The "Red Cup" Craze

Why I WAS sad over a Red Cup…

I am a writer.  I like to write.  I love to voice my thoughts, my dreams, my fears, and for the majority of my posts recently, our daily lives.  As a writer, I know how to embellish a story.  I know how to build it up and add in the most miniscule of details to keep someone reading along and intrigued, and I’d, at best, qualify myself as an amateur writer.

With that being said, if I know how to do those things as the most basic writer, imagine the knowledge and power of those that are professionals.  Those writers that make their livelihoods off of every little click on their blog posts and news stories.

Well a few days ago, I read one of those so-called “Professional” articles regarding a Red Cup, and why as a Christian I should be offended by it.  And let me tell you, by the end of the article, I was.  Follow that up by a post from a friend who is also a Starbucks lover, and I agreed with her whole-heartedly.  We were SAD by what we had seen.  I had not read any articles to the contrary, nor had I tried to form my own opinion (something I know we are all guilty of during this social-media-crazed age).

I, however, at NO point felt like Christians were being PERSECUTED by this change in design from this company that has never once claimed to be “Christian.”  In fact, they claim to be quite the opposite.  If you, as a Christian, want to boycott them because they are not a Christian company, then you have every right to do so, but that claim did not start with a Red Cup.

Why “The Cup” matters…

Like I said, at first I did not use my own thoughts to form an opinion, but I did begin to form one as I saw more posts.  I will say that my initial reaction and “sadness” came from what I have seen in the past from Starbucks.  As much as you are mocking people over discussing a CUP, it really is a big deal (in a way).  Every fall, when those first Pumpkin Spice Lattes hit the menus (complete with a countdown DAYS before their arrival), people head to social media sites and post pictures of their CUPS.  This fall, those cups covered in swirling leaves and fall colors represented the beginning of the fall season and the return of the fall season staple – PSL.  (It gets me excited and I don’t like pumpkin anything!)

You can't see it very well, but that's one of those
pretty, swirly, fall cups in my momma's hand.

The excitement of the Pumpkin Spice phenomenon is quickly rolled in to the next season – CHRISTMAS.  Each year, as Starbucks gears up for “The Holidays” (not a knock on Christians or Christmas – it simply refers to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years…) they roll out their red cups again.  And once again, Starbucks lovers all over take to social media and upload photos of their CUPS that symbolize the beginning of the next season – Christmas and the Holidays.

I doubt we’ll ever get an official announcement from Starbucks saying that “Yes, we changed those winter-wonderland, Christmas themed cups to solid red so that we could make a statement to those Jesus-loving people and make them mad.”  (And for the record..."Christmas" and celebrating "The Holidays" is all over their website.)

As someone that studied marketing for 4 years in college, I know that every single thing within a company is done for a reason and with a purpose, so you better believe those Red Cups mean something.

And why “The Cup” really DOESN’T matter…

But why as Christians do we have to get so worked up over it?  Like I said earlier, Starbucks has NEVER claimed to be a Christian company, so why would their products reflect anything of the nature (other than marketing ploys to appeal to the masses)?  Why when there are SO many other areas we can spend our time, energy, and thoughts on, do we spend time putting other Christians down for their hurt over a red cup, or focus on a non-Christian company doing “non-Christiany” things?

It’s seriously a little embarrassing to wake up Monday morning and the TODAY Show is covering this, not a story about the red Starbucks cups (because let’s face it, that’s not news at all), but that Christians are so up in arms over it (How ridiculous does that make Christians look?).  Local news feeds, major blog sites, trending hashtags, you name it…they have probably at least mentioned that Christians are upset over RED CUPS.  (I would like to note that I’m not saying you are in the wrong for being upset about the red cups if you are.  Having an opinion and feelings about something is very different than taking to social media, claiming persecution, and waging a war against a company – and fellow believers…I’ve seen a lot of name calling over this tiny argument.)

Who is really benefiting from this “War”?

You want to know who’s really happy over this argument?  Satan.  He loves to come in and cause all kinds of hostility among believers.  He likes to take away our credibility and make us look selfish, among many other things, to the world around us.  And that is EXACTLY what is happening, we are at odds with each other, and we are completely hurting the witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If our news feed is full of Red Cups, it’s not full of other things, like smiley faces on hands, among any other thing that deserves so much more attention.  As Christians, we should take a stand for things that MATTER, things that are in the Bible, things that filled Jesus’ heart and His ministry.

Today is National Adoption Day.  It’s a day that should cause every Christian to stand up and say, “What can I do to help?”  If you are going to take a stand over a RED CUP, then why in the world are you not taking a stand over the LIFE OF A CHILD!?!

If the Christian church stood up and fulfilled the Gospel through adoption, there would be NO MORE ORPHANS.  That thought is staggering and totally blows my mind, but it is something that is totally doable.  Especially if we are as passionate as we are about Red Cups ;)