ROANOKE, Va. – Chick-fil-A confirmed to Thomson Reuters Foundation on Monday that it would no longer support two Christian organizations opposed to same-sex marriage.
The Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes are considered anti-LGBTQ groups by some for their views.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has the following Sexual Purity Statement:
“God desires His children to lead pure lives of holiness. The Bible is clear in teaching on sexual sin including sex outside of marriage and homosexual acts. Neither heterosexual sex outside of marriage nor any homosexual act constitute an alternative lifestyle acceptable to God. While upholding God’s standard of holiness, FCA strongly affirms God’s love and redemptive power in the individual who chooses to follow Him. FCA’s desire is to encourage individuals to trust in Jesus and turn away from any impure lifestyle.”
“We made multi-year commitments to both organizations and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018,” a spokeswoman for Chick-fil-A told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, adding the company would focus its giving on “education, homelessness and hunger”.
Earlier this year, amid reports that Chick-fil-A was donating to these two organizations, the company came out and detailed what specifically the donations were supporting:
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes: In 2017, the Foundation provided $1.6 million to support summer sports camps for inner-city youth. Participating children were not required to be a member of FCA and did not have to sign any FCA pledges.
- Salvation Army: In 2017, the Foundation provided approximately $150,000 to support children’s programs in Atlanta, including camps for kids and the Angel Tree. As a result, 11,000 children in need throughout the Atlanta area received gifts during the holiday season.
Beginning in 2020, the Chick-fil-A Foundation plans to give to Junior Achievement to support education, Covenant House to address youth homelessness and dedicate $25,000 to a local food bank at each new Chick-fil-A opening to fight the cycle of hunger.