Why I Won't be Eating Chick-Fil-A on August 1

Conan O'Brien recently remarked that it's a shame that our nation is divided along line lines of where you buy your fried chicken sandwiches. Of course, when he said it, it was funnier. But I'm having a hard time finding this episode funny any more.

As you no doubt are aware, Mike Huckabee appears to have gotten a lot of support for his declaration of August 1 as Support Chick-Fil-A Day. Clicking http://www.isupportchickfila.com/ will take you to the Facebook page he has set up, inviting people who agree with CFA CEO Dan Cathy regarding same-sex marriage to show their support by spending money at Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1.   Over half a million have agreed, by "Liking" the page, and have pledged to go.

I won't be one of them.

For the record: I love Chick-Fil-A. I also hold a biblical view of same-sex relationships. Just a guess, but I'll bet Cathy and I vote very similarly. Additionally, I am very disturbed at the reaction from pro-gay individuals and organizations over the past week, much of it very unfair, and some of it (threats by local politicians to keep CFA from doing business in their respective cities) is not only illegal but a blatant example of bullying.

So what reason could I possibly have for not participating in an event which is designed to demonstrate support for a company that has been on the receiving end of this kind of treatment?

Simply put: there is nothing about the "in-your-face" reaction that reflects Christ. You won't find anything, anywhere, in Scripture which directs Christians to stick it to those who disagree with them. You won't see Jesus advocating this kind of response to those who persecute you. Whether you believe that the anti-Chick-Fil-A crowd is guilty of persecution, or if you want to tame that accusation down to bullying, there is no biblical precedent for teaching the bullies a lesson in this way.

Take a look at the few times that Scripture mentions how Jesus, (or, after His ascension, His followers), deal with opposers. When Stephen was the first martyr, did the Church protest? When Paul and Silas got jailed, were the other Christians beating their chest, demanding their rights? No, they were in a house, praying.

[This is not to say that the anti-CFA people are persecuting Christians, certainly not on the same level as we see in the book of Acts, but it's the closest example we have in the bible. The focus here isn't on the pro-gay adherents. I'm trying to draw your attention to the reaction of the early saints.]

Besides the aforementioned reason to not respond this way, there's also the unfortunate result: counter-protests. Already, several pro-gay organizations are arranging events such as the same-sex kiss event on Friday Aug. 3.  If this thing becomes a tit-for-tat fight between the two sides, then Chick-Fil-A stores will become the center of multiple protests. People who don't want their kids to see men kissing men will stop eating there. Is that what we want?

When His followers tried to drag Him into political and culture battles, Jesus repeatedly replied that His kingdom is not of this world. Who among us thinks that by flexing our muscle on August 1, we're going to change anyone's heart? That we're going to help even one person know Him better?

I don't know what I'll do for lunch tomorrow: I'll certainly pray. I encourage Christians to ask WWJD? and do the same.

Book Review: A Deceit To Die For, by Luke Montgomery

I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus the last few months, partially because I've been reading a novel called "A Deceit to Die For", by Luke Montgomery, given to me by the author for review purposes.  Between the Chick-Fil-A controversy and the Aurora shooting, I'm inspired to start writing again, and I want to start with a review of this book.

The premise of the novel is this: a professor discovers a centuries-old document which contains information about the Gospel of Barnabas (let's call it GOB for short), a false gospel which was written way, way after actual biblical texts were written. Because the GOB contains proclamations which would attempt to lead a reader away from Christianity and toward Islam, there is a conspiracy to destroy any evidence which would question the authenticity of the GOB.

Author Luke Montgomery's website tells us that he has lived in Turkey and is an expert on many aspects of Middle Eastern culture, and the proof is all through the book. While reading "A Deceit to Die For", prepare to get educated on the history, the politics, and the religion of Turkey, and how the interaction between the three come together to affect the Middle East today.

In fact, that education is the one criticism I have of the book. At 512 pages, the reader cannot help but look for places where some cuts might have been in order, and in fact, some long passages explaining some of the historical context did slow things down a bit, especially during the first quarter of the book.

Of course, the flip side is that if Montgomery doesn't tell us about the background, history, and context, then we don't get what we need in order for the story to make complete sense to us. So it's a double-edged sword. My own take is that the long explanations dragged things down a bit at first, but then things got very interesting. The history lessons are worth enduring for the payoff that comes later.

By "interesting", I mean that this story is full of action, intrigue, danger, and suspense. I've read some reviews where "A Deceit To Die For" is compared to "The Da Vinci Code", but it's more accurate to say that it bears a resemblance to a James Bond or Jason Bourne story. At times, I was on the edge of my seat, rooting for the good guys, and wondering how they were going to get out of a mess or two. That's what you want out of a Bond/Bourne novel, and if that's what you like, you definitely should read this book.

Although the story is fictional, the details give the reader a clear picture of events and places, and this is where Montgomery's time living in Turkey helps the most: it provides authenticity to the story. 

It should be noted that, because the novel contains criticism of the government of Turkey, that nation has blocked the author's website. And that's a shame. The people who might get the most enjoyment out of the thrilling ride offered by this novel are the ones who are enmeshed in the culture that it portrays.