“Store
Exterior at Night,” on Cracker Barrel, Newsroom, Photos, Our
Stores. “Photos . . . are available for download.”
Introduction
Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I used
to like to eat at the Cracker Barrel.
(The headquarters
are in Lebanon, Tennessee.)
We have done so often, over a few decades, at different stores,
often with family and friends. The food is good. The country
theme reminds us of our Appalachian heritage. The service is
typically friendly and sufficiently prompt. The wait time to be
seated is usually reasonable. The cost is acceptable. There were
no “rainbow rocking chairs.”
Last Friday, however, I was stunned
to realize that the Cracker Barrel promotes "Pride Month.”
Their “rainbow rocking chairs” signify their corporate “pride.”
Apparently, the restaurant chain has been doing this since 2018. I hadn't known until four days ago. This is not our biblically-based
Appalachian heritage!
This fourteenth article, under the
topic “Worldviews
in Conflict,” shares the news from a few media sources and then
from Cracker Barrel itself. It then references previous articles that
comment on marriage and so-called “Pride Month.” My public
statement to Cracker Barrel precedes the conclusion, which emphasizes
the everlasting pride in the biblical worldview, despite the ungodly worldviews that are promoted, accepted, and forced upon those who disagree.
From the News Media
Last Friday, I happened upon the
stunning news, while reading an article on another subject. The
article had a reference to the news. Searching for “Cracker Barrel
celebrates Pride Month” found many articles. The following are
five of several sources. They include facts, historical notes,
“reactions,” and various “spins.” The articles are in
alphabetical order by publisher. I added comments under the
Dailymail and the FOX Business articles.
“Cracker
Barrel faces boycott call for celebrating Pride Month,” on CBS News
Moneywatch, by Khristopher J. Brooks, 6/9/2023
“Cracker
Barrel faces backlash for sharing Pride post saying 'everyone is
always welcome at our table' - as conservatives accuse restaurant
chain of 'caving to the mob',” on Dailymail, by Noa Halff,
6/9/2023. The Dailymail is in the United Kingdom. Even our
“cousins across the pond” have heard about it!
“Cracker
Barrel Has ‘Fallen’? Folksy Southern Food Chain Becomes Latest
Unlikely Target Of Anti-LGBTQ Crusade,” on Forbes, by Conor Murray,
6/9/2023
“Cracker
Barrel faces backlash for posting celebratory Pride Month rocking
chair: 'Showing true colors:' Conservative accused Cracker Barrel of
going 'woke,' and vowed to stop supporting the restaurant,” on FOX
Business, by Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 6/10/2023. FOX News has its web
page: “America
Together, Celebrating Diversity: LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH,” which
states, “FOX News Media celebrates the
contributions to America by the LGBTQ+ community.”
My article
of 6/26/2022, under the section “LGBTQ
Pride Month,” has commentary on FOX
News' acceptance of that worldview.
“Cracker
Barrel the latest to stir controversy around Pride month,” on
Washington Examiner, by Jenny Goldsberry, 6/9/2023
From the Cracker Barrel
Deciding to go “straight to the
horse's mouth,” I visited various web pages on the Cracker
Barrel website. As a humorous sidenote, their top-page
advertisement, with Father's Day approaching,” is: “A gift for
Dad & something extra for you. Buy $50 in gift cards and get a
FREE $10 digital Bonus Card. Buy Now.”
Clicking the 'x' closes the advertisement. Will
Cracker Barrel eventually replace “Dad” with “Inseminating
Person?” We will see.
Under
“About Us,”
Cracker Barrel has a “Diversity
and Inclusion” section
titled “Everyone
Feels at Home: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at
Cracker Barrel.”
In the first two paragraphs, Cracker Barrel indicates that
their “inclusive culture” extends welcome “to
everyone who walks through” their doors. It states:
“Discrimination, overt or through unconscious bias, has no place
at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.”
That seems innocuous
enough.
The
following is stated, however,
under the heading “Recognitions
& Achievements:”
In 2021, Cracker Barrel scored 80 on the Human Rights
Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index. This national
benchmarking tool measures policies, practices, and benefits
pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+)
employees and is a primary driving force for LGBTQ+ workplace
inclusion.
