Don’t Let Those Starbucks Cups Make You See Red

So, apparently, Starbucks hates Christmas, or Christians, or even Jesus. That’s the message that’s been circulating recently on several news media sites. 

For example, Andrea Williams of the U.K.-based group Christian Concern says this move by Starbucks “denies the hope of Jesus Christ and his story so powerfully at this time of year.”

What did Starbucks do to earn this opprobrium? According to today.com:

The company’s decision to use minimalist red cups without the reindeer, Christmas ornaments, and other holiday symbols that have been featured past years has sparked a viral campaign started by a former pastor in Arizona and criticism from some conservative groups.

The former pastor is Josh Feuerstein, who has managed to amass an impressive following on social media. He said in a video that’s been viewed more than 12 million times, “Starbucks removed Christmas from their cups because they hate Jesus.” 

Lots of people seem to share this sentiment, but other Christians are opposing what they see as an overreaction that just makes the Church look bad.

My take? To quote another popular cultural element of the Christmas season, good grief!

Don’t get me wrong; around the world Christians are being tortured and murdered. In the U.S. they risk losing their livelihoods for simply living their faith.

But Christians who go around saying that everything they don’t like or any refusal to affirm Christian beliefs amounts to a “war on Christmas” or a “war on faith” will end being the boy who cried “Wolf!”—or, rather, “Persecution!”

Besides, I like the cups. When I spend all November hearing Christmas carols on the radio and seeing multicolored lights and mistletoe in shops and homes, a simple, minimalist Christmas design is a welcome respite from the holiday juggernaut that begins every year right after Halloween.

Did Starbucks avoid Christian language and imagery because it might offend non-Christian customers? Probably. Does that bother me? No. It wants its product to reach as many people as possible, and that’s their right as a business.

Besides, it’s not Starbucks’s or any secular company’s job to preach the good news about Christmas; it’s our job. So please, just let the cups go.

However, if the cups really bother you, here are three things you can do about it:

1. Don’t be cheeky and, as Josh Feuerstein suggests, tell the barista your name is “Merry Christmas” so that will be written on your cup. How about saying your name is “Joy” and the last name is “To-the-world” (a little contrived, but at least it’s unique). Or, just order your coffee, and when you get it say “Thank you” (that’s important), and then say “Merry Christmas” in a sincere and kindhearted way.

2. Instead of buying coffee, buy a malaria net. Every day 3,000 children die from this disease, but for $3 (less than the price of a cup of coffee) you can protect two people from malaria for three to four years by giving them an insecticide-treated net under which to sleep.

3. Buy a Starbucks gift card and give it to a panhandler. A cup of coffee or hot chocolate would definitely provide relief to anyone who has to brave the cold this winter. Also, this is where a message like “Merry Christmas” has the most potential to remind someone that the reason we give gifts to one another this time of year—and the reason we have hope even when times are tough—is because God gave us the greatest gift of all: his Son.

For the next two months a lot of things will distract us from the true meaning of Christmas. A lot of things will also give us an opportunity to stand up for the meaning of Christmas in an increasingly materialistic and secular world. 

Just don’t let seeing red over coffee cups be one of them.