Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Nonsense and Nonsensibility


Coffee-drinking Christians, take note: There's apparently "no way" a truly righteous Christian can drink Starbucks beverages.  But wait, I love Starbucks Coffee!
Well apparently, the ban on Starbucks is the opinion of former evangelical pastor and conservative activist David Barton, whose May 19 sermon on pious caffeine consumption was recently posted online.
Speaking at Whitesburg Baptist Church, Barton said that Starbucks was "pouring money" into the destruction of traditional marriage, according to video of the speech.
"The question is, 'Can a Christian give money to a group he knows will use it to attack what God supports?'" Barton said. "If you know that when you buy a cup of Starbucks, 5, 10, 15 cents is going to be used to defeat marriage, can you do that? The answer is 'no.'"
In January of 2012, Starbucks was one of several companies that publicly supported Washington state's same-sex marriage bill, CNN notes. Starbucks CEO HowardSchultz then re-affirmed his company's support for same-sex equality during the annual shareholders meeting in March of 2013.
As a result of the franchise and Schultz' statements, "there's no way a Christian can help support what is attacking God," Barton continued. "I'm sorry, you've got to find some other coffee to drink. You can't drink Starbucks and be Biblically correct on this thing. It's just a real simple principle."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Barton is not the only one who has objected to Starbucks' support of gay marriage.
In March, TheTeaParty.net, a large Tea Party organization, linked to a "Dump Starbucks" boycott site on Facebook, Mediaite reports. As of Monday afternoon, the"Dump Starbucks" website had more than 63,000 pledges.
Barton, meanwhile, has been a clear opponent of gay marriage for several years. In April, Barton claimed that gay marriage is unconstitutional because it goes against "natural law." He has also compared homosexuality to the choice of smoking cigarettes and stated that same-sex marriage is similar to marriage between a horse and a dog.
I personally will continue to drink Starbucks, especially because they support equal rights.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

If he's going to apply that logic(?) to Starbuck's then he should be posting on YouTube and really will need to go live in the desert like a caveman.

There are other ways to preserve marriage and it begins at home with ALL married couples committing to each other, their marriage and their family. Attacking others doesn't strengthen what you have, building and nurturing is what creates strength and longevity.

jp said...

Ji, I noticed on the sidebar recommended books to read and have just had my published. I wondered if you wanted to review it and if you like what you read recommend it.

silvereagle said...

I do not drink Starbucks...not because of the preacher, but because it is too expensive...a bottle of water is #1.95!!! I do not care to try to 'impress' people that much!!!

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute! It's an attack on Christians' rights to be angry that Chick-Fil-A supposes anti-gay rights groups, but we shouldn't buy Starbucks because they do. My God, these clowns just can't get it together, can they?

BTW, my only objection to Starbucks has more to do with my pocketbook's lack of depth then anything ideological or taste-worthy. I buy a big bag of 8 O'Clock Coffee every other month, and we all contribute other favorites and work. $16 covers me for
at least two months of good coffee.

Peace <3
Jay

den81164 said...

i wonder if we first eat at chick-fil-gay and then run over to starbucks, if it will cancel each other out??

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't we do it the other way around? Oh, no...penance is AFTER sin! HAHAHAHAHA
Jay

David Jeffreys said...

Tomorrow, I will buy another 12 oz. bag of Starbucks, which I do every week, because I drink Starbucks daily, made in my drip coffee maker. I am happy to endorse this franchise and its stand on marriage equality. Just the opposite of a boycott!

David

Anonymous said...

Other folks in our office buy Starbucks beans for their contribution. I enjoy that, too!
Jay

jp said...

guess not :P

Joe said...

jp, I'm sorry that I did not respond earlier, but I would love to read and review your book. Sometimes, I get caught up in other stuff and forget to respond to comments when I mean to do so. It looks like an interesting book and I'd love to read it.

jp said...

Not sure how to do thi but I would be happy to e-mail you a copy of the manuscript (prior to the final revision) or mail you a copy. Alternately it is available on Amazon and Kindle or the cheapest I have seen is at Lybrary for $3.99 as an e-book.

I am attending the Pride festivals i the UK to promote it. The book is not a 'gay book' as such, the focus being on bullying. However there is a strong element of confused sexuality, homophobic bullying, and a boy's struggle to balance love, morality and desire.

The synopsis doesn't do more than mildly sugget this, for obvious reasons but it is made clear in the book. The Lybrary link is http://www.lybrary.com/a-different-class-boyhood-p-301315.html