Eat Mor Intolurense

We have the potential, through the presence of God being expressed through us, to create an
atmosphere around us that will draw people to our Savior. 2nd Corinthians 2 says:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

The Spirit of God lives in the hearts of His people, and the presence of Christ can be detected through believers who are communing with Him and acting Biblically.  Our fellowship with Christ and devotion to His Word can produce in use the peace that passes understanding and joy that is unspeakable.  Through our relationship with the Lord and our allowing His love to flow through us as we serve Him and others, we can demonstrate that we know Him and people will be drawn to Christ in us.

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There's a concept to which I'll be referring later, found in the 5th chapter of Matthew, involving adopting a Christlike, servant's attitude toward others:
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...

Well, you see where this is going.  The New Yorker piece was fronted by the headline, Chick-Fil-A’s Creepy Infiltration of New York City. Now, right off the bat, you have to question the use of the word, "infiltration," as if it were some clandestine move to place Chick-fil-A restaurants in every neighborhood. No, this would best be described as an "invasion!" And, it's all good - except to this New Yorker reporter and those who think like him.

The AJC.com reports that the restaurant has "five floors and a rooftop terrace overlooking a view of One World Trade and the city’s financial district." It is 12,000 square feet, with 140 seats, two kitchens, and a private dining area.   And, according to FoxNews.com:

According to restaurant consultancy firm Technomic, which shared its findings with Buzzfeed News, Chick-fil-A is poised to become the third-largest fast-food chain in the nation by 2020 in terms of sales, trailing behind only McDonald’s and Starbucks.

The average Chick-fil-A does $4.4 million each year per store; McDonald's is at $2.5 and Starbucks at $1.1.  And, the chicken chain does it at far fewer locations - and only 6 days a week!

Yes, there's the bit about being closed on Sunday.  That can't make the New Yorker happy!   A CBN News story by Steve Warren and Drew Parkhill, reported that author, Dan Piepenbring...

...examines how New Yorkers have taken to Chick-fil-A and its signature sandwich – so much so, that the day he visited the new five-story location in lower Manhattan, the line of customers waiting for food stretched around the block.

However, Piepenbring writes, the company, founded by S. Truett Cathy, feels like an infiltration because of its "pervasive Christian traditionalism." He points to the company's stand for traditional marriage (which liberals consider anti-gay), and how in 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed a boycott.

The CBN story also states:

Piepenbring writes that "proselytism thrums below the surface of the Fulton Street restaurant, which has the ersatz homespun ambiance of a megachurch."

He also suggests that Chick-fil-A's emphasis on the local community, which is one of the company standards at all of its retail locations, has an ulterior motive. And he's critical of what David Farmer, Chick-fil-A's vice president of restaurant experience, recently told Buzzfeed about how they try to have a "pit crew efficiency, but where you feel like you just got hugged in the process."

As Jenna Ellis points out at the Washington Examiner website: "he hates that idea because the chicken sandwiches are served out of the owners’ sincere desire to simply 'glorify God.'" Those words, by the way, are found in the corporate mission statement.  She also writes:

Piepenbring is actually arguing that a chicken sandwich chain owned by Christians is somehow culturally dangerous enough to warrant exclusion and ostracizing from society. This is exactly the kind of viewpoint discrimination that rights of conscience bills are designed to protect against, so that someone like Piepenbring cannot stop a business from operating simply because he hates the business’ religious messages.

She theorizes accurately that "this attack piece would never have been published if it were against any other religion or suspect class under law."  Ellis, who is a constitutional law professor, writes:

For-profit, commercial businesses retain the right pursuant to all the protections in the First Amendment to be openly affiliated with a religion, including Christianity. In fact, the Supreme Court has long and properly recognized First Amendment protections for private religious speech, including in the context of a corporation’s business operations and messaging.

 And, in a lighter, yet frightening note, Ellis points out...

Piepenbring goes on to describe the restaurant chain’s “Spokescows” as “its ultimate evangelists,” because obviously, this kind of messaging is somehow putting New Yorkers in peril.

But, as absurd as that, along with some of this other material, might sound, Ellis rightly states:

This is not a piece to simply laugh off. It’s evidencing the increasing acceptance and normalizing of intolerance and hatred against Christian messages.

It's disheartening to see how Chick-fil-A gains its share of detractors, not for the food, which I would submit is the main motivation for people to go there.  But, its ideology, its basis in Christian principles, cannot be separated from the chain itself.  And, that drives the experience - its combination of efficiency and friendliness, as its vice-president stated, making you feel like you got "hugged in the process."

That flows from the Cathy family philosophy of "second mile service," which is a Biblical concept and contributes greatly to the restaurant experience - an AJC.com article from a few years back said:

Faith is never far from the front lines at Chick-fil-A, which has become the country’s highest-profile business that touts the Bible as an operating manual. Chick-fil-A’s creed of “second-mile service” is a reference to Matthew 5:41, in which Jesus tells his followers that if someone forces them to go one mile, they should go two instead.

Undoubtedly, the food, the atmosphere, and the community service are all contributing factors to the growth of this restaurant chain.  And, we can consider some principles for our own lives.  For one thing, if and when we face criticism for our faith, are we geared up to "stay the course?"  There will be pressure to change, to conform, to maybe tamp down that "religious stuff."  But, God has made us who we are, and He desires to express Himself through us.

We can also consider the atmosphere we create.  This is important, it plays to the concept of "intangibles."  Do we do all to the glory of God - that includes excellence in the tasks set before us, done with an attitude of service, not radiating a negative vibe, but honestly doing what we do in a friendly manner?  And, do we accept the challenge to go above and beyond what might be expected? These factors can contribute to the creation of a winning atmosphere around us - not winning in the sense of a competition, but in people wanting to be around us because of the character of Christ we project.