Further, under the heading
“What We've Done,”
the following is stated quite proudly (pardon the pun):
Zero Tolerance for LGBTQ Discrimination and
Harassment: Cracker Barrel has zero tolerance for discrimination
and harassment. This was made clear when it quickly condemned and
turned away an anti-LGBTQ+ pastor when he announced plans in 2019 for
his church group to meet at a Knoxville area Cracker Barrel. We
issued a statement disagreeing strongly with the pastor's statements
of hate and divisiveness, and he was not permitted on-site.
Cracker Barrel Recognized by Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates: We
are proud to have our Cracker Barrel LGBTQ+ Alliance BRG be named
Employee Resource Group of the Year in 2018 by Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates.
The Limited-Edition Rainbow Pride Rocker:
To show our support and commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, we
worked with the Hinkle Rocker Company of Springfield, Tennessee, to
develop a Limited-Edition Rainbow Pride Rocker beginning in 2018.
Since then, we have donated these rockers to various LGBTQ+
organizations to help with fundraising efforts. Check
out our team celebrating Nashville Pride 2022!
Winner of the Nashville LGBT Chamber's Corporate
Diversity Award: Cracker Barrel was honored by the Nashville LGBT
Chamber of Commerce with the Corporate Diversity Award in 2018. The
award was in recognition of the progress and growth that has been
made in the area of LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion in recent years.
As an important note, the “Check
out” link
(embedded in the above quote) is to “Cracker
Barrel LGBT Alliance.” Apparently, Cracker Barrel has an
“LGBT Alliance” and another “LGBTQ+ Alliance” (as mentioned
in the fourth paragraph that follows this one). Of course, Cracker
Barrel may be confused by the evolving and euphemistic acronyms.
Their LGBT Alliance web page states, in part:
As [the month
of] June prompts us to reflect on the core values of PRIDE:
People/Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and
Excellence, Cracker Barrel believes these are core pillars that
should guide our decisions year-round.
To the Cracker Barrel, PRIDE is an
acronym, meaning “people/professionalism, respect, integrity,
diversity, and excellence.” Well, that sounds morally innocent
enough. Where is the so-called LGBTQ+ worldview in this
acronym? It is hidden under the word “diversity.” The
basic meaning of “diversity” relates to people of different races
and cultures. Of course, the word has been co-opted and
propagandized, to include the hidden agenda, which attempts to force
an ungodly worldview on those who affirm the biblical worldview.
One definition of “pride,” as a
noun, according to the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary, is: “Pride:
2. b.: an event or series of events celebrating and
affirming the rights, equality, and culture of LGBTQ
people.” That dictionary
defines “LGBTQ”
as: “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
queer/questioning (one's sexual or gender identity).”
LGBTQ is a euphemistic
acronym that belies the promotion of an ungodly worldview.
Near the bottom of the “Diversity
and Inclusion” section
(titled “Everyone Feels
at Home: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at Cracker
Barrel”), Sandra
B. Cochran, Cracker Barrel President and Chief Executive Officer,
states: "As we say in our People Promise, Cracker Barrel
values what everyone brings to the table. We are committed to hiring,
developing and retaining diverse talent that not only reflects the
communities we serve, but enriches our company and each other.”
Cracker Barrel does not
value the values that I bring “to the table.”
At the bottom of that web page, under
“Proud Representation:
Business Resource Groups,”
one of the seven groups is “LGBTQ+ Alliance:
Supporting Home Office and Field employees to bring their whole
selves to work while strengthening Cracker Barrel's relationship to
the LGBTQ+ community.” (Is this the same as the “LGBT
Alliance,” which the fourth paragraph, above, mentions?)
In summary, Cracker
Barrel is another company that has joined the “Pride Month”
bandwagon, as it rolls downhill. Bud Light did so recently (and
saw its profits decline). Other companies, to name a few, include
Adidas, Chick-fil-A, Nike, Starbucks, Kohl’s, Target, North Face,
and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The list goes on. Their stories have all
been and are in various media sources.
Previous Articles on
Marriage & So-Called “Pride Month”
Before mentioning previous articles, I
will establish credibility, based on the analytics for this website.
