fluidfaith   ver. 0.4.3

Provocative, huh? 

This qualifies as somewhat interesting. News today out of Seattle that Starbucks has plans to put a God related quote from Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life (as if I need to tell you that), on coffee cups. This is part of a larger collection of quotes from writers, cultural critics, scientists, musicians, politicians, etc. which have been placed on Starbucks cups in an effort "to carry on the coffeehouse tradition of conversation and debate."

This is cool, I think. It fits Starbucks' mythic character as the home of dialogue, encounter, and overpriced free-trade coffee drinks. I'm more than happy for Christian thought to be presented alongside other quotes in this collection. It has a Paul at the Areopagus feel to it.

And if modern Christian thinking is to be represented in this campaign, I can think of no more prominent voice to represent the understanding of modern American Christianity than Rick Warren. I might would wish for quotes from Jesus himself or Martin Luther King or others (all or some of which may already be included; I wouldn't know personally as there is no Starbucks in Searcy, AR).

But I have to wonder (and some of you might want to slap me for this), is this the best we could do?

"You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your real purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance and our destiny."

Don't get me wrong. If Starbucks wants to put words on their coffee cups, then well, these are certainly words. But I have to ask, "Are these the best words Christian thought has to offer?" Is this even the best Rick Warren has to offer? Couldn't we be represented by something a little less prosaic?

The USA Today story describes this as "the first mention of God in the company's provocative quote campaign, The Way I See It." If it is indeed the first mention of God and if this truly is a provocative quote campaign, couldn't we have found a quote about God that was, well ... er, I don't know ... provocative?

In the history of Christian spirituality there have been many expressions of the faith which have been beautiful, poetic, ironic, artistic, thought-provoking, incisive, evocative, profound, deeply meaningful, subversive, dissonant, or counter-cultural, often striking the human ear and heart with a poignancy and depth that resounds to the very soul of human existence and illuminates the essential needs of humankind.

So, I'm thinking (and this is just me) if you're gonna try to revive the coffeehouse tradition in which provocative writings spark conversation and debate, I'd like to have some quotes that have some actual spark to them. Otherwise, you're left with conversations that are about as stimulating as your average self-help book, as predictable and character-deprived as your average Starbucks.