Cracking Under Woke Pressure

Because of our deeply held convictions as Christians, we should ideally want our associations to be driven by our Biblical beliefs.  That includes the decisions we make in a variety of spheres of life, and I think could even be applicable to the people with whom we do business. Colossians 3 (ESV) instructs us:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

It's more than just a logo - and information that has been revealed shows that those in control of the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain want to serve up more than a side of mashed potatoes and gravy with their meals.  And, Christian-faith driven activist Robby Starbuck, who has exposed the progressive movements of a variety of large corporations has brought to light what has happened with Cracker Barrel, who announced its logo change a few days ago, including the elimination of a caricature of an older man, presumably named Uncle Herschel, from its logo presentation.  A FoxNews.com article said that:

Starbuck, who has brought major companies including John Deere, Target, and Harley-Davidson to heel by exposing their woke policies, described Cracker Barrel’s logo makeover as going from "old American nostalgia" to something "cold, dead, lifeless and modern" in a 15-minute video. He said that, while the Cracker Barrel brand is often associated with American tradition, the company is "infested with left-wing activists who are more interested in safe spaces, pronouns and virtue signaling than they are in their customers."

In his video, Starbuck highlights Cracker Barrel’s support for LGBTQ+ organizations and events, such as Nashville Pride, River City Pride and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

Starbuck went on to underscore the pro-gay activitists who want to "...shove it down into your towns, into your kids' schools and into your way of life. So, sticking a pro-trans rocking chair into their headquarters in a predominantly conservative town is exactly the type of thing they revel in doing."  The Fox article also said: "Starbuck then pointed to the company’s involvement with HRC and participation in the Out and Equal Workplace Summit. For the Out and Equal conference, Cracker Barrel made rocking chairs in every color of the rainbow, representing the LGBTQ+ flag. Out and Equal even gave Cracker Barrel an award for having 2018’s top LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG)."

NBCNews.com stated: "Cracker Barrel tried to reassure customers Monday that its values have remained the same after it received criticism following a new logo reveal and general brand refresh."  It added, "The company promised customers in a statement that while its logo may be different, its values — 'hard work, family, and scratch-cooked food made with care' — are not."  The article noted that as of Monday, Cracker Barrel stock was off 8.5%.

And, just yesterday afternoon, under wilting pressure, the company has decided to revert to the old logo, stating on X: "We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have.  Our new logo is going away and our 'Old Timer' will remain."  The post also stated: "At Cracker Barrel, it’s always been – and always will be – about serving up delicious food, warm welcomes, and the kind of country hospitality that feels like family.  As a proud American institution, our 70,000 hardworking employees look forward to welcoming you to our table soon."

The Christian Post had reported:

The stock of Cracker Barrel, which was founded in 1969, lost nearly $100 million in value — more than 7% — on Thursday after the company removed the famous "old timer" figure and whip-like "K" from its logo, which had been in place since 1977.

The stock cratered to $50.27 per share earlier that day, though its stock regained some of its losses on Friday.

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Felss Masino went viral on social media in recent days for a clip in which she claimed to "Good Morning America" that the feedback to the logo redesign has been "overwhelmingly positive."

The Post article went on to quote a Christian podcast host, John Miller, who was...

...suggesting during his Friday podcast that Cracker Barrel's action is indicative of the modern impulse to centralize and neutralize.

"A lot of these rebrands — people are saying this is woke, and a lot of rebrands are; and the CEO, some people have dug into her history, she's woke and all this, OK, I got it," he said, "It's not just that, though. It's not just wokeness that's driving this. This is more than that. It's modernity."

Harris said many churches have taken on the same attitude in their attempt at neutral marketing.

"The formula now is that it looks like a strip mall," he said of many churches. "It looks like it's a new fast food restaurant. ... And then you walk in, you get your coffee, the pictures on the wall look like you're in a bank. It's smiling faces and casual people and superficial conversation. And that's the formula. That's how you know you're loved, apparently."

Bottom line: people desire to have a warm and personal experience.  That is true for restaurants, as well as churches.  The Church mustn't get swept away in a trend for modernity and neutrality.  There have been attempts to intimidate Christians into neutrality - in business and in the practice of faith.

Romans 1:17 tells a different story: Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel.  We can ask in our business practices as well as our interaction with other people - are we ashamed?  Do we attempt to become neutral to the extent that we no longer communicate the gospel?  Or even go into the other direction and accommodate what the Scriptures call sin?  

My wife and I were in a restaurant recently in another city.  The restaurant had some artwork that contained religous imagery.  One of the employees who may have even owned the place saw Beth and I blessing our food and he came over, affirmed it, and even place his hand on my arm and said a prayer and a blessing over us.  That is a tremendous expression of what it means to be a business that truly bears the name of Christ - providing an atmosphere where religious expression is affirmed.  We are not just selling widgets - God is giving us platforms through which lives can be changed.