Crosstalk: November 22, 2019

Many were shocked and caught off guard this week when Chick-fil-A Foundation announced what they called their ‘Refined Giving Approach’ and how they would work with their 2020 partners.  Considering how the chain has been criticized in the past, is there any evidence that can lead us to a conclusion as to what this ‘Refined Giving Approach’ means?  

Mat Staver, the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, joined Jim to discuss this issue.

According to Mat, this situation began in 2012 when Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy said in an interview that he believes in one man, one woman marriage as put forth by the Bible.  LGBT groups blasted the chain. In response, Governor Mike Huckabee organized ‘Chick-fil-A Day’ which became the most successful day in the chain’s history and since that time their growth has been exponential.

Despite their success, they decided to stop supporting certain organizations, one of which is the Paul Anderson Youth Home.  In addition, there were two other organizations that they were tied to with long-term giving commitments. This included the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  All 3 of these had been branded as anti-LGBT due to specific policies consistent with biblical sexuality.

The President and Chief Operating Officer, Tim Tassopoulos, gave an interview to a business publication noting that Chick-fil-A will focus giving on 3 general areas: Housing, feeding and education.  While also communicating they will no longer fund the Salvation Army or Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he said that they will fund Covenant House International and this will clarify who they are.

How can Chick-fil-A claim to want to concentrate on housing/feeding people through their giving when they’re setting aside the Salvation Army, the largest housing and food bank entity in the world?  What are we to make of their support for Covenant House International, an organization that was started by a priest who became a pedophile? These and other concerns are raised on this edition of Crosstalk.