Kerby Anderson

When Chick-fil-A opened its fourth location in New York City, not everyone was pleased. The New Yorker magazine described the spread of the chicken restaurant as “an infiltration” because of “its pervasive Christian traditionalism.” I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised since the New York mayor proposed a boycott when the first stand-alone location opened three years ago. The newest store probably bothers New Yorkers even more because it is a huge, 12,000 square foot restaurant. In case you are wondering, Chick-fil-A is not going away, even if some wish it would fade into the sunset. It is set to become the third largest fast-food chain (behind McDonalds and Starbucks) and had $9 billion-worth in revenue last year. When you ask opponents why they dislike Chick-fil-A, they either point to the company’s mission statement “to glorify God” or to a 2012 interview with CEO Dan Cathy about traditional marriage and LGBT issues. Secularists don’t like Christian companies. Gay rights activists don’t like companies that don’t support homosexual issues. Of course, there are other companies and organizations that have the same views and values as Chick-fil-A, but they don’t seem to be targeted as much as this chicken sandwich company. Many of these other Christian groups are much more political and lobby for legislation and support various candidates. Nevertheless, Chick-fil-A seems to be the one company that always has a target on its back. Part of the reason may be the success of Chick-fil-A as well as the numerous ads and billboards that might make some New Yorkers feel there is an infiltration. I would remind New Yorkers that many of us, in the rest of the country, are bombarded by ads about products and services by companies with values often hostile to Christian beliefs. They should adopt our philosophy of “live and let live.”