Remember hearing about those church pastors who practiced a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to leadership? They tell you what to do but can’t hold themselves to the same lofty standards. Today I realized that local fast-food restaurant In-N-Out took the same approach to evangelism.
Who is In-N-Out Burgers?
For those of you outside California, Arizona, or Nevada, you may be unfamiliar with a burger chain called In-N-Out Burger. They were started in 1948 and have some great tasting food. This food (burgers, fries, or drinks) is given to you in some sort of container – be it wrapper, pouch, or cup. Discreetly printed on those containers are small references to verses from the Christian bible. This is fairly common knowledge to most In-N-Out customers. The lesser known appearance is on the baby onesie you can buy in their company store…the verse is quoted on the underside (a.k.a. the crotch), just like the cup.
But I digress. Here is the collection of verse locations and what they refer to:
Burger and cheeseburger wrappers
Revelation 3:20—“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”
Beverage cups/replicas and onesies
John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Milkshake cups
Proverbs 3:5—“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Double-Double wrapper
Nahum 1:7—“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
Paper water cups (no longer in use for customers; they are now used by employees only)
John 14:6—“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”
License plate keychain
1 Corinthians 13:13—“And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
I have no issue with a private company printing religious texts on their items. Its their company and they have a right to please or piss off as many customers as they want. Every patron has the choice to give money to that business or not. No harm, no foul. But hypocrisy irks me and after a conversation with two of my employees, I had a very serious issue with the hypocrisy being shown by In-N-Out Burger.
What verse is missing?
The bible scholars amongst you may have realized they are (probably intentionally) not quoting a really important verse:
Exodus 20:8—“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
It seems hypocritical to me for a company which recommends we “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” is so easily casting aside the 4th Commandment to take a day off. You see, In-N-Out locations are open seven days a week. Whether the Snyders (the family that founded and continue to run In-N-Out) are traditionalists who continue to hold Saturday as the Sabbath or modern Christians who believe it is Sunday, they aren’t closed on either day.
I was honest when I said I have no issue with a private company printing bible verses on their items. But it disappoints me to see them so publicly practicing a “do as I say, not as I do” type of evangelism. If you claim to “trust in the Lord”, then follow the commandments you were given. The 10 Commandments are pretty easy to follow if you choose to do so. Keeping kosher isn’t fun, and abstaining from sex before marriage is no picnic, but the Yahweh Top 10 List shouldn’t pose too many hurdles for a relatively pious person.
They suggest we follow and trust in God, yet they fail to follow the fourth rule handed down directly from God. I think this is obvious hypocrisy. Am I wrong?
