Starbucks Christianity

WOW!!! Great article. A lot need to hear that message. I have been struggling with that issue as well. It’s far too easy to say what is culturally excepted. Thanks for sharing.

Great post. But don’t you think Starbucks culture is antithetical to Christian culture and to being faithful? Witness, for example, womenofstarbucks.com (http://www.womenofstarbucks.com)

I was the victim of “Starbucks Christians” all through my 20’s… the “Starbucks Christians” caused me to live that entire part of my life as a loner, and caused me to lose the guy I was supposed to marry. I wanted to walk away from that garbage SO many times, but God kept telling me, “Get back there, I’m not done with you there yet,” so I had to stay. Why, I guess I’ll find out in heaven someday, but if I didn’t know the truth about God, I probably would’ve walked away from Him, too. But I just turned 30 this past December, alone and single, and He finally let me walk away. I’m definitely happy to be done with that crowd, but… honest confession here… feeling like a significant portion of my life was unecessarily miserable, and if not for “Starbucks Christians” taking it upon themselves to decide whether or not I was good enough for a man, unecessarily single. So yeah, this is a pressing issue to me. That’s why I re-tweeted it immediately after I read it.

I think the issue is that christians tried to be Jesus to the culture or however you said it and moved into where they thought unchristians were hanging out at, coffee shops. Now, starbucks is about as Christians as a church service (let that deep truth settle in with you).

I am at starbucks all the time working. And you are right, there are a ton of christians there. I really think the reason for this was the boom that starbucks had about 5 years ago and the over-saturated mentality of being in the culture. Instead Christians turned starbucks into another hang out for christians.

So maybe the problem is that every time christians move into the culture they run away anyone who is not like them.

Jonathan,

I enjoyed this post. I agree that the Church has created a sub-culture that is very distinct and yet very difficult for people outside of that culture to understand or even enter. I agree that Christ sought to saturate his surrounding culture with Himself. Also, I am confident that he lived in a full embrace of the culture around him. Some people might raise an eyebrow here, and disagree with me, saying that Christ taught his followers to “live in the world but not of the world.” And I would agree. Still, it seems to me that Christ lived in a full embrace of his surrounding culture. He embraced it not to live in it, but to redeem and transform it. For example, if Christ had not fully embraced the cross (a cultural symbol of death, execution, and crime) then none of us would have true life. Therefore, followers of Christ must not run away and create a subculture nor should they merely live within a fallen culture. Instead, Christians are called to live in a full embrace of the surrounding culture in an effort to see it redeemed and transformed by Christ.
Great post. Thanks so much for sharing. Love the dialogue this has started!

Thanks for the words! A place I’ve found myself in the past and that’s where I’d like it to remain in the past! (Although I am typing this at McDonald’s-on my laptop, listening to Chris Tomlin, and drinking iced tea!!) But I do understand it’s not what living life in community is all about! For a busy working mom of three, it is a nice quiet retreat sometimes!