Concerning the hype over the red cup at Starbucks, I'm wondering if we, as Christians, are looking to have our proverbial cake and eat it too. Of course, we cannot force others to think and see things in the same way as we do; we are to be lovers of God first but the unregenerate do not yet have that priority.
To be sure, there has been unfair and even terrible treatment of
Christian business owners who have had to go against their beliefs and
cater to non-Christian ideals. And these circumstances (ie:bakery) were
not provoked. However, the tables are now turned, and this
non-Christian business has chosen to cut out their seasonal cups and go
with a plain red cup.
In the past, Starbucks didn't have Christian scenes on their cups. Maybe snowflakes...but definitely not manger scenes. And perhaps some Christians believed that Starbucks was recognizing the Christian celebration of Christmas. However, considering that they've made known their ideals through various media over the years, it seems highly unlikely that they were even remotely celebrating Christmas as the birth of Christ. To them it has always been a season in which pretty cups help sell drinks which make people feel warm and cozy inside.
So one question is, doesn't Starbucks have a right to sell their product in whatever kind of cup they choose? Why the outrage? Since we, as Christians and business owners, know it is wrong to be forced to cater to the beliefs of the non-Christian sector at the expense of our own beliefs, why would we insist that a non-Christian business cater to our beliefs? Isn't that insisting that they do the very thing which we have (rightly) protested against?
The answer we have come up with regarding the issue of non-Christians forcing Christians to cater to their sins through our businesses, is to tell them to go to a non-Christian business to have their needs met. Perhaps this is the answer to the outrage in the Christian community: don't go to Starbucks, go to a Christian business. Starbucks doesn't have to change to meet our needs, and our outrage is certainly not bringing any of them to Christ. It's a red cup....it's their business...they can do it up their way!
Do we need coffee from Starbucks that badly? Are we so desperate to give them our money? If so, we either drink from the red cup or we go somewhere else.
In the end, this is my primary question: when the tables are turned, do we do things the same way as the world, or do we stick to the Godly values and ideals that we first proclaimed?
In the past, Starbucks didn't have Christian scenes on their cups. Maybe snowflakes...but definitely not manger scenes. And perhaps some Christians believed that Starbucks was recognizing the Christian celebration of Christmas. However, considering that they've made known their ideals through various media over the years, it seems highly unlikely that they were even remotely celebrating Christmas as the birth of Christ. To them it has always been a season in which pretty cups help sell drinks which make people feel warm and cozy inside.
So one question is, doesn't Starbucks have a right to sell their product in whatever kind of cup they choose? Why the outrage? Since we, as Christians and business owners, know it is wrong to be forced to cater to the beliefs of the non-Christian sector at the expense of our own beliefs, why would we insist that a non-Christian business cater to our beliefs? Isn't that insisting that they do the very thing which we have (rightly) protested against?
The answer we have come up with regarding the issue of non-Christians forcing Christians to cater to their sins through our businesses, is to tell them to go to a non-Christian business to have their needs met. Perhaps this is the answer to the outrage in the Christian community: don't go to Starbucks, go to a Christian business. Starbucks doesn't have to change to meet our needs, and our outrage is certainly not bringing any of them to Christ. It's a red cup....it's their business...they can do it up their way!
Do we need coffee from Starbucks that badly? Are we so desperate to give them our money? If so, we either drink from the red cup or we go somewhere else.
In the end, this is my primary question: when the tables are turned, do we do things the same way as the world, or do we stick to the Godly values and ideals that we first proclaimed?
No comments:
Post a Comment