I can envision the scenario: Facing relentless pressure from some evangelical Christians, Starbucks decides to abandon its minimalist red cup Christmas design. Soon, happy little images of dancing snowflakes, smiling Santas, and ornamented trees revive the “true spirit” of Christmas.
Employees and patrons are overwhelmed. One customer—upon receiving his Christmas Cookie Frappuccino (with an added shot of expresso) covered with (secular) Christmas symbols—suddenly falls to his knees in repentance. Another is moved to tears, overwhelmed by the full meaning of Christmas as she slowly sips her Peppermint Latte. The Christmas Blend Revival is now in full swing and will soon sweep every Starbucks location in the world. Or maybe not.
I’ve always considered myself a conservative Christian, strongly believing the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. It’s a conviction common to most evangelicals, from what I understand.
Surprisingly though, I haven’t been able to find anything in the Scriptures about reindeer or snowflakes or even Christmas trees for that matter. A mere oversight I suppose. Even so, I doubt that the early church would have settled for red minimalist cups from which to imbibe their overpriced lattes.
Does my tone seem sarcastic? Perhaps. But really, I’m more frustrated that this Christmas cup controversy even exists.
Part of me wonders whether the red cup issue is part of an advertising campaign by Starbucks. Or perhaps, another media attack to make conservative Christians look bad. All it takes is one Westboro Baptist Church to stereotype all Bible-believing conservatives. There’s also the possibility that the person who started the “widespread” outrage is simply trying to generate more hits on his own website to generate advertising revenue.
I can’t help but think the “#MerryChristmasStarbucks” campaign is quite small. In fact, practically all of my conservative friends are scratching their heads in disbelief over the issue.
Arguably, the saddest part is a hint of believability based on the past behavior of many who profess Christ. And this, my friends, is where the heart of my frustration lies.
The God of the Bible is absolutely amazing and deserves much better than control-minded campaigns driven by abrasive attitudes. Proverbs 11:30 states that, “he who is wise wins souls.” It’s pretty hard to win people when you’re trying to force them into your mold.
If Starbucks wants to use plain, red cups for Christmas, that’s their business. If that offends us, we can simply avoid buying their products. In my experience, local shops are generally far superior anyway.
Opportunities abound to make a significant difference in this world, but abrasive, and—dare I say?—whiny attitudes are undermining the life-changing message of the Gospel.
Those who genuinely want to make an impact might focus on allowing faith and love to graciously flow from Holy Spirit-filled hearts. The dynamic fruit of Spirit-filled lives is what we need to revive human hearts. Snowflakes, reindeer, and overpriced drinks, not so much.