The apostle Paul admonished believers in Ephesus, “We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head” (Eph 4:14-15).
Popular media is incessantly engaged in “cunning craftiness” (Eph 4:14) by portraying Christians and conservatives as hateful and intolerant, with the sole purpose of diminishing Bible-based moral influence. Christ-followers must, therefore, become intentional people of discernment, in order to dispel the surmounting “winds of doctrine” (4:14) being proliferated by an unbelieving world.
A good example of the media’s “deceitful plotting” (Eph 4:14), can be observed in the recent Chick-fil-A brouhaha. In an article entitled “Same Sex Marriage? Dan Cathy Never Mentioned It,” by Martha M. Boltz, we learn the truth concerning the purported anti-gay statement made by Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A (see footnote 1).
The proponents of the homosexual agenda have portrayed Cathy as a prime example of anti-gay bigotry in America, rallying people to boycott Chick-fil-A in an attempt to undermine his business; however, Cathy never said anything against homosexuals. Boltz says the Chick-fil-A drama “was ignited by a misquote, or actually a non-quote made by C.E.O. Dan Cathy several weeks ago. Supposedly reliable media folk took what they heard, extrapolated it into what they thought it meant, and the die was cast.”
Dan Cathy was attending a meeting at Colonial Baptist Church in North Carolina, when K. Allan Blume of the Baptist Press obtained an interview with him (Boltz). The original interview is entitled, “‘Guilty as Charged,’ Cathy Says of Chick-fil-A’s Stand on Biblical and Family Values” (see footnote 2). Cathy’s actual statement that was misconstrued by the media is this: “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, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that” (Blume).
Martha M. Boltz says, “When I spoke with Rev. Blume, he was quick to explain that he and the chicken magnate were discussing family values in general, how to run a Christian-oriented business in today’s world, and other similar subjects. The subject of gay (same-sex) marriage was not on the roster, nor did Cathy ever mention it.”
Boltz explains the process of misconstrual as follows: “After the interview appeared in the Baptist Press, it was reported by the Huffington Post (owned by America Online), which was the first to insert the term ‘same-sex marriage,’ which had theretofore not been mentioned! ‘Anti-gay’ and ‘same-sex-marriage,’ made for attention-getting headlines, and the rest of the mainstream media followed.”
Boltz continues to explain how “Brian Williams talked about the appreciation day held this week [recommended by Mike Huckabee] and said that it was the result of Dan Cathy coming out ‘forcefully against same sex marriage.’ Where did NBC get that? Certainly not from the interview. This is how exaggerations, embellishments and statements designed to stir up one side or another become gospel.”
The apostle John said, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn 4:1). This is excellent advice for Christ-followers. Do not believe everything you hear and read, but research the facts; and in that way, you will be able to “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15) and, thereby, help others weed through the hype.
1. Martha M. Boltz, “Same Sex Marriage? Dan Cathy Never Mentioned It,” The Washington Times: communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/political-potpourri/2012/aug/5/same-sex-marriage-dan-cathy-attacked/ (Accessed August 11, 2012).
2. K. Allan Blume, “‘Guilty As Charged,’ Cathy Says of Chick-fil-A’s Stand on Biblical and Family Values,” Baptist Press: www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=38271 (Accessed August 11, 2012).