Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the best-selling Christian book of 2004, 'The Purpose-Driven Life,' poses Jan. 10, 2005, at his church in Lake Forest, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Posted on 10/19/2005 12:19:56 PM PDT by linkinpunk
Starbucks stirs things up with a God quote on cups
By Cathy Lynn Grossman
Wed Oct 19, 7:25 AM ET
Coffee drinkers could get a spiritual jolt with their java in the spring when Starbucks begins putting a God-filled quote from the Rev. Rick Warren, author of the mega-selling The Purpose-Driven Life, on its cups.
It will be the first mention of God in the company's provocative quote campaign, The Way I See It. In 2005, Starbucks is printing 63 quotes from writers, scientists, musicians, athletes, politicians and cultural critics on cups for company-run and licensed locations to carry on the coffeehouse tradition of conversation and debate.
Some mention "faith in the human spirit," but none is overtly religious. Last month, Baylor University pulled Starbucks cups after objections to a quote from writer Armistead Maupin saying that "life is too damn short" to hide being gay.
Warren says the idea of a grande pitch for God as creator came to him after seeing a Starbucks quote on evolution from paleontologist Louise Leakey. Because Starbucks solicited customer contributions for 2006, Warren sent his in. On Tuesday, Starbucks spokeswoman Sanja Gould confirmed that it would be used.
The cups carry a disclaimer that the opinions "do not necessarily reflect the views of Starbucks."
But a few companies plant clues to Christianity in their wrappings, music or signs precisely because the owners are believers.
In-N-Out Burger, the California-based fast-food chain, has included tiny notations for Bible verses in some of its burger and drink packaging since Richard Snyder, son of the founders, called for it in 1987. "He told me, 'It's just something I want to do,' " company spokesman Carl Van Fleet says.
After Snyder's death in 1993, "the family felt strongly about keeping this just as he had done it" at its 196 outlets in California, Arizona and Nevada. The Bible book and verse in minuscule type "are so subtle most of our customers never notice."
One who did: Don Chang, the deeply religious founder of clothing chains Forever 21 and XXI.
Five years ago, the clothier copied In-N-Out by stamping the Bible book, chapter and verse notation John 3:16 on the bottom of his stores' shopping bags: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
It's "evidence of faith," corporate spokesman Larry Meyer says.
Other owners making a faith statement in the secular marketplace include David Green, whose craft chain Hobby Lobby plays only Christian contemporary music in its 362 stores, and S. Truett Cathy, who advertises that Chick-fil-A sandwich shops nationwide are closed on Sundays to free employees to focus on faith and family.
"Americans are more accepting of overt religiosity these days, and corporations are good at figuring out how to do it with a light touch, one that's not going to scare off unbelievers," says sociologist David Halle, director of the LeRoy Neiman Center for the Study of American Society and Culture at the University of California-Los Angeles.
Alaska Airlines has put baseball-card-size prayer cards on hot-meal trays for 30 years "just to differentiate us from the competition," spokeswoman Amanda Tobin says. "Compliments have always far outweighed complaints."
Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the best-selling Christian book of 2004, 'The Purpose-Driven Life,' poses Jan. 10, 2005, at his church in Lake Forest, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
For example "God Almighty, I paid WHAT for a cup of coffee?"
Here's a crazy idea...take the money earmarked for this project and reduce the cost of your freakin' coffee beverages!
Paging the ACLU!
Starbucks' "The Way I See It" campaign is offending people of every stripe, and therefore doing precisely what Starbucks wants: keeping its brand name in the news getting attention. Seems to be good marketing.
Lemme guess, "Satan Rules!" wouldn't get a peep of a complaint.
Amazing how God is controversial but homosexual propaganda (a previous Starbucks cup feature) was not.
I also remember many religious conservatives being upset by this campaign because of some homosexual agenda-pushing quote on one of the cups.
if you eat a whole bottle of that nutmeg that they have there, you will be seeing God for a couple of days. (i heard)
I'll bet the cost of a Starbucks franchise that they won't do a series using Allah's quotes.
