Eating at Chic-fil-a and Other Theological Quandaries

photo credit: JeepersMedia Chick-Fil-A via photopin (license)

Biased Opinion

The recent controversies surrounding the Salvation Army, Chic-fil-a, and Ellie Goulding have been discussed about with such great frequency that I doubt my own opinion would help. However, this whole topic has been bothering me, so much so that I have become once again embittered to what has happened in my recent past from being defrocked as a Salvation Army officer.

My opinion on this whole situation is therefore biased and biased to the extreme. I was once an officer in the Salvation Army, but after coming out as bisexual, going through a divorce, and having been a vocal advocate for LGBT inclusion in the Salvation Army, I was terminated with cause, with no chance to ever become an officer again.

That is the bias I bring to this conversation.

And I'm coming up with answers that I am uncomfortable with.

Chic-fil-a

Here's my first controversial statement:  I don't eat at Chic-fil-a regularly. I haven't seen the need and it doesn't necessarily appeal to me. I know I have now offended a wide swath of people. In all honesty, I don't particularly like to eat at fast food restaurants. The ones that I do frequent, if at all, I try to make certain to eat healthy. Chic-fil-a with its deep fried unhealthy chicken and waffle fries is not exactly the paragon of healthiness. In all honesty, neither have I been, but I digress.

Several years back, when it was revealed that Chic-fil-a's philanthropic support goes to some organizations that supported anti-LGBT views, they were roundly criticized. People stopped going there who were of a liberal persuasion. Conservatives loved it and made long queues outside of the stores in show of support.

Now with Chic-fil-a announcing they would no longer support certain agencies that have had a history of problematic relationships with the LGBT community (the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes), liberal people are flocking to the store and conservatives are aghast at what to do. I even had a good friend who, knowing my past history with the Salvation Army, asked me if it was OK for him to start eating at Chic-fil-a again.

Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding, a British pop star, had announced on Instagram that she was doing the halftime show of the Dallas Cowboy's annual Thanksgiving Game. This show traditionally is also the start of the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign. It is one of the Salvation Army's most important fundraisers during the winter phase, when they accumulate the most donations compared to the rest of the year.

Immediately there was an uproar among her fans due to the Salvation Army's troubled history dealing with the LGBT community. At first Goulding stated she wouldn't perform unless the Army offered an explanation or donated to an LGBT cause. That in and of itself would have been something:  The Salvation Army, a charity, donating to another charity.

All of the sudden, something behind the scenes happened and Goulding's concert is as of today still on and the Salvation Army issued a statement, thanking her for helping to dispel the rumors that the Salvation Army is anti-LGBT. Nowhere in that statement was there an apology from the Salvation Army to the LGBT community for when they have fallen short. Instead, where incidents of homophobia and discrimination involving the Salvation Army have come to light, the Army dismisses it as not representative of the Salvation Army. They have yet to apologize.

Is the Salvation Army anti-LGBT?

In a word:  Yes.

You might be wondering:  Why does the Salvation Army issue these statements about myths and non-discrimination?

The Salvation Army is trying to straddle a fence. On one hand, the Salvation Army is a Church. Most people are ignorant of this fact. They are also a part of Evangelical Tradition, coming out of the Holiness Movement. They just use military terms for traditional Church jargon.  "Officers" are pastors. "Soldiers" are members. "Corps" is a congregation. A "divisional commander" is a bishop. The General would be akin to the Pope.

The Salvation Army's social work is an integral part to their evangelistic work. Because often times the funding for their work comes from government sources, proselytizing is not allowed if the funding were to continue.

Nevertheless, the Salvation Army continues to serve humanity practically and it is due to their love of God that they serve all. The Salvation Army's own mission statement states that their mission is to "meet human need's in [Jesus Christ's] name without discrimination."

Then how is the Salvation Army anti-LGBT?

Their theology regulates people in LGBT relationships to be sinning.

