What About Those Red Starbucks Cups?
Starbucks has red cups. The retailer has designed their holiday cups solid red with no words and this makes some Christians angry. Are you kidding me? It is a cup people!
The evangelical Christian segment of which I have long been a card-carrying member frustrates me. We are solid, love Jesus with our whole heart, strive to raise strong families and care about our neighbors as well as children without food and water in far away countries. We are good people but our message folks, is getting lost in the petty and trite. We are seen as focusing more on rigid rules and less on the love which we have been commanded by God to live out.
Personally I like the red cup. Starbucks marketers are genius. It is classy, minimalist and uncluttered. It reminds me of why I am choosing to embrace a simpler lifestyle year round.
For Christians to pick a fight over this small and petty thing is indicative to me of where our faith, fight and our passions have shifted, but if you see this as a fight worth fighting I believe you do have options if you are offended by the red Starbucks cups.
- Stop going to Starbucks – Your choice, because your $5.00 purchase will shut them down. (not)
- Bring your own cup. Buy a reusable travel mug “made in America by only Christians in factories who don’t believe in climate change which are endorsed by your favorite republican candidate” and ask them to fill it.
- Quit drinking coffee. Much of it is grown in countries that don’t support your values. While you are at it, stop shopping and eating. You will eliminate any remote chance to ruin your Christian witness.
I am not ignorant there are those who believe there is a quest against those who do not love Jesus to silence the voices of those who do. This is not new and it is real. Jesus disciples had it and believers in many places experience it on a much larger scale than we can imagine. However, I believe there are much larger conversations to have than whether or not a secular company chooses to print Merry Christmas on a cup. In my opinion, this is a small fish in a much larger ocean.
My faith is not connected to Starbucks, not even a little. It does not hinge on whether someone greets me with a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays but rather on do I love big enough.
“Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13 :35
In our zeal to do the right thing, evangelical Christians often neglect the biggest and greatest commandment given to us by Jesus. Love one another. Others will know us by our love. Unconditional, unreserved, awkward, crazy and unabashedly large love for the world around us.
The red cup is not a big deal. It is a cup. That is all. If someone in a board room created it with an agenda, I honestly don’t care. If you do, and it bothers you, don’t go to Starbucks.
My gospel tells me to love. I will love you if your chose not to go to Starbucks, I will love you if you do. ( I will be there several mornings this week and would love to spend time with you with hands wrapped around our red cups.)
- I will love big and large and all-encompassing this year.
- I will minimize my buying habits and make more gifts from my hands.
- I will purpose to enjoy my friends and family with an intentional choice to focus on what matters most – them.
- I will celebrate Christmas and cherish an opportunity to gather with those I love the most.
- I will show love to those around me, lovable and difficult alike. What that means and looks like will be different for each of us. We are created to be different. Different is good.
- Perhaps instead of fighting a battle which matters little and is honestly not going to move the needle in either direction on the love scale which Jesus spoke of, go and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Blessings and Great Audacious Love to YOU!
What does love mean to you? Do red cups keep you from loving others ? How can you create and give love to the world in a way which brings lasting impact?
If this post resonates with you and you are in the mood to share it – please do! Let’s spread the word life is bigger than red cups.
Thanks Nancy, I agree. Well said.
Thanks Laura…. 🙂
Absolutely excellent blog Nancy. As a follower of Christ (and not an institutionalised structure) since 1984, i cringe when i see those who supposedly believe in the same God I do, get into these petty arguments.
It seems some are just looking for fights to ‘get all righteous’ about. Now i live in South Africa where we dont have Starbucks, but ive been there and would again just to get one of those special red coffee containers.
As you said Nancy, people lets love and be noticed for that and not petty stuff, whilst our world sinks to chaos and toward eternity without Him.
Signed…… passionate follower of Christ….not a so called “Christian”
With apologies to those who may not follow Him yet. Final thought to you…Jesus doesnt care about the colour of cups, but He does, achingly, for you ?
Love those words Ray … “but he does, achingly for you” … that is what I pray we as a church purposefully chose to do! thank you Ray!
I would like to point out that the image on the cup is a goddess.
What exactly is the controversy? Because the cups look like red solo cups, and some people drink alcohol from red solo cups? So what! My aunt used to drink vodka out of a clear Starbucks travel cup all day long!
Some of your comments remind me of a line from an early 1980s song: You’ll only drink milk from a Christian cow.
I love this post, Nancy! We get too caught up in meaningless battles which affects our message of love. I’d rather show Jesus’ genuine love than pick a fight over what kind of marketing campaign a company uses at Christmas time. Like you, I prefer the minamalist design, especially after those chaotic fall cups! ?
It’s time we made what matters matter. Go red cups.. and cake pops!
I’m going to bring cakepops to my copy shop ladies on Thursday. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
I love reading this while enjoying the weather with a chai tea in a red cup.
Yippee for teach in red cups !!
Yippee for tea in red cups!!!
Agreed! Love your post as well !!
Brilliant. See you at Starbucks!
Nice to hear the point of view from a person of faith who thinks this is ridiculous. I was raised Catholic and celebrate Christmas, and I don’t believe that a simple red cup from a conglomerate coffee joint means there’s a WAR on the holiday. It’s still festive; it’s just simple. In my post today I talk about people being outraged for the sake of being outraged….doesn’t seem like a good use of ones time.
I love this. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful said! I think about this kind of thing often. If we allow ourselves to be caught up in the minutia, we lose our impact on the huge. The huge message that Jesus loves and wants us to do the same. I think if we quit shouting about the negative and keep proclaiming the truth we will get much further. Thanks for saying this so well. It’s a blessing to share it with others.
Well said! Now I think I’ll go get some joe!