Silly Christians, Cups Are For Coffee

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Take a good, deep cleansing breath.  (In through your nose, out through the mouth for the uninitiated.)

Let me just start there.

People can get a little… is there a polite way to say tightly wound?… this time of year, and taking a good step back, a good stock on our priorities, and essentially getting a grip is always an appropriate first line of defense.  It seems like this sort of thing used to happen around Thanksgiving, but it appears to be coming earlier and earlier every year.  Pretty soon we’ll be having this conversation the day after Easter.   In any case, it’s November 8th, and the time to address it is now.

So, let’s talk about those Starbucks cups.

Apparently every year Starbucks unveils a new holiday-themed cup.  A cup:  A disposable, cardboard conduit for your hot beverage that’s going to end up in the landfill later, just to keep this in perspective.  Anyway, past cups have featured things like snowflakes, ice skates, Santas, and what looks to me like some sort of spaceship that maybe was supposed to be a modern version of a sleigh?

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All fun and festive stuff.  This year, they decided to go with something simpler, do away with the illustrations altogether, and chose a streamlined red design in an Ombre style.  Cool.  As cool as a cup can be I guess.  We’re still talking about a cup.

And a select group of Christians collectively lost their ever-loving minds.

The best I can tell, snowflakes represent Christmas, and Christmas represents Jesus … so a plain red cup obviously signifies the removal of Jesus and is thus really, really offensive.  Hide your kids, and hide your wives, it’s the (invented-by-Christians) WAR ON CHRISTMAS!!

When I first heard that people were freaking out about the cups, I honestly thought it was a big joke.  I assumed that the early rumblings were either from a satire site or a super creative marketing job from Starbucks themselves.  (As a side note, how completely sad is it that our society is such that one can’t even tell the difference between real life and satire anymore?   The real-life shenanigans of the I’m-offended-by-everything folks are often more ridiculous than anything even the Onion can imagine).  And yes, I called them ridiculous.  My choice of that word in a past post – also aimed at my fellow Christians – earned me a snotty comment calling me rude and judgmental.  But you know what?  Sometimes people are ridiculous. Whining about everyone “taking the Christ out of Christmas” when the only one who can take your Christ out of your Christmas is you, is ridiculous. Flipping out over a red cup is ridiculous.  SO ridiculous in fact, that it couldn’t possibly be real.  Except it is.  There are real, live people out there losing it over a cup.

I’m just wondering, when did “peace on Earth and goodwill to men” turn into spending the entire holiday season – which as I already stated, is starting earlier and earlier every year – pissed off and competing to see who can carry the biggest chip on their shoulder?

A quick Twitter search of the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks will give you a vast sampling of people’s collective ire, but my favorite one is this, by a user who describes herself as a Christian Conservative American Constitutionalist:

Starbucks can take ur plain red cups & shove them up ur #liberal asses! I’ll never step foot in a #starbucks again

Isn’t that sweet?  Nothing says Christmas spirit like telling people to shove things up their asses. Nothing shows the love of Christ like telling people to shove things up their asses.

You guys, this is embarrassing.

Christmas  was never supposed to be a battle for the title of the biggest, loudest bully, but that’s exactly what it has become.  How inspiring.  How Christ-like.

And you know what?  Forget Christmas for a minute.  Can we bring Christ back into Christianity?  Let’s bring back gentleness.  Let’s bring back kindness.  Let’s bring back grace. Let’s bring back loving our neighbors.  Can you imagine the change that could happen – the GOOD that could happen – if we replaced the outrage over holiday greetings and cup choices with compassion?  With a little old-fashioned generosity?  With actually LIVING what we claim to believe in?  Let’s show people what it means to be Christ-like.

If there’s not enough Jesus on your Starbucks cup (and, psst, snowflakes and ice skates and space-ship sleighs are not specific to Jesus either) bring Jesus with you!  Be kind to the people around you.  Offer the barista a genuine smile.  Pick up the tab for the next person in line. Don’t be a grumpy asshat.

Our faith should be a little bit bigger than a disposable coffee cup.  

