Christmas time has come again and it’s no surprise that the media has found a Christian controversy to latch onto. If you’ve been on the Internet in the past 24 hours then you have certainly seen the buzz around Starbucks new minimalist “Holiday” coffee cups.
The craze all started when social media evangelist Joshua Feuerstein posted an angry Facebook video protesting the coffee mogul’s decision to pull traditional Christmas designs off their cups. His rant lashes out at our politically correct society and Starbucks attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. He even points out how Starbucks encourages employees to say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”
It only took half a day before liberal news outlets tried to peg Feuerstein as a bigot and a member of a radical Christian group. Feuerstein’s so called “movement” has even worked its way into the 2016 Republican debate with Donald Trump stating “If I become president, we’re all going to be saying Merry Christmas again.”
Naturally, like most controversies such as this, most media outlets have ignored the larger picture. Sure, Starbucks is trying to be more politically correct and inclusive with their new design. But, does this move really affect true Christians? Does it hurt Christians that go to mass each week and celebrate Christ every day in their lives?
Judging by the lack of actual Christian authority speaking out against the cups, it seems that the church is concentrating on other matters. Your average Christian knows that the true message behind Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth. It’s about thanking Christ for all the wonderful gifts he gave to the world. It’s about sharing your love and faith with your family and friends. Do Christmas decorations make Christmas fun and colorful, of course! Nevertheless, Christians don’t need media fanatics to be the voice of their holiday and exploit their reindeer designs.
Churchgoers are more concerned with actual matters of persecution and the decrease of core Christian values in America. The rise of perversion and violence in this country are what we should be talking about. The Church is losing members because of this country's lack of family and faith. Yet, no one is talking about such things. Instead, TV anchors spend an hour talking about coffee cups while working in the word “Christian” every few seconds for rating bumps.
The truth is some news outlets are too scared to bring up actual issues and the changes that Christians are seeking. Our only hope is that the coffee controversy may spark some younger Christians to discard such trivial matters and instead speak up about the real meaning of Christmas.