Yesterday, 6/12/2023, at 4:25 PM, I checked the number of
views, from which nations, and on which articles -- within
the last 24 hours. At that minute in time, in the last 24 hours,
views were 740 (so far). Views the day before, on 6/11/2023,
were 296. Analytics shows only the top 20 articles that are being
viewed. I saw those top 20 articles and the number of views that each
one had. Apparently, other articles, below the top 20, had views
as well. Views were from eighteen different countries (which I'll not
list in this article). I keep a monthly log, for the number of views each
month. The number of local,
regional, national, and international viewers establishes
credibility. (By the way, today, at 3:31 PM, just before this article
was published, the total views today, so far, were 230. That number
keeps rising.)
Now that I've established
credibility, a review of previous articles on this website finds at
least the following five that relate to
marriage or that comment on the euphemistically-called “Pride
Month.”
"Marriage
Melee" (published on 6/3/2006) is an early and brief article
that affirms marriage between one man and one woman only. A more
recent article is on 6/26/2022,
under the section “LGBTQ
Pride Month.” This
is the second article under the topic “Worldviews
in Conflict.” The conclusion, to that section, states, which I
still affirm:
The inspired apostle Paul stated that the first
century worldview included women, who “exchanged the natural use
for what is against nature,” and men, who left “the natural use
of the woman” and “burned in their lust for one another.” The
majority view, even in churches, that contradicts God's morality on
this subject is wrong. The biblical worldview is right. I rest my
case.
The article of 12/15/2022
concerns the 12/13/2022 “Respect for Marriage Act” (RFMA),
which defines “marriage,” in opposition to the Bible, as between
two people, regardless of gender.
The article includes my public comments
to the current president of this once-great nation. In response to
the false allegation that opposition to the practice of homosexuality
is so-called “hate speech,” I wrote, “ . . . one can hate the
sin and love the sinner, by loving efforts to persuade the sinner to
repent of his or her sin.” Further,
in opposition to the incorrect label of “homophobic,” I
encouraged the president to be “. . . theophobic, by
changing your worldview to reflect, in reverential fear, the biblical
worldview.” The conclusion states, which I still affirm:
God's law on marriage is that one man and one
woman unite as husband and wife. No other option defines marriage,
according to the Supreme Lawgiver.
The article of 2/26/2023
and the most recent article of 6/5/2023
were written in the context of 2023 Tennessee legislation that became
law. Those laws affirm, correctly, the biblical worldview, which the
Tennessee
State Constitution incorporates, predominately. The ungodly
and unconstitutional judicial response to one law is mentioned in the
most recent article. The conclusion to the 2/26/2023 article states,
in part, “Society should not accept as right what God calls
wrong.” Under the section “The
Alien Worldview,” in the most recent article, I wrote and
still affirm, “Once again, this month, biblical
morality endures the ungodly and alien morality of the
euphemistically named 'Pride Month'.”
My Public Statement to
Cracker Barrel
As the introduction stated, my wife
and I used to like to eat at the Cracker Barrel.
As I recall, it was in 1991, when I stopped buying Levi blue jeans.
We lived in Charleston, Missouri, and I was in full-time ministry.
Levi had started to flaunt
its acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle. I haven't bought Levi
blue jeans since then. Of course, other blue jean makers -- including
the brand that I buy, rarely, when needed -- may have joined Levi's
ungodly worldview. I haven't seen them flaunt
it yet.
This author is not so simplistic as
to think that he should or can only purchase products from companies
that support his biblical worldview.
That approach is not practical -- especially since so many products
are made in other countries, since some companies that promote
ungodly worldviews have a monopoly on their products, and since so
many companies have accepted ungodly worldviews. A
Christian, who upholds the biblical worldview, however, is free to
stop doing business with any company that flaunts
its unbiblical worldview in his or her face, such as Cracker Barrel
has done!
My public
statement to Cracker Barrel is:
Thank you, Cracker Barrel, for “parading” your “Pride
Month” in my face, on Thursday! My wife and I will spend our
hard-earned money at other dining locations. You have several
competitors that don't flaunt their ungodly worldviews, if
they have them, in my face. I wasn't aware of your unbiblical,
anti-traditional family, and anti-rural American
values, until you flaunted them in my face. I won't
come sit in your “rainbow rocking chairs.” I will continue to
stand on the Solid Rock of biblical morality.