Don’t want to go to Starbucks, for whatever reason?  That’s cool too.  I actually don’t go all that often myself, for the simple reason that I spent a lot of past years broke,  so it pains me a little to spend $5 on something I can make for pennies at home.  Use your could-be-Starbucks-money on something else!  Share it with the guy on the corner.  Give to a cause you believe in.   Heck, surprise your kids with a new toy.   But stop using a company’s marketing decision as an excuse to turn your “faith” into something ugly and off-putting.   Believe it or not, God’s not giving out prizes to the people who can throw the biggest irrational tantrums.

Let’s get a grip here, and save being offended for the things that are actually offensive.

And to you dear Starbucks, I apologize on behalf of the small – but loud – group of Christians obnoxiously ushering in the holiday season in the only way they know how.  I assure you they don’t represent all of us.  I will be in soon for a grande caramel macchiato, and to spread some actual holiday cheer (with zero requests that you shove anything up your ass)

Sincerely,

The girl who couldn’t care less what your cups look like

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26 Comments

Filed under Christmas, faith, hot topics

26 Responses to Silly Christians, Cups Are For Coffee

  1. Marlene

    You are totally awesome.

  2. SF

    What the previous poster said: you are totally awesome. I spent a weekend recently with one of the least compassionate Christians I have ever met (who also happens to be my grandmother), and I was horrified at her diatribes against gay people, black people, poor people who her taxes subsidize… Smile peeps, and love one another πŸ™‚

  3. Well said, Jen! This silly flap reminds me of a quote I recently saw from Mahatma Gandhi: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

  4. Shelley

    I’m so tired of people posting their 2 cents on a subject as if they are the only enlightened ones and everyone should see things as they do. I’m even more tired of people like you pointing the finger at all “Christians” as if you can lump them all in one basket! You and everyone else cannot possibly know if someone who claims to be a Christian actually is a Christian. Only that person and God know that. I’m a Christian and a red cup wouldn’t offend me in the least! True Christians could care less about something so trivial. Before you lash out at all Christians because of the actions of a select few, stop and think about how short sighted that is and how you are blatantly stereotyping. For those of you who know people who say they are Christians but don’t act as you feel they should, consider the fact that they are human and far from perfect or that they quite possibly are not a true Christian. Christianity is about knowing you are a sinner and cannot do enough to save yourself so you put your trust in Jesus to save you. You strive to love others and serve others but we will always fall short. Everyone just needs to stop lashing out and judging each other!

    • jen

      “You and everyone else cannot possibly know if someone who claims to be a Christian actually is a Christian”. “True Christians could care less about something so trivial.” So which is it? You just contradicted yourself three sentences apart. For what it’s worth, I absolutely agree (with the first one) We have no idea what someone else’s relationship with God is. And, no lumping here. I was very clear that the kerfuffle is coming from a small, vocal minority. I find it funny when people who make big speeches about not judging others have no problem judging me.

      • ruth

        Hmmm, clarity comes in all shapes and sizes ..but when the head liner states ” silly Christians” then that is not, in my opinion , clear enough. I was mislead into assuming I was going to enjoy a good bashing of all Christians Oh well, next time.Oh course we could try and just love the numpties that make issues over cups . Just saying

  5. Shelley

    There was no judging of you. I’m sorry if you took it that way. Stating my opinion on your article is not judgement. You stated your opinion and I am stating mine.
    I did not contradict myself. It was very clear to me that I’m stating someone who claims to be a Christian may not actually be and I separately said that I would not be offended of something so trivial. How does that contradict?
    Next time maybe you should try not to generalize by continuously writing “Christians” and call it what it is – a few people who are oddly offended by red cups. Oh and by the way, they “call themselves Christians”

    • jen

      But.. you said that “true Christians could care less about something so trivial.” How could you, or I, know who is or who is not a “TRUE” Christian? As you said, we cannot possibly know that. And your opinion wasn’t on my article, it was about ME, and “people like me” who lash out and stereotype and judge. It’s all good. You seemed to want me to know how my words came across, so I thought you should know how yours come across as well.

    • Carma

      Shelley, your contradiction was in saying that no one can know if another person is a Christian, and then saying TRUE CHRISTIANS wouldn’t care about coffee cups. You, yourself, said that no one can know who is really a Christian … except that anyone who cares about coffee cups is not a true Christian.

      You are writing as if you think Jen is on the outside of Christianity judging those inside, but I know her personally and I assure you she is one of the most Christ-like Christians I know. And in case you missed it, she made a point to NOT “lump them all in one basket” as you accused. Reread the end of the essay, where Jen calls the cup-bemoaners a “small – but loud – group of Christians … they don’t represent all of us.”

