Should we call for the firing of everyone we don’t agree with?

In the moments after former first-lady Barbara Bush died, a professor at Fresno State University took to social media to share how happy she was that “an amazing racist” was dead.

You can imagine how those comments were received. A firestorm started that has culminated in calls for this professor to be fired. There’s even a petition with more than 10,000 signatures seeking her immediate removal. But, what exactly would such action accomplish?

In recent years it has become common place to call for the firing of people that make outlandish remarks. Some have even been fired for holding to ideas and beliefs that are not considered politically correct. Brenden Eich was fired from Firefox for believing in traditional marriage. It is widely believed that comedian Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” sitcom was ended because of Allen’s conservative political views.

And while these examples show the eagerness of liberals to silence conservative ideas, conservatives are often just as quick to call for the firing or ouster of someone that makes statements deemed inappropriate or wrong. I can’t help wondering if our quick draw of the ouster card undermines our demand for protected free speech. Furthermore, what if our go-to of calling for someone to be fired removes our ability to engage people in open dialogue where honesty is welcome?

Take for example the article in The New Yorker in which the author calls Chick-Fil-A “creepy” and continuously laments their mission statement of “glorifying God” in all they do. The article is a non-stop berating of Chick-Fil-A simply because it is a Christian owned business holding to traditional Christian values.

Everything from Chick-Fil-A’s desire to be part of their community to their use of cows as a mascot is dragged through the mud in that creepy article. I’m not sure I’ve seen such obvious vehemence toward a fast-food restaurant before. But it perfectly illustrates the cultural mindset that you can’t even sell a good chicken sandwich in peace if you don’t toe the liberal party line.

At one point New York mayor Bill DeBlasio called for a boycott of Chick-Fil-A and sought to keep them from opening a single store in New York city. Why? Because they sell bibles and openly preach repentance to each customer? Nope. Because the founder and owners of Chick-Fil-A believe the Bible and live by its principles.

Let’s contrast that with the response by liberals concerning the professor that called a former First-Lady “an amazing racist” and cheers her death and the sadness her husband feels after losing his wife. The liberal response is…crickets. No outrage. Nothing. The clear message is this: if you champion liberal causes and ideas you can say and do what you want; but if you are conservative – watch out.

Maybe I’m different, but I don’t think that professor should be fired for her unbelievably callous and distasteful remarks. Her speech is protected by the First Amendment. She has the right to her opinions and has the right to speak her mind. And just because she proves to everyone just how intolerant and shallow she is as a person doesn’t mean she should lose her job.

In fact, a quick contrast between the professor and Chick-Fil-A reveals a stunning contrast between the two. Chick-Fil-A is Christian owned and operated, holding to biblical principles and advocating for biblical morals in our culture. They are closed on Sunday so their employees never have to choose between work and church. They aim to be a solid member of each community they are part of and treat every single person that walks through their doors with dignity and respect; regardless of color, creed, gender, or any other factor.

The professor, on the other hand, cheered the death of another human being simply because she disagreed with her political positions. Then, when confronted, she showed no remorse and not the slightest hint of humanity but rather fell back on her tenure as her support. If anything, the professor has once again shown the problem with tenured professors. Not to mention conducting herself in a disgraceful manner.

The lesson here is simple: stop saying everyone should be fired for saying something you don’t like. Unless you are under the terribly misguided illusion that your world should be filled only with people that agree with you – you will encounter people that think differently. It’s a good thing. And just because someone says something awful doesn’t mean their whole world should be destroyed.

This should be especially true for Christians. We are constantly shouting about free speech and our right to think and speaking according to our sincerely held religious convictions. If we want that to be true for us, we have to recognize that it is true for everyone else.

And when people make comments like the professor did, we need to act more like Chick-Fil-A by showing tremendous grace to those we disagree with. Maybe even offer a good chicken sandwich and start a conversation.