cathy said -- "just a confirmation."

[NateR]

I think this is a better example of the closed-mindedness and bigotry of the "Gay Rights" agenda than anything else. If a neo-Nazi walks into a Pizza Hut and orders a pizza, does that mean that Pizza Hut supports White Supremacism? Of course not, only an idiot would make that assumption. However, the Gay Rights movement loves to target Christian organizations, so it doesn't surprise me that they would go after a company like Chick-Fil-A.

The only intolerance on display here is from the Gay Rights activists.

[Bonnie]

Originally Posted by NateR

I think this is a better example of the closed-mindedness and bigotry of the "Gay Rights" agenda than anything else. If a neo-Nazi walks into a Pizza Hut and orders a pizza, does that mean that Pizza Hut supports White Supremacism? Of course not, only an idiot would make that assumption. However, the Gay Rights movement loves to target Christian organizations, so it doesn't surprise me that they would go after a company like Chick-Fil-A.

The only intolerance on display here is from the Gay Rights activists.

Exactly! You notice it's the ones constantly decrying intolerance that in fact are the very ones displaying it the most! Talk about Nazis! That very word describes what's been going on with the gay right's movement and all it's minions for a while now. What a bunch of hypocrites!

There are lots of places that offer chicken sandwiches and other chicken items.

If you don't like the chain because of its DNA then just don't buy its products.

By mounting this campaign against the chain they will bring it more business. (At least locally.) So these agitators are stupid.

[Spiritwalker]

Originally Posted by NateR

I think this is a better example of the closed-mindedness and bigotry of the "Gay Rights" agenda than anything else. If a neo-Nazi walks into a Pizza Hut and orders a pizza, does that mean that Pizza Hut supports White Supremacism? Of course not, only an idiot would make that assumption. However, the Gay Rights movement loves to target Christian organizations, so it doesn't surprise me that they would go after a company like Chick-Fil-A.

The only intolerance on display here is from the Gay Rights activists.

I agree with the sentiment...

But If the neo-Nazi's had food provided to them by Pizza Hut... (anyone remember Pizza Inn?) at one of there gatherings... I understand why someone looking for a reason to complain about.. could complain.. just trying to make a fire... when there most likely isn't even any smoke.

seems like one of their independent owners prolly provided food cause either that person.. or knew a person that supports an anti gay agenda...

[NateR]

Originally Posted by Spiritwalker

I agree with the sentiment...

But If the neo-Nazi's had food provided to them by Pizza Hut... (anyone remember Pizza Inn?) at one of there gatherings... I understand why someone looking for a reason to complain about.. could complain.. just trying to make a fire... when there most likely isn't even any smoke.

seems like one of their independent owners prolly provided food cause either that person.. or knew a person that supports an anti gay agenda...

Well, that's only a bad thing depending on what you define as an "anti-gay agenda." Homosexuality is a sin, thus every Christian MUST be anti-sin thus, by extension, anti-gay. If you are not, then you can't be a Christian, plain and simple. However, it has absolutely nothing to do with hate or intolerance. Nothing at all.

Now if this was a group of people getting together to plan lynchings and attacks on gay people, that would be a different story. However, they were simply fellow Americans who were assembling peacefully to discuss their beliefs and opinions, some of which happened to involve gay marriage. That's the freedom that America was founded upon and the very freedom that the pro-gay movement wants to stifle. Marriage has never been a right guaranteed by the Constitution. So, the only people in this scenario who are infringing upon anyone's Constitutional rights are the Gay Rights activists.

I have managed resturants for many years (more than I care to) and this is a very common practice. People come in and ask for free or discounted food all the time. Each local store manager has the choice who and support or not. We gave a blanket discount to all civics groups. As for the free stuff. The sotre manager who I worked with both had 2 seperate agendas. one was a Christian the other not and who we gave free stuff to was dramaticlly different. Our local Chik-fil-a actually had gays in management and they support local groups with free food all the time. So as Cathy said it is a local choice and they have no agenda just want brand awareness and to get more customers

[rockdawg21]

Guess I'm gonna have to

Originally Posted by rockdawg21

Guess I'm gonna have to

I loves me some chicken!