The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion (Paperback)

by Leonard Sweet (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Studies show that fewer Americans than we thought attend church, and Sweet, popular author (Soul Salsa) and professor of evangelism at Drew Theological School in New Jersey, thinks that the church should take cues from an institution that isn't suffering a lack of customers: Starbucks. For all his hip cultural sensitivity, Sweet hasn't shed one standby of church-growth books: the acronym. His is EPIC, which stands for Experience, Participation, "Images that throb with meaning," and Connection. Starbucks has mastered EPIC living, and the church can, too. The successful coffee corporation recognizes that people are drawn in through visual icons, and it beats competitors because its design sensibility is superior—indeed, its imagery is shot through with "spiritual significance." The church should take a hint and, instead of focusing solely on its written mission statements, devote some energy to design. Starbucks understands that people hunger for "authentic experience." Finally, just as people like to drink coffee together, people seek community and connection in religious settings. Sweet's bottom line? Christianity must move beyond rational, logical apologetics, and instead find ways of showing people that it can offer "symbols and meaningful engagement." This whimsical and insightful book offers a fresh approach to a topic of perennial interest. (Apr. 17)
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Review
Praise for
The Gospel According to Starbucks®

“Cultural barista Leonard Sweet serves up a triple venti cup of relevant insights to wake up decaffeinated Christians. Careful, the book you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot.”
–Ben Young, pastor, author of Why Mike’s Not a Christian

“Reading this book is a caffeine jolt. Get ready to be accelerated into the future, with Jesus a central part of the experience.”
–Dan Kimball, pastor, author of The Emerging Church and They Like Jesus, But Not the Church  

“The Gospel According to Starbucks® inspires us to quit playing safe and mediocre lives and to fulfill our God-given potential. Leonard Sweet uncovers God’s purpose for people not just as individuals but also as communities. An outstanding and thought-provoking book.”
–Paul McGee, international speaker, best-selling author of S.U.M.O. (Shut Up, Move On®)

“I have a massive passion for passion. It’s my favorite spiritual topic. And I have a nominal coffee obsession, Starbucks being my ritual more often than not. So what a treat to read Leonard Sweet’s extra-shot weaving together of the two–all in the hope that each of us will drink in the meaningful and passion-filled life we were designed for.”
–Mark Oestreicher, president of Youth Specialties




From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (January 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578566495
• ISBN-13: 978-1578566495
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,649 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grande Mocha, extra hot, March 17, 2007

By	Stephan R. Breon (Kansas City, Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Len Sweet builds on the delight of a great cup of coffee by showing how the church might capture some of the flavor, heat and zest discovered in a Starbucks store. The metaphore is worth exploring. Why should the church always take secondary places to the vitality present in culture? Read the Gosple According to Starbucks and you will find fresh insights for communicating the gospel in dynamic and relevant ways. Once again Len Sweet stokes grande passion for Christ.

58 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Praise the Latte! , January 26, 2007

By	lighten_up_already2 "lighten_up_already2" (Kirkland, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This book is like a grande cup of foam with a shot of espresso at the bottom. If you slurp your way through the froth, you'll find a taste or two of genuine wisdom along the way.

And, Sweet does get a few good "shots" in.

Page 33. "And in a worst-coffee country, where were you served the worst of the worst? The church."

Right on! Many churches could benefit from being places that just served a decent cup of coffee on Sunday morning. Still, many church leaders don't seem to understand this.

Or, better yet, let people eat donuts and drink coffee in church! Great idea! (page 145).

Page 57. Great shot at Thomas Kinkade paintings! Why are they not beautiful, only pretty? Sweet tells us why.

But oh the frothy foam of verbiage I had to pour through my skull to get those little tastes of cerebral stimulation!

At times I wondered if Sweet and I lived on the same planet. On page 104 Sweet writes, "Every Starbucks store is different, but the Starbucks image is the same wherever you go..." Really? Actually, I've lived in the Starbucks' homeland all my life and I've been to a lot of Starbucks restaurants, and I can tell you they're mostly all practically identical. Starbucks is the McDonalds of espresso.

Some of it was just plain embarrassing, like on page 24 where Sweet really wants to use the word for excrement that starts with "S", but he substitutes the dog breed Shih Tzu. So he uses the word without using the word. This guy is clever!

But most of the rest was the same stuff that many Christian authors have been writing about for years. Yes, Christianity is something that is supposed to be experienced, not "gone to" on Sunday mornings. Yes, Christianity needs community to thrive, not just "religious convictions confirmed from the pulpit" (page 132).

Does reading the same stuff that so many other Christian motivational types have written and said suddenly become a refreshing experience when its packaged in a Starbucks wrapper? Nope. This coffee's been sittin' on the back burner for quite a while.

Finally, the chapter I was waiting for just wasn't there. After Sweet spent 150 pages on what reads like a caffeine fueled ra ra rant about how Christianity should be more like Starbucks, I wanted to read a description of exactly what a "Starbucks church" would be like. How would this work? That's not there. However, there is about the best short history of coffee that I've ever read, and that's something I suppose.

So, if you are a new Christian, or you haven't read many books on "what's wrong with the church and how to fix it", you might find this book stimulating. Having been exposed to this kind of stuff for years, I found it to be more of the same with a new gimmick.

Or to put it another way, I paid the equivalent of three grande lattes, but what I got could be easily contained in a demitasse cup.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EPIC BREW, March 3, 2007

By	M. T. Kohanski (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book to be outstanding! In our book study we are promoting each partcipant to review one of the Being Real Engages the World thought provoking questions daily to help them in their spiritual journey. Our class has gone from 5 people to 14 people because the original five liked it so much. There are 2 more discussion groups, one for over 70years and the other for 15-18years of age, being formed for a 6 week series to experience a different way to grow into Christ.

Sweet puts growing spiritually into a format that appeals to many people whether they drink Starucks or not. We are finding many points from architecture, space, service, mission to prayer and images coming up from remarks Sweet has made. Our discussion group is participating fully and meeting to combine our thoughts (provoked by our discussions) to find ways we can reach out into our neighborhood to help make our church connecting to others.

Sweet certainly has put out information, comparisions and questions that have helped us realize we need to put as much energy into growing ourselves spiritually, as we spend "talking" about how to this and that.

Sweet really has put into a small book a way to experience God and connect with our neighbors. Our group is having an irreistible faith experience with Jesus as the center.