After years of writing about all manner of serious theological, political, and cultural issues, it’s time to address something grievously missing from my writing.

Coffee.

Coffee and Us

It starts as a bean encased in a red fruit. Originating in what is now Sudan and Ethiopia, it spread first to India and then to Italy. It’s now grown in about 70 countries worldwide.

More than three out of five Americans report they drink at least one cup per day. And the sheer number of ways to imbibe the brew of the bean continues to grow. There are thousands of coffee companies around the world. You can order from most of them online. You can go hang out at the local coffee shop or purchase expensive, industrial-looking machinery to brew precisely to your taste on your kitchen counter. Or just buy a cheap coffee pot and a can of Folgers or Maxwell House.

Why do we love it so? One obvious reason is its taste — not the bitter tang of burned beans but the smooth bittersweet taste of beans that are freshly-ground and well-brewed. Coffee is easily customized. Go into any local coffeehouse, whether chain or independent. Pretty much any potable item that can be dissolved in fluid can be added to coffee.

Of course, there’s the lovely caffeine-kick that opens the eyes and keeps them shining throughout the day. As Chuck Colson reportedly said, many of us are atheists until we have our first cups of coffee (yes, that’s a joke).

Coffee and Health

And now we know that in moderate amounts – maybe four cups a day — coffee can add a lot to life. Literally. A new study reports that alcohol and coffee compose “the secret to a long life.” I intensely dislike alcohol. I would rather drink flavored vinegar. But the juice of the bean? This, my friends, this is the elixir of life.

In addition to coffee prolonging one’s life, Harvard Health notes that drinking coffee leads to “a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke), Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, uterine and liver cancer, cirrhosis, and gout.”

Now, this might come as a surprise to some who remember the days when coffee was seen as a health threat. The Mayo Clinic explains that “earlier studies didn’t always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers.”

Coffee and Christianity

Christians have a good bit of affection for coffee. You can buy devotionals with titles like, The One-Year Coffee with God: 365 Devotions to Perk-Up Your Day. Apparently playing off Rick Warren’s best-selling guide to discipleship, there’s Coffee for Your Heart: 40 Mornings of Life-Changing Encouragement.

Christianity Today ran an article a couple of years ago titled, “The Beverage That Fuels the Church.” Author Martyn Wendell Jones writes that “the church has transformed a cup of joe into a universal display of hospitality.”

He’s right. Many larger churches have full-scale coffee bars, complete with frappucinos and macchiatos (or their equivalents, at least). A lot of churches sponsor coffee houses as ministries, as do a lot of individual Christians, welcoming their local communities into a pleasant, unthreatening environment and providing a witness, too. From “Holy Grounds” (Grapevine, Texas) to “HeBrews” (Bedford, Pennsylvania), these shops offer a pleasing escape from the hub-bub of the day.

One of the benefits of inviting unbelieving acquaintances out for coffee is that the drink is a nearly universal beverage. From Croatia to Columbia, java is its own global language. It helps initiate conversations about the Gospel. The Christian coffeehouse movement is substantial. Ministries and websites help believers learn “how to start a Christian coffeehouse.”

Christian coffeehouses can also be a means of supporting other ministries. Coffee4Missions sells coffee to “churches, church cafés and ministries for a reasonable price while supporting on-going missions” abroad.

Too Much Coffee?

Of course, there is such a thing as too much coffee. A friend told me that as a young Army lieutenant, he drank up to 17 cups of coffee per day to stay alert and awake at all times. He became, let’s say, a little too jumpy and caffeinated over a period of weeks. Our nation was probably more secure as a result.

So, here’s to the coffee bean, its flavor and its potential for ministry and fellowship. And may your cup of blessings overflow in the New Year.