Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy is calling for white Christians to repent of their racism against their black brothers and sisters while fighting for their rights.
The Christian Post reported that Cathy, alongside Megachurch Pastor Louie Giglio and rapper Lecrae discussed the issue of racism in America following the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks by white police officers.
“I think we have to recognize we are in a very special moment right now that the answer is not just for this to go off the radar screen, go back to talking about COVID-19, to talk about world peace, the environment, … politics is going to be coming up here this fall,” Cathy said on Sunday at Passion City Church in Atlanta.
“I believe if we miss this moment, we would have failed in our generation,” he cautioned.
Then Lecrae chimed in on his own personal experience of racial injustice at Cathy’s request.
“I don’t need the media to tell me that this is a problem because it’s a reality that I live,” Lecrae began.
The rapper noted how a police officer pulled a gun on him at 13, and how he was falsely placed on a gang list by police for skipping school at 14.
Lecrae also recounted other incidents with law enforcement, including being pulled over by police officers for no reason.
One recent incident, in particular, had police officers stop and search Lecrae’s rental car while he was driving to perform at a concert.
As the car was stripped searched, he noted how police officers said that “there’s drugs here” but they found nothing. Afterwards, they left Lecrae to reassemble the seats in the car and resume his business.
Cathy responded, “I can only imagine the indignity, the emotional indignity, I can only imagine it.”
The Chick-Fil-A CEO stated that white people should not be silent at the injustice of Black Americans as it is “shameful” and that they must fight for them as “one human race.”
“Our silence is so huge at this time. We cannot be silent,” he said. “Somebody has to fight and God has so blessed our city, but it’s shameful how we let things get so out of whack.”
Cathy also noted that white people must go through a “period of contrition” first before taking part in the fight against racial injustice.
“I think before we start to jump into action we need a period of contrition and a broken heart in the city of Atlanta and a sense of real identity. Not just criticize the people that are burning down that restaurant last night,” Cathy said.
He added, “we got a heart for Rayshard Brooks and the others … We’ve got to have a sense of empathy of what led to this.”
“This is the tip of the iceberg of incredible amounts of frustration and pain that the whole spectrum of the African American community, that somewhere or another that can quickly illustrate … Lecrae, just as you did, that most of us white people are just simply out of sight out of mind,” he noted.
“We’re oblivious to it. We cannot let this moment pass.” Cathy concluded.
As Christian Headlines previously reported, Pastor Louie Giglio apologized after the event for suggesting “White Privilege” be changed to “White Blessing.”
Lecrae, who was also criticized for not confronting Giglio firsthand, told Giglio off-camera that “we can’t just be virtue signaling and doing this because it’s the ‘in’ thing to do, talk about race on platforms.”
Related:
Louie Giglio Apologizes for Suggesting 'White Privilege' Be Changed to 'White Blessing'
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Gustavo Caballero/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
