The totalling of tea

The discussion is bound to come up at some time in most theological discussions. Specifically in groups that contain college or high school students, it rears its ugly head. “Is drinking wrong?”, “Can I be a Christian and socially drink?” and other various forms of this question are asked in Sunday school classes, small groups, and youth meetings all over America every night. Each night someone scrambles to proof text this or that verse as to why it is or is not permissible. Everyone tells stories of their own experiences as to why they do or do not partake in the fermented fruits of the vine.

I’m always fascinated as to the passion that this issue brings to the front. Those who drink seem to defend their choice with more fervor than I defend my choice to be single right now (and that is a lot of fervor). Those who choose to not drink seem shocked to think that any Christian could ignore the clear teachings of the Church on the subject (nudge nudge wink wink).

Well I know you all are DYING for my take on it. Many smarter than me (i.e. Doug Thompson, Ken Schenk, Keith Drury, Kevin Wright, and Mike Cline) have written on this subject, and have probably done it much better than I. However, that being said, I’m gonna throw my half cent in (probably not worth two) and see how it flies.


“The Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong”

You are absolutely right. There is nothing in the Bible that says you should not drink, UNLESS you were taking a vow. However, there are many verses about not getting drunk and Eph. seems to have the best “And be not drunk with wine”. So there you have it, end of discussion, drink but don’t get drunk. Ehhhh… I’m not sure I’ll buy that. The Bible does not say that pedophilia nor polygamy nor slavery are wrong either. Don’t believe me? Well check it. It says a man should lay only with his own wife, but not that he couldn’t lay with all of his own wives. The Bible discusses not having sex with your own children, but says nothing of marrying someone else’s child. Check it. Also slavery is not only condoned, but Colossians 4:1, and Ephesians 6:9 actually explain how to treat slaves.

Yet, we say all of these are wrong now in the church. Wanna turn some heads? Try bringing up in your next small group that you think pedophilia is ok, or that you are taking on multiple wives, or that you are thinking about buying a slave, and see what happens. We have recognized through progressive revelation, and through the changing of our hearts that these things aren’t good. That as Christians we should try and be separate from these actions. (And by the way next time someone tells you that the government can’t legislate morality, bring up slavery and polygamy and pedophilia, and ask why do we legislate those morals?)

Now you could say that slavery was different back then, and so was polygamy, and you would be right. Slaves were treated better, and were not picked by their race, but because they sold themselves into slavery to pay off debts. Well my question would be: was drinking different then. Did the biblical writers understand alcoholics? Did they foresee the thousands of people who would be killed in drunken driving accidents? Did they understand an 86 proof whiskey, 80 proof vodkas, 100 proof bourbons that contain 40-50% alcohol? This I doubt.


“It is healthy to drink red wine in moderation.”

You are absolutely right, again. Drinking red wine in moderation has been attributed to reducing the risk of heart disease, most likely due to antioxidants called flavonoids found in red wine. Red wine also contains a substance called resveratrol, which may reduce the risk of blood clots. Resveratrol is found in the skin and seeds of grapes. But it isn't known if grapes provide enough resveratrol to have a significant health benefit. Wanna know what else has these things? Red grape juice!! HA!! Yeah I’m serious. Mayo Clinic cardiologist Martha Grogan, M.D, says so. Wanna know what else she says?

“The American Heart Association doesn't recommend that anyone start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease. If you already drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Keep in mind that drinking too much alcohol can increase the risk of:
§ High blood pressure
§ Obesity
§ Stroke
§ Cancer
In addition, even light drinking can lead to alcohol addiction.”

So why drink the alcohol which can lead to all those things, when red grape juice has very similar if not identical effects? You know what really helps your heart? Olive oil. Drinking about two tablespoons a day, or eating foods that contain at least six grams of oil in them, will produce this effect. Odd though, I don’t hear a ton of people clamoring to get to the olive bar. Or bragging about the new bottle of olive oil they have in the oil cellar. Also, you can crack open a bottle of fish, for your twice weekly serving of omega three.

Do I drink?

Have I ever drank alcohol? Yes I have, twice actually. The first time was in a bottle of pop while I was in Europe. I had downed 90% of the bottle when I looked at the label and realized that it had some alcohol in it. Roughly the same amount that would be downed if you took four spoons of cough syrup instead of the normal two. The other time as later that week. In communion. I took a thimble full of real wine and drank it as Jesus’ blood shed for me. It was quite the partying weekend as you can plainly see.

No I don’t drink. For a few reason’s actually. My denomination asks me to not drink. So I don’t. I believe in submitting yourself to the authority which you are under. Most of the denominations that I would ever be a part of do not allow drinking either. I could be an alcoholic. I don’t really know. How many sips does it take to figure out that you are addicted? I don’t particularly want to find out to be honest. So for me the safest bet is to step back and say “I don’t think the risk is worth figuring it out.” (side note, it is my understanding that the salvation army didn’t use alcohol in their communion because they dealt with so many alcoholics and didn’t want to cause anyone to start up again)

So is it wrong to drink? I’m not going to tell you. I hate discussing things in “right” and “wrong”. If you are an alcoholic, or you could be one and don’t know yet, then I say it’s VERY unwise. As I have gotten older I’ve begun to ask myself a few questions. One being “is the action that I am doing bringing glory to God.” Obviously that can be asked of a lot of my actions: video games, blogging, and facebook. However, I’ve yet to hear of anyone who got so addicted to these that they killed someone while under the influence of them, or spent all of their money to get some at the local pub. (and I’m sure some of you have heard of that, and I know to refute my point you are going to bring up said story).

Fact is I don’t drink. I don’t think it’s wise. I don’t think it brings me closer to God. I think I can drink other things, and do other things to have fun in a more constructive way. And I’ve yet to hear a good reason as to why I should start.