With the recent Starbucks red cup 'scandal' and the #MerryChristmasStarbucks social media campaign, the deeply rooted issues in the faith upon which I base my life have been brought to my attention. I am a Christian, and I go to a Christian college. It's issues like these that give Christians a bad name. One person creating a wildfire among a segment of the Christian faith, taking the already tarnished name of Christians into an even deeper downward spiral. Rooted in insecurity and obscured truth, these ideas alter Christianity's priorities.
Christianity is about love. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). Too many times I see news where Christians are being anything but loving. Condemning their neighbors for sins by expecting non-Christians to live by Christian morals. God wants us to be loving of all. Rather than condemn people for their sins, show them love and kindness. Show them the grace and light of God by being living examples of Him. Love is not condemning a secular company for changing the color of their coffee cups. Doing so will not fulfill the duty of being a missionary of God. Focusing on "issues" like this will do nothing to benefit Christianity or the larger problems in the world. It will only obscure what Christianity is all about.
Of course, reputation is not everything. Christianity became what it is today through saints and disciples who went against the norm and often lost their lives to spread God's word. Christians should be confident enough in their faith to stand up for what they believe in and for the foundation of Christianity. However, red cups do not rattle this foundation. There are much greater problems in the world that require the attention of God's people than a red cup lacking a snowflake. Being up in arms about trivial problems makes Christians laughable. Who is going to want to follow a religion that wastes their time and energy on such foolish arguments?
Basically, Christianity could use some major public relations. Have some Christians diverged so far from the fundamental mission of Jesus Christ to be concerned about a matter as trivial as a plain red cup? Christians have preached for centuries about love and acceptance but so often are viewed as passing judgment and condemnation on people or actions over which they have no authority. Only God has this authority. Hypocrisy is not a word I want associated with my faith, and I'm guessing Jesus doesn't either.
Let me be clear that these issues do not make me want to be any less Christian, and the practice of no religion is perfect. However, they might make someone on the verge of finding God change their mind. With negative publicity against Christianity it may seem difficult to find parts of the faith that are not corrupt. These parts truly do exist but there are issues larger than the color of a cup that are rooted so much deeper in the core of faith. These should be the focus of Christians. Being a Christian doesn't mean I have to condemn Starbucks for changing to a plain red cup. I admit, I do really love Starbucks, and the color of their cups has no effect on my love for Jesus.
