Upheaval was unleashed this season as millions of American Christians suffered persecution from Starbucks over… not putting “Merry Christmas” on their coffee cups…
Wait, what?! This is what’s earning boycotts toward the coffee franchise from people who identify as Christians? I’m kinda ticked about the whole thing, personally. No, not because Starbucks has offended me for leaving out Merry Christmas, but because “Christians” are boycotting the chain for it and making a much bigger stink than this deserves. If you don’t get me, here’s eight reason why this is totally stupid to me:
- It’s cheap. If you’re upset that Starbucks won’t print “Merry Christmas” on your 2 cent, disposable coffee cup, that tells me something about how you value your faith. Seriously, it’s a coffee cup that you will possess for like, 20 minutes tops.
- Christmas is Christian. And non-Christian people are recognizing that! That is the reason people and businesses are avoiding it, because it is distinctly based in our faith in Christ. Thank God that people know this and are acknowledging it!
- Force has never worked. I want the whole world to believe in the Jesus who has saved me and changed my life forever. But I want people to choose Jesus. Asserting that every customer should receive a coffee cup identifying with my faith-based holiday is extremely counter productive to my desire to see my nation come to Christ.
- It’s hypocritical. Attempting to force a non-Christian company to communicate a Christian holiday,… well that’s about as hypocritical as trying to force a Christian-owned company to deny it’s faith-based standards. Be consistent, not biased.
- It’s illogical. So what is Starbucks and every other retail business suppose to do this time of year? Have cups on-hand that say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukkah,” “Joyous Kwanza” and “Seasons Greetings”? Then they can ask each customer what faith-affiliation they identify with (if any) and assign them the appropriate cup so-as to be sure to not offend anyone? That’s nonsense. And sadly if you did think this is a good idea, you’d probably get upset at them for taking so long asking you all these additional, pointless questions instead of actually making your coffee.
- Consumerism wins again. Instead of making any of this actually about Jesus and the love, compassion, and grace He brought into this world, it’s been an issue of branding a cup of coffee. Unbelievable.
- Speaking of being consistent… If this is that big of a deal, you’re saying that you will only shop at stores and businesses who wish you a “Merry Christmas” and share all the same spiritual values as you. So no more WalMart, Target, Amazon, BestBuy, etc… Yet I doubt these businesses are going to get boycotted by the “Christian” community, many of whom will be camping out on Thanksgiving night to get the best deals year-around… for… Jesus.
- People are dying for their faith in Jesus. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are being killed, raped, maimed, and imprisoned all over the world for nothing more than refusing to deny Christ. If you want to cry “persecution,” do it for them – not your pitiful coffee cup complaints. Is that harsh? Not anymore than someone getting their head cut off for our faith in front of their loved ones.
So with all the kindness I can muster, and with a deep sigh, I urge you – get over yourself, fellow Jesus-freak, and go be Christmas to someone instead…
Why don’t you feed a family in need this Thanksgiving? Or give to charity instead of just walking past their red-buckets every single time? Or belong to a church more than just on Christmas and Easter? Or sponsor a child through Compassion International? There are literally thousands of better ways to show Christmas for what it is – God came to us when we couldn’t get to God, and now it’s our job to go show God’s love to others. Point your passion in that direction, and maybe more people would wish us a Merry Christmas one day. In the meantime we’ve got each other, so…
Merry Christmas,
Pastor John