What Chick-fil-a Did For Orlando

The shooting that happened in Orlando on June 12th rocked the nation. It was the worst terrorist attack since 9-11, and worse yet it came from an American born citizen who claimed allegiance to ISIS. Fifty people died including the gunman, Omar Mateen, who was 29 years old. An additional 53 people were injured. But, like any tragedy, the real stories come after the fact, and are rarely shared. Here is one of those stories.

Chick-fil-a is best known for never, ever, being open on Sundays. It is also notorious for its owner’s stance on gay marriage. So what did the chain do in response to the attack? One may expect a picture of smugness, of someone sitting back in a chair smirking and thinking, “They got what they deserved.” Sadly, this picture is all too common in all our minds, and it isn’t the truth at all. Far from it, in fact. Because the fact is Chick-fil-a fired up its grills, brewed some ice tea, and passed it all out, free of charge, to people who had come to the One Blood donation center to give much needed blood to the victims.

They did it willingly.

They did it silently.

And aren’t they supposed to hate gays?

As it turns out, it’s not about hate. It’s about love. A bunch of Christians doing the right thing because that’s what Jesus would have done? It shouldn’t be surprising, but for a lot of people, it is. The smug attitude of many in the church is impacting how the world views Christ, and that’s not how he was at all. Jesus didn’t eat dinner with the Pharisees, the leaders of the church. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. He didn’t tell them that they were okay, that what they were doing was fine, but he loved them. And a church’s silence is only going to get it into trouble. So think before you act, “Is Jesus welcome at my house? Even when he brings his friends?”