Update: Now (11/19/13) Barton says drinking Starbucks is treason to God.
I grew up occasionally attending a church where one might hear the following: “We don’t go to movies even if they are G rated because even those movies support Hollywood.” While I didn’t buy that kind of thinking, I knew a lot of people who did. The impulse to retreat to the monastery is strong in some Christians and often is voiced by boycotts of various entertainments and products. Recently, our old friend David Barton has gotten himself into one of these controversies by telling the Whitesburg Baptist Church that Christians shouldn’t drink Starbucks coffee since the company supports gay marriage.
Lots of people seem upset or amused about it. To me, it just sounds like a silly fuss about which conservative Christians debate.
Barton’s case, he wants Christians to avoid Starbucks, but he is apparently fine with selling his books on Amazon.com. Amazon, like Starbucks is gay friendly and committed to support for gay causes. And Amazon’s founder and leader, Jeff Bezos, has made a pretty hefty financial commitment to gay marriage. By Barton’s logic, I guess he is contributing to gay marriage every time The Jefferson Lies or Original Intent sells on Amazon.