Bethlehem, Georgia and Bethlehem, New York could hardly be more different.
In Bethlehem, Georgia, they eat biscuits and gravy and drink sweet tea. In a recent Zoom meeting between their respective town councils, a New York councilmember asked, while chewing a bagel, “Is Sweet Tea a brand of soda?”
Despite their differences, the towns are now working to address a shared concern over their respective hospitals and a controversial initiative they fear will negatively impact healthcare. Though both towns’ hospitals are regularly filled to capacity—especially around holidays—they are on the verge of bankruptcy. Administrators blame crippling insurance and government regulations.
The Georgia-based Chick-Fil-A, known for its corporate spirit of high-quality fast food and superlative service, plans to buy the hospitals and turn them into not-for-profit ventures. Company spokesperson Harvey Leche said Chick-fil-A’s management model for one of the world’s most successful businesses will help it navigate the bureaucratic challenges the hospitals face.
Leche said with a wink, “It will make a great tax shelter as well, and we all know how important shelter is. It’s almost as important as food.”
However, in addition to their benevolence and controversial support of anti-LGBTQ organizations, Chick-Fil-A is also known for being closed on Sundays. Matthew Marks, mayor of Bethlehem, Georgia, said, “Yes, this is the Bible belt, but let’s face it; if you’ve just had your diabetic foot amputated and it’s gone septic—like happened to my Uncle Cletus—it’s going to be a hassle to leave on Saturday night and come back on Monday. I mean, Jesus healed on the sabbath. Come on.”
Lukisha Johns, mayor of Bethlehem, New York, replied, “Jesus also rubbed grain and ate it on the sabbath—which was Saturday, by the way.
Zach Keus, councilman and pastor from New York, then pointed out the controversy about Chick-Fil-A operating its outlets in the New York highway system rest areas. A New York legislator has introduced a bill that would grandfather current contracts but would require future contracts to stipulate that businesses serving the rest areas must agree to be open on Sundays.
Georgia councilwoman Mary Josephs said, “Well, of course. Who wants to be traveling without a place to eat? If you want a contract with a government agency, you have to be willing to serve the people of that government. Hospitals and factories have rotating shifts. The point of the Sabbath law in the Bible is to take a break and focus on spirituality. One day in seven can be any day. And you try to tell me a Chick-Fil-A executive has never eaten at a concession stand at an Atlanta Falcons’ Sunday game.”
Councilman Keus said, “Heck, even if we want to be legalistic, we’ve got enough teenaged Seventh-day Adventists and Jews and Muslims who observe sabbath on Saturday or Friday that we can staff Chick-fil-A on Sunday with nary a Christian missing church.”
Georgia Councilwoman Mary Josephs interjected, “Whoa! What’s a Yankee’s fan doing using the word ‘nary’?” I didn’t know youz guyz said ‘nary.’” Keus grinned and said, “I went to McAfee Divinity in Atlanta and got assimilated to Southern culture.”
Mayor Marks of Georgia said, “A Yankees fan saying ‘nary,’ and a Braves fan saying ‘youz guyz.’ I think we might have a shot at getting Chick-Fil-A to hear what one of my religion professors used to say about legalism: ‘I wish Christians would open the New Testament and read it. That would be a great start toward living it.’ We don’t want the shelterless, the ill, or the hungry turned away in Bethlehem.”
Christian D. Senter grew up on a small planet in the Milky Way. As a child, Christian enjoyed suckling the nurturing food of stories from the scriptures of his home planet. As a young-adult Christian, for a while, became enamored with the fatty food of religious power plays. After several hurtful experiences with people of his same faith tradition and nationality, Christian sought a more substantive spiritual connection with the creator of all galaxies.