The tasty Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich has a fond place in my heart. It was my favorite part of childhood trips to our small shopping mall in New Bern, North Carolina, back when Chick-fil-A could only be found in southern-state food courts next to corn dog stands and Hardees fast food. When I returned to the south as an adult I made regular pilgrimages to the shopping mall for a little comforting taste of my childhood.
Given my history it's a little hard to see Chick-fil-A take such a beating in the media frenzy that has followed the comments by Chick-fil-A's president Dan Cathy. He explained to the Baptist Press that his company seeks to “operate on biblical principles” and that they “are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit.” These comments have unleashed a firestorm of criticism and outrage among advocates for same-sex marriage, and passionate support from defenders of traditional marriage. The frenzy reached a crescendo of noise today with competing public displays of protest and appreciation.
As for me I'll be sitting this one out. You won't find me out protesting or appreciating.
I'm not saying that there aren't good reasons to intentionally support or not support a business like Chick-fil-A. In fact, I think purchasing decisions are one of the most basic forms of civic expression. They are substantial opportunities to seek justice and even inhabit the Christian faith. (I wrote a book in which I make that argument. Go here for more on that.) I just don't think the expressed opinions of the president of Chick-fil-A are the most helpful way to determine if they are worthy of my patronage, and more to the point, I don't think these kinds of statements are the best way to gauge Chick-fil-A's Christian commitment as a business.
I'm more interested in their practices than their pronouncements. More important than their president's conviction about marriage is the way they treat customers and employees, and it's worth noting there have not been any accusations of Chick-fil-A discriminating against anyone because of their sexual orientation. But for me, the best gauge of Christian faithfulness for a company that makes their living selling chickens is how they treat their chickens, especially one that builds their entire marketing strategy around showing those poor cows some compassion. (See Cow Appreciation Day for more on that.)
Their official statement of purpose is, “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.” That's a great standard for a company that seeks to be “Christian” and based on that definition, the company's stewardship of millions of chickens should be one of the most important measures of their success in achieving that.
Chick-fil-A is a privately held company so little is actually known about their supply-chain of chickens. Their website offers a generic explanation that their suppliers meet the minimal standards outlined by the National Chicken Council but it does have one huge whopper of a misleading claim. They state that, “Avian antibiotics are only used in very limited circumstances to ensure bird health,” but antibiotics are widely used on factory farms to speed their growth, not just to ensure health. They link to a USDA site that clearly states, “Antibiotics may be used to prevent disease and increase feed efficiency.” Factory farms are all about efficiency, too often at the expense of animal welfare and environmental stewardship.
Because I find little that glorifies God in current factory farming practices I try to avoid eating chicken and beef that doesn't come from small-scale local farms. I buy almost all my meat from our local farmers' market. I understand this to be part of my desire to “glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to” me.
Honestly, if Chick-fil-A opened a store in Spokane it would put these convictions to the test. There is something about those two pickles and that seasoning on the chicken that it is irresistable. Should that day come, and I'm faced with the decision of whether or not to eat there, I'll be thinking more about the chickens and not so much about the statements of the president. Hopefully between now and then Chick-fil-A will embrace stewardship of their chickens as central to their calling as a “Chrisitian” business. For now, I don't see that they've done that, but it would be a wonderful witness to their desire to be stewards of God's creation if they did.
Actions do indeed speak louder than words. Thanks for this post Craig. Ethical eating is an important issue and it’s one we overlook too easily…
We totally see eye to eye on the animal treatment aspect. And, I fully agree that “purchasing decisions are one of the most basic forms of civic expression.” It wasn’t his words that got this going though, it was his donations to organizations opposing gay marriage. His civic expression was one of prejudice and hate.
I hear what your saying and it’s worth noting that words are actions, so I don’t want to suggest that words don’t matter. The question I’m posing in the post is how do we sort through all the various “actions” related to a business to make consumer decisions? For me as a consumer, when I consider the merits of a chicken company, the chicken seems like the most obvious place to start.
“When I consider the merits of a chicken company, the chicken seems like the most obvious place to start.” Well said, I agree 🙂
So this his comment is what the hub bub is all about?
“are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit.”
Please, is that really the kind of society we are becoming? How horrible!!!
Well that and his substantial donations to the Family Research Council and other groups. The FRC has been identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center among others.
Dan Cathy’s direct quote:
“I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”
Craig:
I do not understand your concern. As a Believer myself I honestly cannot fathom your focus on, in this matter, and generally, chickens. Really.
In the grand scheme of God’s creation, my far greater concern would be the moral framework and character of Mr. Cathy, and the potential he has for doing good with the large sums of money he and his franchisees make. Are they good Stewards of the financial resources they have been blessed with? Are they giving to feed the poor, and bring peace and shelter to the homeless and oppressed? Are they giving to organizations like International Justice Mission and World Vision?
These are the issues that really matter – were real humans (created in God’s image, unlike chickens or vegetables) blessed by the riches of Mr. Cathy and his company?
And in all this, you have chosen to focus on …. chickens. Really? Seriously? I do not recall our Lord ever commenting on the ethical treatment of animals. Not once. He did, however, have volumes to say about financial stewardship.
In the end, and if you will excuse me, it is my observation that this fixation some seem to have with all forms of ethical foods and organic thinking seems to be purely a luxury of the affluent North American ecumenical elite. We can muse about these thinks because our stomachs are full, but perhaps our souls are somewhat empty.
The masses of people around the world who wonder where their next meal is coming from do not have time to worry about the size of the cage in which their chicken was kept, they just weep when the can have chicken.
That, it seems to me, should be the focus of our Kingdom attention and efforts.
Steve,
Thanks for commenting. I was wondering why no one had really challenged the importance of chickens in the scope of all the discussion around Chick-fil-A, especially the question of human welfare vs. animal welfare. I’d like to respond to your critique and questions in a follow-up post so stay tuned.
Craig