“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 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 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.
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.
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4 comments:
Your article is truly well done, excellent, informative and needed. We'll not be eating at Cracker Barrel either. Thank you.
You're welcome and thank you, very kindly, Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous, for your comment! On a separate note, about noon, on this Flag Day, I saw the postman take my letter, to the President and CEO of the Cracker Barrel, from our mailbox. I also mailed a copy of that letter to the GM of the nearby Cracker Barrel location, where we used to eat. We will never sit in a “rainbow rocking chair!” If either the CEO or that GM respond, then I plan, Lord willing, to update this article accordingly. If this article isn't updated, then readers may assume that neither replied to my letters. Thank you for standing on the Solid Rock, Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous!
“Let he without sin cast the first stone”
It is always fascinating how those of extreme evangelical Christian faith are the most judgmental, hateful, moralistic people! Do you not know of Jesus? He would be so horrified at all of you and your judgements. Did Jesus not only accept but help those that were the outcasts of his society?
You have forgotten HE died for your sins, yet you continue to sin with your judgements and Old Testament values. A Christian who knows Jesus understands what I am saying. Jesus is in the Bible also.
Dear Urban Woodswalker, online greetings, and thank you for your comment, on this 6/13/2023 article. Despite our obvious disagreement, based on differing worldviews, I assure you that your captious judgments of me are incorrect. Your ad hominem comments unmask your worldview. I hate no person. I hate the sin, but I love the sinner, as Jesus did. I am not “judgmental.” Instead, I judge righteously (Jn. 7:24), as scripture instructs me, based on proper study and understanding (2 Tim. 3:16). There is not sin in righteous judgment. Biblical values are presented, in harmony, in both the Old and New Testaments, as we study the texts in their contexts. (Consider 2 Tim. 2:15.)
Your scripture reference is to John 8:11. (Early manuscripts, as well as many other ancient versions, do not include John 7:53 - 8:11. A few, later manuscripts, from the fifth century AD, however, do include those verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53. That pericope, in the Gospel of John, is accepted, by this writer.)
The context is when the Pharisees brought a woman, who had been caught in adultery, to Jesus, to try to trap Him. The man, with whom she'd committed adultery, is not mentioned. Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7, NIV). Her accusers left. No one was left to condemn her. Jesus did not condemn her. Instead, he said to the woman, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11, NIV). The letter of the Old Testament law -- for the Israelites, at that time -- was that both adulterer and the adulteress were to be “put to death” (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22). Jesus, by his grace, forgave the woman, with the admonition that she leave her “life of sin.” The fact that the woman had repented of her sin is not stated, but it is obvious that she had done so, since God does not forgive without repentance.
Rest assured, dear Urban Woodswalker, that I know Jesus, as my Savior and Lord. Jesus is God -- the eternal Word, who became flesh (as God the man), who was crucified vicariously, for my sins, as an outcast, who rose again, and who will return, after which will be the final judgment. Jesus, as the Word of God, is not only in the Bible, but He inspired the writers of both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus, not me, states that marriage is between one man and one woman. Jesus, not me, teaches that the practice of homosexuality is sin.
I am simply a former outcast and poor beggar, who has been accepted and fed by the Bread of Life. This article, of 6/13/2023, which drew your readership and comment today, has been and is my attempt to help other outcasts and poor beggars be accepted and fed by the same Bread. It is also my effort to encourage all people to return to the straight and narrow path.
In close, quoting from the conclusion of this article, “I . . . will retain my everlasting pride in the biblical worldview.” If you are truly a Christian, then I suggest strongly that you align your worldview with the biblical view. If you are not a Christian, and if you'd like to converse, by confidential email, then please use the “Contact Form” on my website, to begin our confidential email conversation. I wish you God's guidance. That is my prayer.
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