An over caffeinated cacophony of charges were leveled last week against Starbucks after it released the design of its new seasonal cup…
In previous years, it featured snowflakes, signs of winter, but never religious symbolism. However this year, it’s absent anything but the classic green Starbucks logo and a red cup and people are furious.
Breitbart News tweeted, “War on Christmas: Starbucks red cups are emblematic of the Christian culture cleansing of the West.
More sensible folks tweeted more comical responses – “Starbucks is rounding Christians up into coffee death camps and making them drink Pagan Spice Lattes.”
Starbuck’s explanation was simple: “We have anchored the design with the classic Starbucks holiday red that is bright and exciting.”
Rarely do I write an editorial that features another writer, but over the weekend I read this from Chris Gilmore. one of the great, young thinkers in theology today:
The North American Church has wasted far too much energy on this issue and it is to our detriment. Somewhere along the way we have decided that our culture owes us something.
The early church had no framework for this mentality.
They were a persecuted minority with no voting power. Politicians weren’t interested in courting their vote. They had no say in any process. They had no influence, no rights.
Instead many marketplaces required an offering of worship to Caesar for the opportunity to buy goods. Many employers required you to declare “Caesar is Lord” in order to work for them.
Fast forward 2,000 years and Christians are stomping their feet and throwing temper tantrums because our empire is now less likely to wish us a “Merry Christmas” when we check out at the grocery store. Never mind that fact that Christmas is a federally recognized holiday. And of course, never mind the fact that our culture owes us nothing.
Somewhere along the way we came to expect and demand position and influence.
We have become gluttons for power and privilege. Jesus gave up his privilege and his power and humbled himself, becoming a slave for the sake of others
We could stand to remember that around the world people are experiencing actual persecution for the sake of following Jesus.
If you feel persecuted because you’re non-Christian neighbor utters, “Happy Holidays,” take a minute and reflect on how much freedom and privilege you have.
If there’s a war on Christmas it’s in the fact that we celebrate the coming of a humble Savior, born to a poor family in a barn by spending $600 billion on gifts while it would take just $10 billion to bring clean water to the world.
The war on Christmas most likely occurs when we overlook peace on earth and goodwill to men to rush out on Thanksgiving Day in order to buy cheap televisions and video games, racking up debt and anxiety.
This year instead of demanding our way or taking offense to the fact that the world doesn’t feel the same way about Jesus as we do, let’s focus on the needs of others and point them to the hope of Christmas. Let’s take the initiative to bring good news of great joy to all people and lay down our lives for others.
Thank you, Chris, wise words from a great guy.
Did I miss the conversion of Starbucks to a religious institution where they were somehow obligated to display symbols of Christmas?
Here’s a solution to all the believers in the big fairy tale: Go buy yourself a coffee mug with baby Jesus and Christmas trees alllllllllllllll over it. Take it to Starbucks and they’ll fill that puppy up with all the pumpkin spice, double shot, 1/2 soy, non-fat latte your little heart desires.
Next faux outrage: Stores open on Thanksgiving. People should be home with their families and NOT working! Except for, you know, firemen, police, hotels, restaurants, airlines, QT’s, gas stations, street crews, bus drivers, taxi drivers, movie theaters, bartenders, et al. Except for those, everyone should be with family!!!
I want a coffee mug with Jesus, like with giant eagles wings, and singin’ lead vocals for Lynyrd Skynyrd with, like, an angel band….
Or that bitchin’ cool Tom Brady picture on Glaze’s “Time to Confirm Sainthood on Tom Brady” article….
The problem with too many Christians, or at least the vocal ones, is that they have too little faith in their regligion. It may be as little as 10%. If you need a coffee cup to prop up your faith, just become like the majority in this country and lose the faith in the fictional character. Read John Steinbeck or James Michener. He’s a much better author than whoever wrote the bible anyway.
I am a Christian and I don’t get it. The cup is red and green. Those are traditional Christmas colors – a minimalist nod to tradition if you will. I am not offended. And I don’t think God has strong views on what a coffee cup ought to look like. I agree with Jim aka BWH, except that soy in pumpkin spice latte is an abomination that should be denounced.
This is EXACTLY why I started drinking beer for breakfast. Not only can I get beer in multi colored cans of all colors (Yes, cans.) and size, it is what Jesus would do. Most of the carpenters I know, are drunk all the time (The painters are worse, Jesus. See what I did there?) and the painters are even worse. Had Joseph been a painter and not a carpenter, we would all be gulping down a bottle of Sky at the communion rail to this day.