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"Dan, in his heart, is driven to minister to others and had to choose to continue our relationship throughout the controversy. He had to both hold to his beliefs and welcome me into them(.) He had to face the issue of respecting my viewpoints and life even while not being able to reconcile them with his belief system. He defined this to me as 'the blessing of growth.' He expanded his world without abandoning it. I did, as well." -Shane L. Windmeyer

Newswires are abuzz with the recent news of Chick-fil-A's owner Dan Cathy befriending outspoken LGBT activist Shane L. Windmeyer. As Americans living in the morally drifting 21st century, such news may come as a shock. As God-fearing Christians, however, perhaps it should not.

After all, Matthew 9:10-13—where Jesus is questioned as to why He ate with sinners—is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. Our Lord's famous reply to the question asked of Him was: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Indeed, this story comes straight out of that Scripture.

The news of Cathy's affiliation with Windmeyer appears to have broken first on Huffington Post, where Windmeyer posts his perspective of this unusual relationship, noting that he spent New Year’s Eve with Cathy at the Chick-fil-A Bowl, at Cathy's request. (Photo: via Shane Windmeyer on Twitter)

"For many," writes Windmeyer, "this news of friendship might be shocking. I have spent quite some time being angry at and deeply distrustful of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A. If he had his way . . . I would never be legally married . . . Dan is the problem, and Chick-fil-A is the enemy, right?"

Windmeyer goes on to admit that he had preconceived notions about who Dan Cathy was when they first began to dialogue, but was ultimately moved and impacted by Cathy's unconditional love for him. "The whole nation was aware that Dan was 'guilty as charged' in his support of [traditional] marriage," he says. "What more was there to know? That was my view. But it was flawed."

So how did these polar opposites end up meeting?

Dan Cathy took the initiative by reaching out in a phone call to Windmeyer, who was left stunned by Cathy's sincerity and kindness. It was a call that reportedly lasted over an hour and led to a foundation of mutual trust and an ensuing series of calls and emails in which both men asked questions and shared their beliefs with each other.

"Dan expressed a sincere interest in my life," writes Windmeyer, "wanting to get to know me on a personal level. He wanted to know about where I grew up, my faith, my family, even my husband Tommy. In return, I learned about his wife and kids and gained an appreciation for his devout belief in Jesus Christ and his commitment to being 'a follower of Christ' . . . Dan expressed his genuine sadness when he heard of people being treated unkindly in the name of Chick-fil-A—but he offered no apologies for his genuine beliefs about marriage."

This may explain, in part, why Chick-fil-A stopped funding some of the conservative political groups they had previously supported; not because they no longer believe in the work those groups do, but because they are striving to build a bridge of trusted dialogue with a community that had set themselves up as their enemy. Or, perhaps Cathy finds it more spiritually advantageous to keep politics separate from business.

Regardless, Dan Cathy is making waves by living his conscience as a radical follower of Christ. What has the result been so far?

No doubt everyone will have their own opinion, but Windmeyer puts it this way: "Dan, in his heart, is driven to minister to others and had to choose to continue our relationship throughout the controversy. He had to both hold to his beliefs and welcome me into them He had to face the issue of respecting my viewpoints and life even while not being able to reconcile them with his belief system. He defined this to me as 'the blessing of growth.' He expanded his world without abandoning it. I did, as well."

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