The Salvation Army urges the public to stop spreading 'misinformation' after Chick-fil-A cuts funding

• The Salvation Army is firing back after Chick-fil-A announced that it would cease donating to the Christian church and organization.
• The chicken sandwich chain has dropped the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes - two groups that have been criticized by LGBTQ advocates - from its list of charitable recipients.
• "We made multiyear commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018," a spokesperson for the chain said Monday.
• In a statement, the Salvation Army said that it believes it is "the largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ population."
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The Salvation Army is returning fire after Chick-fil-A dropped the Christian church and organization from its list of donees.

The religious group, known for running homeless shelters and charitable thrift shops, released a statement saying it was "saddened" by Chick-fil-A's decision to "divert funding to other hunger, education and homelessness organizations."

Chick-fil-A cut both the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes from its philanthropic giving. For years, the fast-food chain has faced criticism from LGBTQ advocates for its donations to certain Christian charities.

But the Salvation Army is arguing that it supports the LGBTQ community through its philanthropic actions.

"We serve more than 23 million individuals a year, including those in the LGBTQ+ community," a Salvation Army spokesperson said in a statement. "In fact, we believe we are the largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ population."

The Salvation Army's statement went on to call upon the public to avoid spreading "misinformation" about the church's stance on LGBTQ issues.

"When misinformation is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk," a Salvation Army spokesperson said in a statement. "We urge the public to seek the truth before rushing to ill-informed judgment and greatly appreciate those partners and donors who ensure that anyone who needs our help feels safe and comfortable to come through our doors."

Chick-fil-A didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's most recent request for comment, but it did provide a statement on Monday.

"We made multiyear commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018. Moving forward you will see that the Chick-fil-A Foundation will support the three specific initiatives of homelessness, hunger and education," a Chick-fil-A representative said on Monday.

The Salvation Army does have a history of controversy when it comes to LGBTQ issues. In November 2013, HuffPost reported that the church's website included links to organizations that promised to "cure" sexual orientation through conversion therapy. Before 2011, the church's website contained a statement telling homosexual Christians to "embrace celibacy," according to the Chicago Tribune.

In recent years, however, the Salvation Army has become increasingly intent on clarifying its position regarding LGBTQ matters.

On its website, the church currently urges readers to take its position on LGBTQ issues - namely, that "Scripture forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex" - in context. The website notes that the same statement also includes the edict that "there is no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for reason of his or her sexual orientation."

The church's website also features a statement announcing its anti-discrimination policy.

"A diverse range of views on homosexuality exist within The Salvation Army - as among the wider Christian (and non-Christian) community," the statement reads. "But no matter where individual Salvationists stand on this matter, The Salvation Army does not permit discrimination on the basis of sexual identity in the delivery of its services or in its employment practices."

Read the Salvation Army's full statement here:

"We're saddened to learn that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding to other hunger, education and homelessness organizations - areas in which The Salvation Army, as the largest social services provider in the world, is already fully committed. We serve more than 23 million individuals a year, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, we believe we are the largest provider of poverty relief to the LGBTQ+ population. When misinformation is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk. We urge the public to seek the truth before rushing to ill-informed judgment and greatly appreciate those partners and donors who ensure that anyone who needs our help feels safe and comfortable to come through our doors."