In 2014, when marriage equality was slowly becoming law of the land in the United States, the Salvation Army was quick to respond to this "crisis." They issued instructions to all Salvation Army officers (pastors), forbidding them from performing same-sex weddings, attending these weddings in uniform, or allowing such weddings to take place in Salvation Army sanctuaries.

Officers who would go against such policies would end up being terminated.

Salvation Army officers (pastors) are not employees of the Salvation Army. When I became an officer, I had to sign a legal document, stating that I realized I wasn't an employee of the Salvation Army and that my relationship with the Salvation Army was spiritual, not legal. The Salvation Army in return gave me an allowance, a place to stay, etc.

That all went away when I was terminated.

It also gets around that pesky anti-discrimination clause. With officers not being employees, the Salvation Army could dictate to them who they could and could not marry. In this way, the Salvation Army could, in good conscious, say that they do not discriminate in their hiring practices.

What's the problem then?

Most people would just shake their heads and say, "Well, the Salvation Army is clearly very controlling, but they voluntarily signed up for that."

The Salvation Army's theological stance regarding marriage is that "The Salvation Army affirms that marriage is the voluntary and loving union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others." This forces LGBT people in the Salvation Army to either remain celibate, marry someone of the opposite sex (despite orientation), or leave. I remember last year at a music camp of the Salvation Army, a young man came out as gay. I stopped reading the comments on the feed when officers and soldiers criticized this young man for coming out.

Rejection is a bitter pill to swallow. When LGBT soldiers and officers (members and pastors) are forced to resign or are terminated, it leaves a gaping wound. It is perhaps easier for straight cisgender Salvationists to tell people in the LGBT community to find another church, not realizing that these people have long considered the Salvation Army their home. It is difficult to uproot and find another spiritual home. When that spiritual home rejects you, is it any wonder that so many people are simply rejecting religion altogether?

I never wanted to resign my commission (ordination) as a Salvation Army officer, but I was outed as bisexual and because I publicly questioned the Salvation Army's stance on LGBT inclusion, I was terminated with cause.

When that damning memorandum was leaked to the press, the Salvation Army tried to do damage control. They claimed their "theology of marriage" was separate from their "theology of service."

That's simply not true. Since their theology of marriage regulates LGBT people to celibacy, this mindset also informs their "theology of service." They should be one and the same.

But . . . 

Here's the thing:  The Salvation Army still serves people without discrimination. They help those in need and this includes those in the LGBT community. However, the Salvation Army will not accept people in the LGBT community as equals. Gay men cannot get married in the Salvation Army. Lesbian women cannot be ordained. A brief glance at most Facebook Salvation Army pages reveals the average Salvationist's stance towards the gay community:  from fear of the "gay agenda" or "lifestyle" to "prayerful concern" that the LGBT community will come to Christ.

Most Salvationists refuse to believe that people can be both gay, in committed relationships, and a Christian at the same time.

The Conclusion?

Will they serve people in the LGBT community practically?  Yes.

Is The Salvation Army anti-LGBT?  Yes.

Should we eat at Chic-fil-a? Should we put money in the red kettle?

That's perhaps not the right question. How do we treat our fellow human being? Do we show them love, or do we tell them they are not equal and cannot enjoy the same privileges that we do?

I guess it's a matter of conscience. I don't eat at Chic-fil-a. I'm not inclined to eat there now, either, even though they no longer support the Salvation Army. It's a marketing ploy to get us to spend money there.

I don't donate to the Salvation Army any more, even though they still help people out. I cannot forget how they treated me and how people in the Salvation Army continue to treat me after leaving.

It's a terrible thing to be shunned by the community that gave you a spiritual foundation.

I am also cognizant that this rhetoric of confronting the Salvation Army's homophobia comes up the most at Christmas time. It makes sense:  it's the Army's highest visibility. It's also the time when the Salvation Army raises the most money.

So what is the solution? Donate to the Salvation Army and people will be helped, including those in the LGBT community. Don't donate to the Salvation Army and maybe the Army will be forced to confront their homophobia.

The choice is yours. What's funny about it is that both choices have merit. It's a matter of your conscience.