      And FYI, “I’m so tired of people posting their 2 cents” and “I’m even more tired of people like you” sure comes across as a personal judgement of the author rather than a reasoned evaluation of the article.

    • Susan

      Hmmm, Shelley…… I was under the impression that when Jen stated “the small – but loud – group of Christians… I assure you they don’t represent all of us.” she did EXACTLY that. She ‘called it what it was – a few people who are oddly offended by red cups.’ Just sayin”.

  6. Gary Speer

    Jen, I’ve never read your blog before. I came across this timely post via my daughter (whose name happens to be Jennifer and who goes by “Jenn”) who shared it on facebook and hence it got into my facebook news feed.

    Hooray for you! I couldn’t possibly said what you said in such excellent fashion. I plan to share that FB link on my timeline and hope we can get the message out as much as possible. As Christians, we have tons of commands from Jesus to show love, show compassion, help the poor, the hungry, the needy, etc. But for some odd reason, though I’ve read the Bible cover-to-cover in my somewhat long life (I’m 68 years old), I have not been able to find a single reference to designs/logos/colors on coffee cups — disposable or otherwise.

    God’s richest blessings to you, Jen! Keep up the good work. I’m bookmarking your blog and look forward to coming by now and then to enjoy your words of wisdom and good cheer!

  7. This is a beautiful reminder of what Christ would want — a world where we live by example and put others above ourselves, not by what appears as illustrations on a piece of cardboard. (Side note: if Christians are going to place such an importance on what appears on their seasonal coffee cup they may need to research what is going into their cup. If the coffee blend is from Africa they just may be drinking Muslim beans. Just sayin’.)

  8. Elizabeth

    Great post, Jen. Thank you for your sensible thoughts about all of this. Again, you have been able to put into words what a lot of us are thinking. Thank you.

  9. Thank you for this post. I hadn’t heard about this cup thing, and I find myself struggling to wrap my mind around it. How can Christians, who have read I Corinthians 13, Galatians 5, etc. etc. act like jerks so publicly? I’m no psychologist, but it seems that some of these Christians have unresolved anger issues (and for some, a craving for attention). I am sad that they seem to be taking it out on a hurting society that needs the love of Christ instead of working through it with God.

  10. Becky Tucker

    Bravo as usual Jen! Bravo!!

  11. Heather

    Reason #5789 why I’m no longer a Christian. Cups. Words fail… truly.

  12. Carmen

    Great article! I am so sick of the “they are taking Christ out of Christmas” whine. News flash!!! You can say whatever you want, but sometimes I say Happy Holidays because other religions are also celebrating their Holidays at the same time of the year. How about considering the fact that others don’t celebrate YOUR Holiday or believe in YOUR God. Why should they have to have Christmas shoved down their throats?

  13. Rebecca G.

    I just stumbled across your blog today. I am a Christian, and I am just shaking my head about all the fuss over the cups. First World Problems, people! Thank you for the article!

  14. Linda Penmanski

    Amen.

  15. Wanda Fooca

    I’m not sure why, but there are people who seem to enjoy being offended; it is sort of a hobby or pleasant pastime for them. To them I say “hush now, take a breath and try to find a more constructive hobby.”

  16. Jacalyn Junkman

    Seriously…you’re arguing over a coffee cup???

  17. Well said! I am quickly becoming aware that there is a difference between “Christians” and true Jesus followers. If we are truly spending time with Him then He would definitely show through us as love and I can’t imagine Him caring about a snowflakeless cup…lol.

  18. Donald Daniels

    Those of us in the Christian faith community put Christ in and take Christ out depending upon which way the wind is blowing. For example, Hobby Lobby closes on Sundays and made an issue of paying for the morning after pill in their health insurance. But they have no problem selling Santa Claus merchandise as Christmas decorations right along with the Nativity sets. Faithful Christians should include Santa Claus in a celebration of the winter solstice but leave him out of Christmas. Right?

  19. Nicole

    http://blog.lwr.org/countries/latin-america/starbucks-foundation/

    This is the information that shows the christian thing Starbucks has done.

  20. Pingback: My God Won’t Leave You Stranded On The Side Of The Road | The Path Less Taken

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