I’m most likely gonna lose friends and followers, but I’m okay with that. Really. I’m not here to be popular. I think it’s important to speak, irregardless of backlash. We need to think about what we are doing.
In the last two weeks Christians have been in an uproar. First it was the tragedy in Colorado, and now it is the great Chick-fil-A ban of 2012. What is happening to us? I only ask because I’m concerned. I’m concerned that we are more eager and energetic to spread an agenda than to spread the Good News.
While people are still struggling with PTSD and packing up memories of precious loved ones, we feel the need to reiterate our “right” to bear arms. We have made their tragedy into a call for arms? Really? How is that fair? How does that matter? How is that helping those left picking up the pieces after we’ve commented and tweeted it to death? If we spent more energy on our knees and interceding not for our safety and rights but for their pain and healing and eternal hope in Christ, we might actually be answering our call, fulfilling the great commission, sharing love not debating fire arms.
Wait.
I’m not finished.
Which leads me to the Chick-fil-A Ban… I am APPALLED at some of things I have seen Christians post about how this ban has made the restaurant cleaner and safer and a more friendly environment since the liberals are gone. What?! What are we doing?! Have we become so obsessed with our agendas that we have lost our hearts for the lost?! I’m not saying all liberals are lost, but posts like that imply it.. They also imply that unbelievers are dirty, filthy, intruders and we should rid ourselves of them. Hmmm. Who is intolerant now? I wonder if we spent as much time feeding the hungry and homeless as we have pushing this fast food establishment we might reconnect with what Jesus came to do?
Here is the hard truth (or rather two of them):
1. Jesus would not have carried a gun and wouldn’t have encouraged the disciples to fight to keep theirs. In fact, the one time we see warfare face to face with our Savior, He scolds the sword wielder and replaces a man’s ear.
2. Jesus would not eat at Chick-fil-A unless He had been invited for some nuggets and waffle fries while speaking to a few thousand people about how none of that is important.
This is the same Lord that said “Give unto Caesar what is Caesars” and “Man shall not live by (breaded chicken) alone” (okay.. He didn’t say that, but you get my point.)
Yes. The world is an icky place. Yes. We are doing somethings He would not condone. Yes. We are at the mercy of free will everyday. That’s why He made the statement,“In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world!” We are overcomers.. THROUGH CHRIST. Our agendas are merely preferences… They are our security in a fallen world. But, when we cling so tightly to our securities that we abandon the lost, we have missed His point! We can fight until our voices are gone and every last one of us is dead, but what are we fighting for? Who are we fighting for and who are we fighting against? The upstanding role of our religion, or the broken heart of Daddy God?
Who do we follow -Jesus or Dan Cathy or anyone else we pin up as a poster child for religious agenda?What is more important – Our rights or His sacrifice? What is more Courageous – to make a world that we are comfortable in or to love unconditionally in an uncomfortable world?
I can’t answer for you, but I’m speaking love instead of debate. I’m not jumping on a bandwagon just because I see a cross. I’m trusting in Jesus and I’m letting my light shine, and if I get gunned down for it, well, somebody fought for that.
Leslie A. Lamb 
I’ve been over here saying the SAME THING. Even before the shooting or the Dan Cathy incident. I’ll share something i posted two weeks ago. – The kingdom of God is to be in the midst of your enemies. and he who will not suffer this does not want to be the Kingdom of Christ; He wants to be among friends, to sit among the roses and lilies, not with the bad ppl, but with the devout ppl. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would have ever been spared??-Martin Luther Oh and by the way i got 1 “like”. from my brother.
“Like” I didn’t see it or I would have shared it! Thank you!
Luke 22:36
Forever corrected. Thank u.
I did a blog post on how this whole thing with Chick-fil-A has really saddened me. People are going for each other’s throats and saying some really nasty stuff to each other. Jesus taught tolerance and love and it just makes me sick to see some Christians use the Bible to promote hate. This whole issue has gotten very ugly. We are all supposed to love each other which doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything. Thank you for your post! I hope you don’t lose friends or followers over this because promoting tolerance is a good thing!
We are to strive to be like Jesus. We should be tolerant. If Jesus is tolerant of our sin than why do we need to confess it? Why do we need to be forgiven for something that is to be tolerated? Sincere question.
@karen. Thank you for your sincere questions. My blog wasnt about the issues being fought as much as it was the actions of some. Sin has no measure.. One sin is not worse not better than another. The ones we commit are just as heinous as the ones we omit. I am not encouraging us to be tolerant, but rather encouraging us to see past the “issue” to the people involved. The stands we are taking are disproportionate to the calling on our lives. We call out battle cries on Facebook and twitter and then casually walk by the broken and lost. My outcry is not against arms or eating chicken. My outcry is in the tears I have she’s for the lost that only get more and more fearful of the church and their place in it by firestorms such as these. We must confess our sins.. But we must be careful in that confession not to be sin focused but Christ focused – “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” and “There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.” I wont hedge that Truth. I also won’t push an agenda without first offering love and compassion. Hope that helps, Karen.. Those are my thoughts anyway. 🙂
I agree with all of this. Also, Jesus would do the unpopular thing. He would eat dinner (nuggeted or otherwise) with the homosexuals. On my writer fb account, I see a lot of liberal outcry over this. Christians have become labeled as haters. Intolerant. Bigoted. God is the very definition of Love, and we, Christian people, are not Loving all people right now.
Leslie, this is why you are a successful writer. You have a fantastic gift from God. You are able to say things in a way that the rest of may not be able to. I agree 100% with you. I am so tired of Christian’s right to free speech without persecution being trampled on. However, I feel that when we lose sight of “What Jesus Would Do”, we become just as bad as those persecuting us. We lose sight of the fact that we need to “pray for our enemies” and those who mean us harm. Not battle them on the same level. I thank you for the reminder of that. I wish that every person on the planet could read this. Leslie, I love you for being so brave. Like you said, this is not a popularity contest. If there is even 1 person that would get upset by your post, it is their loss. You truly have a heart of gold, and one that obviously loves our Lord, and is full of the Holy Spirit. You keep on putting the truth out there friend. Love you. God Bless, Bridget
Thank you, Bridget!
If you don’t stand for nothing, you will fall for anythng….. They attacked first saying the Colorado shooting is a good reason to take away our right to bare arems. They asked first why Dan Cathy didn’t give to the homosexual cause. He only answered honestly. We did not attack back. We are standing our ground. We have not dropped the prayer for the hurt of these people who lost loved ones. We have not said anything ugly toward the homosexual community. Again, we are standing our ground. Or do you believe we should just let them have their way? Even God allowed Israel to fight their enemies. Not all of us are doing correctly, waiting on Him to tell what to do. But many of us are.
Yes ma’am! Many of us are! And I was only addressing those who were not. We must stand up … I agree. But we must also not lose sight of the “enemy” we fight.. It’s not us against them.. It’s us against him..The enemy..The devil..The liar and destroyer. Thank you for sharing your heart! ❤
You definitely made me totally rethink and change how I viewed the whole Chick-fil-a thing.. Never thought about it I just jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else. Thanks for giving me another view.