Onward Christmas Warriors?

Mark Gstohl, Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Xavier University of Louisiana, has published an essay on the Religion Dispatches weblog about the Southern Baptist Convention's affirmation of the "War on Christmas." Here's a quote:

What Southern Baptists are seeking is for employers to force their employees to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Would Christian employees be comfortable being forced by their employers to say Happy Hanukah or Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Ramadan to their customers? What if non-Christian customers don't wish to be to be greeted with "Merry Christmas?" Should Christians care about their feelings? It's my contention that they should. Loving one's neighbor involves respecting and being sensitive to their feelings.

Gstohl has put his finger on a serious flaw in what Fundamentalist Christians consider to be witnessing. Their arrogant, in-your-face religiosity is utterly insensitive to the frame of reference and thoughts of those to whom they are supposed to be witnessing. They are forever finding ways to make the "good news" bad news.