'It just switched sides': Chick-fil-A 'has betrayed the Christian community,' charges new report

A Chick-fil-A franchise in Stuart, Fla., was packed with patrons on Aug. 1, 2012. (WND photo / Joe Kovacs)

Chick-fil-A, the chicken sandwich chain whose popularity surged when its CEO affirmed marriage is between a man and a woman, now "has betrayed the Christian community," a new report charges.

The non-profit legal group Liberty Counsel released a report on the company's decision to stop financially supporting certain groups that back traditional marriage.

In 2012, LGBT activists called for boycotts of the chain in response to CEO Dan Cathy's statement in a radio interview that marriage between a man and a woman is "the biblical definition of the family unit."

But a counter-protest ensued, boosting Chick-fil-A's sales, eventually making it the third largest restaurant chain in the nation, after only McDonald's and Starbucks.

Liberty Counsel, however, noticed backtracking on Chick-fil-A's public stance on marriage began a couple of years after Cathy's interview, when the CEO said he regretted his statement about marriage.

"Every leader goes through different phases of maturity, growth and development and it helps by [recognizing] the mistakes that you make. And you learn from those mistakes," he said then.

Last month, COO Tim Tassopoulos said the company needed to be "clear" about its message, so it was changing the groups to which it donates.

Liberty Counsel said Chick-fil-A will no longer donate to the Salvation Army, Paul Anderson Youth Home and Fellowship of Christian Athletes because they have been characterized as anti-LGBT groups by LGBT activists.

Instead of the Salvation Army, Chick-fil-A is donating to Covenant House, "an LGBTQ activist organization that celebrates homosexuality and 'transgenderism,'" the report said.

"Instead of funding Christian organizations that believe in marriage between one man and one woman, Chick-fil-A now funds organizations that advocate the opposite," Liberty Counsel said.

The founder of Covenant House was sued for allegedly sexually abusing youth.

The chain also supports the New York City Gay Pride parade, and it even has supported a drag queen story hour.

Other Chick-fil-A recipients:

Groups linked "to local Democrats (who actively work against Christian values and counseling) and assorted causes regarding 'diversity,' 'equity' and 'social justice."
Groups such as Atlanta's Westside Future Fund, a project of the Atlanta Committee for Progress together with former Mayor Kasim Reed. In January 2015, Reed fired Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran because he wrote a men's Christian devotional book on his personal time that briefly mentions biblical sexual morality.
The Andrew Young Foundation. The former Atlanta liberal mayor sits on its advisory board. Young is an ardent advocate of the LGBTQ agenda and same-sex marriage.
Dan Cathy also has partnered with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who joined the Mayors Against Discrimination Coalition to expand rights and protections for the LGBT community.
Muslim refugees through Friends of Refugees and the New Leaders Council.
And the Southern Poverty Law Center, which, the report said, "grossly misrepresents and recklessly labels Christian, pro-family and conservative nonviolent groups as 'hate groups.'"

Chick-fil-A executives said they want to create a new image after cities, airports and universities rejected .

Explained Liberty Counsel, "So while Dan Cathy may say the company still has the same biblical values, as he stated in a conversation with Samaritan’s Purse President and CEO Franklin Graham, the company’s actions tell a different story."

When the issue arose, Graham said he talked with Cathy and was told the company still held to its values.

But then the company's agenda became clear.

The report noted Graham called on Christians to pray that Chick-fil-A holds true to its historic Christian values.

In an apparent departure from his previous comments, Graham wrote:

"Chick-fil-A has been in the news a lot, and every day it seems there’s a new article about their charitable giving. There has been a lot of concern and criticism, and maybe rightly so. For Christian schools, businesses, and organizations, there is always a danger of drifting to the left. It is my sincere hope that Chick-fil-A will not allow that to happen. With the majority of corporate America caving to the LGBTQ agenda, Chick-fil-A has stood against the tide—with people of faith supporting them all the way. What can we do now? I would encourage Christians everywhere to pray for Dan Cathy, his brother Bubba, and the family as they have some important decisions to make. It’s their company, they can do what they want. But my prayer is that God will lead and direct them, and that they will continue to honor their late father Truett Cathy’s strong stand for biblical values–all to the glory of God! While Chick-fil-A is one of the few restaurants closed on Sunday to honor God, what if we make today ‘Pray for Chick-fil-A Day?’ Will you join me in praying?”

Liberty Counsel's report noted Chick-fil-A still is in the culture wars.

"It just switched sides."