Chic-Fil- A ... Thanks Alma H.!

For Your Information. . . Dear Alma, In light of the cultural war that surrounds us as Christians, I've included an insightful article from James Emery White addressing the Chick-fil-A controversy. The principles at stake are found in the very Word of God, which I hold, and which I will preach. Truth should never be compromised because of a popular vote. God's Word speaks the truth because it comes from our Creator. And we must always seek that truth, with an attitude of love. . . never holding truth or love to the exclusion of the other. (bold portions are my own) "Every now and then an event comes along that offers a unique reflection of our world. A mirror, if you will, of what our culture has become. One took place this past week through the catalyst of three words from the CEO of a restaurant chain: "Guilty as charged." Dan Cathy, president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, gave an interview to Baptist Press. Correctly saying that there is no such thing as a "Christian business," he did offer that organizations such as his can operate on biblical principles" asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have." Then came the match that lit the fire. When asked about the company's support of the traditional family, Cathy simply said, "Well, guilty as charged." He then went on to say, "We are very much supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business...our restaurants are typically led by families...We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families." Gasp! How dare he say that when it comes to families, his support goes with the historic, traditional understanding of millennia that reflects his Judeo-Christian values. At least that seemed to be the collective response from such cultural epicenters as the media. The Baptist Press interview was picked up by the Huffington Post, Associated Press, USAToday, Los Angeles Times and more - most with the phrase "anti-gay" in the headline - fueled by the "revelation" that the privately-owned business donated to Christian groups that opposed homosexuality. [Of course, overlooked were the millions of dollars Chick-fil-A gives each year to other charitable causes. For example, they fund foster care programs, schools of higher learning, and children's camps. They provide scholarships for the employees to attend college, and this past Friday, they provided free meals for the police force in Aurora, Colorado.] Many on twitter and in the blogosphere immediately labeled them a hate group. Yes, a hate group. Then the mayor of Boston vowed to block Chick-fil-A from opening a restaurant in the city because it is a business "that discriminates against a population." The Jim Henson Company of Kermit and Miss Piggy fame said they will stop providing toys for the fast food chain's kids' meals because the company won't endorse same-sex marriage. They plan on donating money already received from Chick-fil-A to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Ed Helms, star of the sitcom The Office, publicly promised a personal boycott. Okay, let's put our big-boy pants on for a minute. Cathy never uttered the words "anti-gay" in the interview. All he did was state, when pointedly asked, his support for the traditional family as outlined in the Bible. Further, the company made it clear following Cathy's comments that they had no intention of entering the policy debate over same-sex marriage, and that the Chick-fil-A "culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect - regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." And indeed, there has never even been a hint of discrimination in Chick-fil-A's history. So Chick-fil-A is not a hate group, does not discriminate, and is not actively working in the realm of public policy. It just has personal core values. But my, what a mirror this has provided, and the reflection is worth noting in detail. Fifty years ago, any support of homosexual practice would have ended your business. Now, the threat to your business is support of the traditional family. It is a fascinating progression that has taken place in American culture. - First, classical Christian orthodoxy was marginalized. - Second, it became ostracized. - Third, it became demonized. - Fourth, it became penalized. - And now the move would seem to be to have it criminalized. Defining discrimination as disagreement, and then disagreement as a hate crime, is one of the more frightening developments of our time. But developed it has. As the Baptist Press reporter has since said of the tempest over Cathy's remarks, "I don't understand why that's a bad thing all of a sudden. It was not an anti-gay statement. It was a pro-family statement." But that's the point. That's the reflection given to us in this mirror. Welcome to our world. [James Emery White] Chicago's Mayor weighed in by saying, "Chick-fil-A values are not Chicago values." But interestingly enough the ACLU supported Chick-fil-A, saying, "The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words," said Adam Schwartz, senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. "When a (govt. official) refuses to allow a business to open because its owner has expressed a viewpoint the government disagrees with, the government is practicing viewpoint discrimination." Hmmmmm. Mike Bratten, Sr. Minister Sunbury Christian Church mike@sunburychristian.com (740) 965-3821

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New direction for any war ... Thanks Alma H.!

Written by a Former Soldier...New Direction for any war: Send Service Vets over 60!

I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35.

For starters, researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry.' We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some enemy that desperately deserves it will make us feel better & shut us up for a while.

An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10am. Old guys always get up early to pee, so why not?. Besides, like I said, I'm tired & can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical terrorist. If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed & yelled at & we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming & yelling.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course however...I've been in combat & never saw a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after completing basic training. Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too... I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start a conversation w/a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.

These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.

Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million old guys with attitudes & automatic weapons, who know that their best years are already behind them.

HEY!! How about recruiting Women over 50...in menopause!!! You think MEN have attitudes??

If nothing else, put them on border patrol. They'll have it secured the first night!

Investments ... Thanks Alma H.!