We Should Have Kept Our Heads Down Rather Than Support Chick-fil-A

Vandalism left in response to peaceful and orderly support of Chick fil A

Over the past day, I’ve seen more than a few discussions amongst Christians that we should not have done the Chick-fil-A event on Wednesday. After they ignore, reject, or exclude the free speech element of the event — which I will copy in order to counter their arguments — they have two lines of reasoning. First, this is Dan Cathy’s personal problem and therefore not “a hill to die on.” Second, the left feels like we hate them, and we are wrong to do anything that makes them feel that way. Whether we actually hate them is not the salient point. Both seem to think along the lines of one commenter, that this is a time to “keep our heads down” and practice our faith quietly.

Keep our heads down. I don’t recall such instructions anywhere in the Bible. I recall that we are to loudly proclaim our faith, that we are to offer succor to fellow Christians persecuted for our faith, and that we are to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. As if my resolve to never keep my head down needed a boost, I received the “heads down” comment in my inbox as I walked out of my second viewing of The Dark Knight Rises, which is not exactly a modern morality tale about the “virtue” of keeping one’s head down.

A prominent Christan has been ridiculed and his company banned from certain public venues because of his Christian values. He needs our support, and we are called to give it. The left may feel hatred from our actions, but whether we actually hate is the paramount question. We are judged both by God and by criminal courts of law on our actual intent, not by someone’s perception of our intent.

Furthermore, is this not all backward? They ridicule us, threaten us, heckle us. On Wednesday, they sent us many wishes that we would choke and die on our chicken sandwiches. What about the hate that we feel from those actions? Are we supposed to keep our heads down in the face of actual hatred because others feel hatred when we defend ourselves? What actions would society allow of Christians under these circumstances?

I’ve seen keep-our-heads-down suggestions that we should merely buy chicken without fanfare and give it to charity. That wouldn’t offend anyone, correct? Actually, it was just such a donation that put Chick-fil-A in the culture crosshairs. From Michelle Malkin back in February 2011:

Over the past month, several progressive activist blogs have waged an ugly war against Chick-Fil-A. The company’s alleged atrocity: One of its independent outlets in Pennsylvania donated some sandwiches and brownies to a marriage seminar run by the Pennsylvania Family Institute, which happens to oppose same-sex marriage.

Finally, we should be given credit for the nature of our protests, which typically support or champion an idea. But it doesn’t appear that society even notices the divide between the nature and goals of various protests.A morning email from my husband:

Almost without exception progressive protest movements are in opposition to something, are negative in character, or seek to punish someone or some institution for having a different belief or point of view. (I will leave observations about the heavy irony of a movement that considers itself the champion of “progress” being so negative in its methods.) Conservative protests on the other hand are largely in support of something, are positive or intended to defend a principle or person from attack.

The CfA protests – we now have 2 – typify the distinction. On Wednesday, thousands of people stood peacefully in lines at CfA restaurants around the country to show support for a company that had been attacked (cynically, for the political benefit of the attackers) over the company’s views and statements by one of its executives. They bought chicken, put their trash in the garbage cans, and went home or back to work. Today, there will be a second CfA protest: a“Lesbian Kiss-In” staged at CfA restaurants, with homosexual couples showing up, presumably to stand around kissing each other, the goal being to embarrass the company’s customers and workers and punish the company for daring to hold an opinion deemed unacceptable by the left.

There are lots of other examples. Read about the aftermath of OWS occupations around the country and look at the photos[there is a collection of such photos at the PJTatler] and contrast those with the Tea Party rallies. Then tell me which we should fear: the lawless mob who confiscates public property and yells “burn it down, eat the rich, and seize their money,” or the people who say “could we please enforce our laws and Constitutional limitations, stop spending money we don’t have, and elect officials who will support these principles” and then pick up their trash and go back to work?

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