Careful, I wouldn't put it past 'em.
LINK doesn't work - is this a spoof?
So, what is the actual quote? Or won't the AP print that?
Well that's just news coverage. ;-)
Wow, I'm stunned but thankful someone is bringing God back into the world and kudos to Alaska Airlines as well........
How about $4 for a green tea frappucino?
how 'bout an asswhippucino for free?
(sorry, very sorry, been a bad day)
How about $4 for a green tea frappucino?
No Thank you....I am curious, is it any good?
Some crappe with your latte.
I'll stick with Dunkin' Donuts.
Yeah, well, Alaska Air needs all the help they can get.
Congratulations, Starbucks! You have now lost me as a customer, by employing this Market Driven scheme.
The only time the left 'supports' our troops is when they are in body bags.
What did it read, "pray we don't crash" ?
I don't want a philosophical lecture from my food service packaging, of any stripe - not pro-gay, pro-Christian, pro-Allah, none of it. If I can't get a blank cup they can count me out (not that I'm a big Starbucks drinker anyway, but I like to drink it in airports when I'm trapped between flights).
LQ
Have link for that? It keeps coming up and I've heard it is urban legend.
It is, actually (with whipped cream on top). Still get the caffeine but with a load of anti-oxidants.
LINK OR SOURCE PLEASE! - Nothing about this in a goodle search, on the starbucks web site, or on the Saddleback Church website...
You can get coffee from Starbucks for less than that. I don't like the taste of their coffee -- too strong, too bitter -- but I have a friend who is an addict and he doesn't like paying the confiscatory prices, so he usually buys what is to him a great cup without the superjunk most of the time, and pays the upper deck prices on occasion.
LINK OR SOURCE PLEASE! - Nothing about this in a google search, on the starbucks web site, or on the Saddleback Church website...
too bad starbucks is just treating this as another quote. i always like seeing people with the brass to show their Christian faith in these times. our local garbage collection company has been doing this for decades. every one of their trucks has either a bible verse or some other obviously Christian quote on the back. this was the original reason that my parents started using this service in the early 80s.
If you read the article, you will see that the homosexual quote was so controversial Starbucks had to pull it.
I'm pretty sure I read (on Snopes.com, I think) that the "Starbucks refuses to send coffee to our troops" story is untrue.
Does it seem to you that people of faith are either growing in numbers or getting sick and tired of taking all the guff from the ever-choking hold of Liberal America?
Or is it just me...?
Do you live in Lansing?
If Rick Warrens says something, it has about a 50% chance of being true to God's Word. My take on his people-pleasing book can be found here: http://brogdensmuse.menofhonorministry.org/Discipleship.htm
charlotte. grew up in lansing tho. you live around the area?
They put some quotes from a God fearing man on a cup and you are so offended that you refuse to buy anymore of their product. It seems your hatred for all things Rick Warren is pathological. I didn't see you complaining when Starbucks was putting pro-homosexual quotes on their cups. No. That was probably just peachy with you, huh?
But God forbid they put a quote from Rick Warren.
Sad.
I wonder if that applied to the pharisees of whom Jesus said "you are of your father the devil"?
I was wondering when the Warren-bashing zealots would show up.
That took a long time.
I am offended because Rick Warren is doing more to liberalize the church than liberals! Try as I might I can't help but like the guy when I see him, but I can't stand his silly version of 'christianity-lite' which only serves to invite a larger percentage of CINO'S into the church.
Yes. It did.
I'll be paying In-N-Out Burger an extra visit to look for the Bible Verse. Their Double-Double with extra grilled onions is the best burger around!
So, what's the Warren quote?
GR.
I used to work in Lansing with a pro-family organization and would always see the Grangers trucks around town.
Pinging you because everyone needs to go to the circus now and then...
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