Which is why this article from Shane Windmeyer (see Dan and Me for the full story) is so fascinating. Because Shane is the director of Campus Pride which is the LGBT group that called for the boycott of Chick-Fil-A in the first place.
And this is the picture of Shane and Dan at a football game!
Shane said, “It was among the most unexpected moments of my life.”
Check this out…
“Like most LGBT people, I was provoked by Dan's public opposition to marriage equality and his company's problematic giving history. I had the background and history on him, so I thought, and had my own preconceived notions about who he was. I knew this character. No way did he know me. That was my view. But it was flawed.
On Aug. 10, 2012, in the heat of the controversy, I got a surprise call from Dan Cathy. He had gotten my cell phone number from a mutual business contact serving campus groups. I took the call with great caution. He was going to tear me apart, right? Give me a piece of his mind? Turn his lawyers on me?
The first call lasted over an hour, and the private conversation led to more calls the next week and the week after. Dan Cathy knew how to text, and he would reach out to me as new questions came to his mind. This was not going to be a typical turn of events.
His questions and a series of deeper conversations ultimately led to a number of in-person meetings with Dan and representatives from Chick-fil-A. He had never before had such dialogue with any member of the LGBT community. It was awkward at times but always genuine and kind.
It is not often that people with deeply held and completely opposing viewpoints actually risk sitting down and listening to one another. We see this failure to listen and learn in our government, in our communities and in our own families. Dan Cathy and I would, together, try to do better than each of us had experienced before.
Never once did Dan or anyone from Chick-fil-A ask for Campus Pride to stop protesting Chick-fil-A. On the contrary, Dan listened intently to our concerns and the real-life accounts from youth about the negative impact that Chick-fil-A was having on campus climate and safety at colleges across the country. He was concerned…Dan sought first to understand, not to be understood. He confessed that he had been naïve to the issues at hand and the unintended impact of his company's actions.
Throughout the conversations Dan expressed a sincere interest in my life, wanting to get to know me on a personal level. He wanted to know about where I grew up, my faith, my family, even my husband, Tommy. In return, I learned about his wife and kids and gained an appreciation for his devout belief in Jesus Christ and his commitment to being "a follower of Christ" more than a "Christian." Dan expressed regret and genuine sadness when he heard of people being treated unkindly in the name of Chick-fil-a -- but he offered no apologies for his genuine beliefs about marriage.”
So, Mr. Cathy went on to invite Shane to be his guest at the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve and asked him to sit with his family at the event his chicken empire was sponsoring. Thankfully Shane said yes and they had a fantastic time getting to share in each other’s lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen: I give you a model of Jesus. This is it. I’m not saying that you should eat chicken or not eat chicken. I don’t know Dan Cathy; I wish he went to my church. I’m certain that he and I would agree about a lot and probably disagree about a little.
But this is what Christians should be doing! Jesus Christ was always the approachable, loving, non-combative, relationship builder with those who were living lives outside the boundaries that God intended. They always felt comfortable with Jesus.
Contrast that with this moronic pastor who left no tip for a waitress and then blamed it on God.
What Would Jesus Do? He would punch this guy in the head and then go buy some Chick-Fil-A.
Well I’d want him to…
Hats off to Dan Cathy. Please forgive Pastor Moron. Go be Jesus.
Tim
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