Tomorrow,
Lord willing, I plan to include a reference to this article, in the
postal letter that I mail to: Sandra B. Cochran, President and
Chief Executive Officer, Cracker Barrel Headquarters, PO Box 787,
Lebanon, TN 37088. Sandra Cochran is welcome to comment, as an
official response to this article, in the comments section. This
article will be updated, to denote her response, if she replies.
Conclusion
The
words in “Marriage
Melee (published 6/3/2006)” are still timeless and valid.
I
still affirm, as Mason said to Dixon, “We
have to draw the line somewhere!”
The power of ungodly propaganda, unfortunately, turns
public opinion. Like a ship without a rudder, public opinion
drifts with the tide of that propaganda. What society once knew was
wrong becomes accepted as right. The process takes decades.
This has been the case with the unbiblical worldview that has been
and is behind the euphemistically called “Pride Month” of June.
This
article, on 6/13/2023, predicts that polygamy will be accepted by the
majority, in time. The
propagandists have been at work, but, so far, they do not have enough
persuasive power. Their power is growing. See, for example, the
following two Gallup articles. First, from 2020, “Understanding
the Increase in Moral Acceptability of Polygamy,” on Gallup, by
Frank Newport, 6/26/2020, states (emboldening added for
emphasis):
Another important trend has been the increase in the
moral acceptability of gay and lesbian relations, now 66%, up from as
low as 38% (in 2002).
When Gallup first included polygamy on the
list in 2003, 7% of Americans said it was morally
acceptable, and that fell to 5% in 2006. But over the past
decade, this percentage has gradually increased -- moving into double
digits in 2011, reaching 16% in 2015, and this year, at 20%, the
highest in our history. In short, there has been a fourfold
increase in the American public's acceptance of polygamy in about a
decade and a half.
Next, for 2022, “Untangling
Americans' Complex Views of Morality,” on Gallup, by Frank Newport,
6/17/2022, states (emboldening added for emphasis):
Americans' views that each of the following is
morally acceptable has increased significantly over the past two
decades: sex between an unmarried man and woman, having a baby
outside of marriage, sex between teenagers, and gay or lesbian
relations. And while just 23% of Americans say that polygamy is
morally acceptable, that's up from 7% in 2003.
Will
the Cracker Barrel (and other companies) accept, promote, and flaunt
polygamy -- when the propagandists of that lifestyle reach sufficient
power, to turn the tide of public opinion to accept it?
The Cracker Barrel has changed -- from the morally straight and
narrow rudder of God's word -- to the rudderless, propagandized, and
immoral rudder of public opinion.
Morality
is not
subjective!
It is not
based on societal norms or public opinion polls. Morality
is absolute.
It flows from the nature of the Moral Lawgiver, God. For the complete
reasoning on this point, see, on this website, “Christian
Evidences (Apologetics): Does God Exist - Moral Argument (published
11-4-2022; article #370; series article #2).”
Jesus stated, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7):
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is
the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many
enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it. (Mt. 7:13-14, NIV)
Therefore everyone who hears these words of
mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his
house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the
winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because
it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words
of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who
built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash. (Mt. 7:24-27, NIV)
The mixture of metaphors is as follows. Morality, which flows from
the nature of God, should be the rudder that guides a person, a
society, and a nation along the straight and narrow course. That is
the Solid Rock foundation, which holds firmly, against the immoral
winds and the shifting sands of ungodly propaganda and public
opinion.
I hope that the Cracker Barrel chooses wisely. I trust, dear reader,
that you have already. If you are drifting with the ungodly winds of
societal degeneration, please get on the straight course. It will
help you stand, and it will lead you up, in the heavenly direction.
The “Contact Form” is available, if you would like to converse
privately.
The Cracker
Barrel -- along with many folks and organizations, in this once-great
nation -- can have their “Pride Month” in June. I endure it. I,
however, will retain my everlasting pride in the biblical worldview.
I rest my case.
