Thus, a Christian businessman who works for a company that espouses Christian principles answered a question from a Christian news agency with a response that has been the Christian viewpoint for over two thousand years (I did the math).

You know, August 1st used to be known as Francis Scott Key’s birthday!

As the spectacle resides regarding the Chick-fil-A boycott/rally, there were two things that stood out to me.

First, the voluminousness of posts on Facebook/Twitter decrying, not the opinion, but the fact that an opinion was stated is, in my mind, illogical.  It is like going to a mall and getting upset that people are shopping.  Facebook/Twitter is a virtual community centered on the expression of thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

From my perspective, the whole Chick-fil-A kerfuffle underscores a very serious problem in our culture.  As Americans, we do not want to listen to each other.  We would all be better served, Christian or non-Christian, to heed the advice of Jesus’ brother in James 1:19, which says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:  You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.”

Secondly, the Founding Fathers (as best as I can surmise) believed that diversity of thought, denominations, and religion was a good establishing principle for our new nation.  I believe it has served us well as a country.  We are treading on dangerous ground when it is no longer acceptable to express a religious opinion whether Christian, Mormon, Muslim, or atheist (which is a belief system in of itself).

Somehow, I missed the fact (I think many did) that the reporter who asked the CEO of Chick-fil-A the infamous question worked for a Christian news agency.  Thus, a Christian businessman who works for a company that espouses Christian principles answered a question from a Christian news agency with a response that has been the Christian viewpoint for over two thousand years (I did the math).

Setting aside everything else that has unfolded, Cathy’s right to his religious opinion (the right, not the opinion per se) is a hallmark of Constitutionalism.  It is why we fly the Star Spangled Banner.  Happy Belated Birthday, Francis

Hunter Townsend Brewer is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as Senior Pastor at the Madison Heights Church (PCA) in Madison, MS.