A Sandwich

We have to be discerning that our thought patterns and our words are not governed by the world, but
by the Word of God. 1st Peter 4 says:
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

There is an abundance of information and ideas floating around our culture today, and much of it is not Biblical; in fact, it is in direct contrast to the teachings of Scripture.  We have to make sure we embrace what is good, according to the heart of God, and reject ideas that may on the surface sound good, true, and right, but are rooted in a philosophy that does not line up with Scripture.  We have to make sure that our worldview is centered on the foundation of Christ.

+++++

We are called to speak in a manner that reflects the character of Christ and our knowledge of the truth of God. Titus 2 states:
6 Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded,
7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

It's. A. Sandwich.

That's it - and a really popular one at that.  Sold at a restaurant that does more business in six days a week than many do in seven.

But, the Chick-Fil-A sandwich, as we know, has become a political tool, and the chain, founded on Christian principles, an object of scorn.

The CEO of Twitter should have known better, right?  According to FoxNews.com:

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Sunday came under fire for tweeting about spending money at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Los Angeles over the owner’s views on gay marriage.

Dorsey tweeted a screenshot of his purchases and savings made by using the fast-food restaurant’s mobile app, prompting a backlash from LGBTQ community and the media.

Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien tweeted out, "This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, Jack," to which Dorsey replied, "You’re right. Completely forgot about their background.”

The article went on to say:

But the latest remark sparked another round of backlash, this time from more conservative social media users, who questioned what the CEO of Twitter meant by “their background.”

“’Background’ meaning they employ 41,000 people, many of whom are the most pleasant fast food employees in the country, serve delicious food at good prices, and at amazing speed? That background?” wrote journalist Jeryl Bier.

“You mean their late CEO being a Christian? Apparently that is something bad/terrible, having faith, running a decent business, never discriminated against anyone, for the ‘tolerance, acceptance, and inclusivity’ crowd,” wrote another user.

Interestingly enough, O'Brien was a speaker at the Leadercast event in 2012, which was presented by...wait for it, Chick-fil-A!!  A PRNewswire release stated:

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien and best-selling author John Maxwell are among the featured speakers during this one-day leadership training event being broadcast live via satellite from Atlanta, Georgia, to hundreds of cities across the world.

That was just months before the Chick-fil-A Apprecation Day, during which customers showed their solidarity with company head Dan Cathy's stated viewpoints on traditional marriage.

The Fox story used the word, "shame," to describe the treatment of Twitter's Jack Dorsey.   Of course, Dorsey made headlines recently for "liking" a particular article, according to IJR.com, which reported:

Last week, Dorsey shared the piece, whose author argued the U.S. should be more like California and eliminate Republicans' political power. The writer, who published the story to Medium, claimed conservatives “deserve” to be cast into the “political wilderness.”

The article said that he responded to that criticism:

He claimed he viewed the author's “provocative” language as metaphorical but nevertheless saw the piece as a “strong analysis and thesis of competing economic systems in the past (labor) and today (energy).”

OK, whatever - keep an eye out for Twitter, because it has been taken to task for censoring certain content, especially conservative and Christian content.

Well, maybe the head of Twitter has fallen back in line from having strayed from acceptable viewpoint.  You see, there are people out there who want to tell you what to think, what to say, and a ready to jump on you when you don't hold to the viewpoint that they deem to be correct.  There is no room for critical thinking; it's tow the line or pay the price.

It's called virtue shaming or virtue signaling, and it originates from people who believe that their viewpoint is the acceptable one for society to embrace.  Even the virtue shamers have entered venerable institutions, where such time-honored traditions as the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, honoring the military, and the singing of "God Bless America" have been somehow deemed to be unacceptable by some at the Southern Baptist Convention.  Too nationalistic, it seems - don't exalt government over Christ, separate church from state.  Never heard of that being a problem before.  The Vice-President of our great nation, a born-again Christian who boldly proclaims Christ, is viewed to be someone who "sends the wrong message."  So, what is the right message?   And, is it Biblical?   Should we no longer honor our governmental leaders?  Does a government leader relating policy accomplishments that are favorable toward Christians detract from the denomination's Gospel witness?  I don't think it's an either/or.  We should be devoted to living and sharing the Gospel and be participants in shaping culture through participation in the political process.

Why was a resolution that cautioned against the so-called "social justice" message not brought to the floor of the convention, even in a revised state?  Or one that reinforced the Biblical notion that homosexuals can change - especially since that was a truth included in the message given by Steve Gaines, the outgoing President of the Convention?

Now, there were some good resolutions that were approved, including strongly worded resolutions on the contributions of women and the denunciation of abuse in the Church.   The Convention also reinforced previous statements regarding race and immigration.

By and large, we have to recognize that the world should not determine how we think or speak.  We have to be devoted to speaking in line with Biblical truth.  We can be challenged to allow God's Word to be the determinant for our belief system, to develop our personal theology based on our own study of the Scriptures, and to be bold to proclaim His Lordship over our lives.