Evidently for the Left, tolerance is no longer in vogue; instead, overt anti-Christian bigotry has become its siren call. This attitude is exemplified by a recent article in The New Yorker entitled “Chick-fil-A’s Creepy Infiltration of New York City.” In the piece, Dan Piepenbring, rather than critique Chick-fil-A over the flavor of its Spicy Chicken Sandwich or the speed of its service, blasts the growing success of Chick-fil-A over its “infiltration” of New York with “its pervasive Christian traditionalism.”

Piepenbring sees as problematic the fact that Chick-fil-A’s Atlanta headquarters facility “is adorned with Bible verses and a statue of Jesus washing a disciple’s feet,” and that “its stores close on Sundays.” Piepenbring writes, “There’s something especially distasteful about Chick-fil-A, which has sought to portray itself as better than other fast food: cleaner, gentler, and more ethical, with its poultry slightly healthier than the mystery meat of burgers.” He adds, “Its politics, its décor, and its commercial-evangelical messaging are inflected with this suburban piety.”

He wasn’t done. Piepenbring relates, “The restaurant’s corporate purpose still begins with the words ‘to glorify God,’ and that proselytism thrums below the surface of the Fulton Street restaurant, which has the ersatz homespun ambiance of a megachurch.” Wow, so any company with traditional Christian beliefs that dares to apply its beliefs is “an infiltration.” How “woke” of him to call out this consistent belief system.

If any fast-food restaurant deserves praise not just for its quality food and service but also for its treatment of employees, community engagement and public generosity, it’s Chick-fil-A. There’s a reason it’s on course to becoming the third-largest fast-food chain behind only McDonald’s and Starbucks, and that’s not in spite of founder S. Truett Cathy’s “Christian traditionalism” but because of it. What is “creepy” is the number of deeply insecure leftists who produce, promote and feed on this kind of intolerant and hypocritical groupthink. Imagine if the fast-food chain in question was Muslim-owned — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would be rolling out the red carpet for it instead of calling for a boycott.

Piepenbring epitomizes the rapidly spreading bigotry of leftists, who are completely unwilling to offer the same tolerance and deference to opposing views and opinions that they demand from others. Meanwhile, they hypocritically lay claim to the “pro-diversity” moniker. Specifically, the Left hates conservative Christianity because it refuses to bow to its “new morality.” So, no matter how well-made the product or how good the service, if the business’s owner holds a traditional conservative and Christian worldview, then leftist dogma demands it be opposed and maligned.