I love your website and service. It is thoroughly enjoyable. BUT THIS IS GARBAGE!! You are celebrating the idea of "schooling" aka "punishing" a company that by all reports has treated not only its customers but its employees in exemplary ways. But because they man who is the COO believes in and supports the definition of marriage that has existed for thousands of years, you think they should be made an example of?

I am seriously rethinking my usage of your investment site if this is what you want to promote. The same slime you slime Dan Cathy with may come back to slime you as well. Remember that before you post your next similar graphic.

Thanks Mark... conflicted emotions are hard to deal with!

Jewda...
I just want to gently caution you that just because someone HONESTLY disagrees, does not mean they are trying to "rip someone apart". I, for one, have tried to be abundantly clear in my comments here that there is no "thou shalt not drink" passage I am aware of. However, that doesn't mean that we should engage in our liberties just because we can. Paul imposed self-limits on himself, and I think we need to as well.

I commend your friends for entering the "lion's den" so to speak. It seems to me, based on my own experiences in the world, that we can engage the culture without becoming the culture. I can sit at a table of those who are drinking in a bar, without participating in the drinking, and still have their respect. I believe that approach would serve the cause of Christ much better here....

Perhaps you believe that is akin to ripping your friends apart. But I would humbly submit that there is wisdom in the counsel of many..... even those with whom we disagree.

Nate... just want to tell you thanks for sharing your story... and praise be to God and to those who pursued you in Jesus' name that you are back to living for Christ.

I know I have a tendency to read into something what I want to read into it.... therefore, I am sure that most reading my comments are taking me to be some legalistic Pharisee. I am far, far from it. I've made far too many mistakes in my life to ever go down that road. I embrace and welcome the grace and freedom of Christ.

I just don't buy the notion that the only way to engage the culture is to "be" the culture. Paul self-limited himself, did he not? I don't believe Paul quite went to the "anything short of sin" mindset. Freedom is not license.

I reiterate, however, I am fully committed to the idea of getting out to engage. In fact our own church has been contemplating investing in shot glasses with our church logo & contact info that would say "Give us a shot". I'm all for engaging the culture.... I'm just feeling uneasy about the comfort level too many evangelicals seem to be feeling with looking just like the world..... except we carry a Bible... on our IPhone of course.

Clarification to anyone following this interaction:

I am NOT suggesting those in the bar should not be drinking. I am suggesting that we can and should engage with them... in their culture... in their environment... while they have a beer... but let US be different. In the end, it will matter more to them if they sense genuine love and care from us than if they think we're cool because we had a few beers with them. That's why Jesus was a magnet... not because he did what they did, but because he loved like they had never been loved.

BTW - Diet Coke? Heck no!!! Gotta be a straight-up Pepsi!

I appreciate your push-back J! Blessings!

Hey "J".... thanks for the questions. As I said in the earlier response, I don't believe there is a "thou shalt not drink" in scripture. So I don't come at this from a legalistic point of view. I come at it from a Christ-likeness, way of wisdom, point of view.

I don't think it's possible to erase the idea of "weaker brothers" from the discussion. Do we seriously think that it's impossible for there to be weaker brothers watching and being influenced here? I'm not in favor of submitting every choice we make to whether or not someone will be offended... we'll never get anything done... but are there genuine choices that we could make in freedom that truly might be an impediment to others? In this case I believe so.

As for "all things to all men", certainly we all would agree that there must be limits to that declaration by Paul. So where are those limits? Where do we draw the line? I am watching the intent to do whatever is necessary to reach some devolve into a very slippery slope. Each step in one direction, makes it a bit easier to take the next step.

I have seen alcohol DESTROY countless lives. Do we REALLY need to engage in the consumption of alcohol to reach people.... really? I have ZERO issues with going into a bar to reach people. I believe that is the model of Jesus. And it most certainly is full of lost people... a target rich environment. But I humbly submit that we can go there without being the same and still accomplish the mission of the gospel.

I would suggest that we all need to start looking at REDEEMING the culture instead of RESEMBLING the culture.

Wow... I continue to be amazed at the way we want to "justify" engaging in the lifestyle of the world in order to "reach" people. Jesus clearly came on a search and rescue mission.... but we seem to want to focus on the "search" part, not so much the rescue part. I don't see Jesus engaging in the behaviors of the world in order to reach the lost. He loved, them, met them on their turf, but remained entirely holy.

I firmly believe there has been too much isolation from the world. We MUST engage.... and that means we need to be willing to GO. But it doesn't mean we have to go and ACT LIKE THE WORLD.

I pledged a frat at University of South Carolina. I didn't drink. I did before I arrived there, but was convicted it was not a good practice. So, upon my arrival at USC, I could have looked and acted like them to fit in.... but I didn't. and I didn't have to. They accepted me for me.... not for how much I could drink. I witnessed. I reached out.... but I was different. Isn't that the call of Scripture?

Have we gotten so comfortable in our culture that we are now like it?

I actually pastor a church in a bar... not an active bar, but a night club we purchased a couple of years ago. We still have three bars actually in the facility. I say that to give some context for my comment.

I don't like it. I fear the "missional" mindset is becoming synonymous with compromising values. I'm all for getting out of the box.... you can't get much more out of the box than having a church with three bars. But out of the box doesn't have to mean "of the world". If they are going into the environment to meet people where they are and have a Bible study, then I dig that. But if they are going into the environment to also have a "couple of beers" while doing a Bible study, then I think they are way off the mark.

Mind you... I don't believe the Bible teaches "thou shalt not drink".... however, as the previous poster mentioned, 1 Corinthians 8 is my guiding principle in these matters. I see this as a potentially dangerous road. Good intentions... bad results.... and in my opinion, does not honor the charge to be "in the world, but not of the world."

looks much better