Whenever something like this comes down the pipe, I can’t help thinking to myself that I’m glad I’m not a Baptist.
Anheuser-Busch wanted to lend a helping hand to the Hurricane Wilma recovery effort down in Florida last week. So they bottled up (or maybe I should say “canned up”) some water and sent it down there. There was a small problem, however. Baptist relief workers didn’t take too kindly to the idea of handing out cans of water with the Anheuser-Busch label. Local news media got wind of the story, and a major controversy ensued.
Here is the Associated Baptist Press account of this “brew-haha”. And here is the Baptist Press account, which also includes a picture of an Anheuser-Busch water can.
Here is what really happened in Florida last week. Baptist and Red Cross volunteers were operating a food distribution site at First Baptist Church in Clewiston, Florida. (Clewiston is located directly on the southwestern shore of Lake Okeechobee, about 90 miles northwest of downtown Miami.) An Anheuser-Busch truck showed up with canned water, and the shipment was accepted. However, the Baptist volunteers balked at passing out this water because the cans displayed the Anheuser-Busch logo very prominently. This was offensive to them, and they “didn’t want to send out a mixed message,” according to Tim Bridges, pastor of First Baptist Church.
Local media picked up the story and ran with it. Word of this story travelled far and wide via the blogosphere. Some bloggers reported that the Anheuser-Busch water had been sent back or that it had been poured out.
This prompted Keith Hinson, public relations director for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, to respond as follows: “It is an absolute falsehood to suggest–as many irresponsible bloggers have–that the Baptist volunteers withheld the basic needs of life from Floridians impacted by the hurricane. Contrary to misinterpretations of news reports, no one was denied access to water.” (Yeah, yeah. Blame it all on those “irresponsible bloggers”. What are we ever going to do with them?)
In all fairness, it is important to note that the Anheuser-Busch water was not sent back or poured out. No one who wanted water was sent away without water. And all of the Anheuser-Busch water was distributed to hurricane victims–just not by the Baptist volunteers.
It is unfortunate that a story like this would be distorted and misrepresented as badly as it was. Still, I can’t help thinking that if this story had turned out to be true as reported in the media and in the blogosphere, I would not be surprised.
So why is alcohol such a big deal in the Baptist church? Why would Baptist relief workers consider it a “mixed message” to pass out Anheuser-Busch water cans?
I do not know the full history of the alcohol issue in the Baptist church. But I do know that it has been around for a very long time. Many Baptists, and other evangelical Christians as well, consider it a mark of expected Christian discipline to abstain totally from the use of alcohol as a beverage–even in the church. (Most evangelical churches do not use wine for communion; they use grape juice or cranberry juice.) Many Baptist churches require abstinence from alcohol as a part of their essential belief and message. Anti-alcohol preaching is a staple in many Baptist churches, and anti-alcohol crusades are an all-too-common activity in these churches. Baptist colleges and seminaries require students and faculty to abstain totally from alcohol. And, as Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a recent forum on the issue of alcohol, “I can assure you of this: if you are associated with the use of beverage alcohol, I think I dare exaggerate not to say that 99% of all doors of ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention will be closed to you.”
The justification for this runs something along these lines: Alcohol causes many adverse consequences in the lives of those who are addicted to it, and results in many other social ills as well. Alcoholism is a huge problem in our present day and age, so in order to set ourselves apart from the culture of the world and present a positive witness for Christ, we must differentiate ourselves by abstaining from alcohol completely. Many Scripture verses are brought out in support of this view, such as Proverbs 23:29-35, 1 Corinthians 6:19, and Romans 14:21. Some Biblical scholars even argue that the wine which Jesus and his disciples drank was not real wine, but instead some nonalcoholic substitute.
Now, alcohol addiction is a bad thing, as is any other addiction which harms a person’s body, mind, or soul. And total abstinence from alcohol does make sense for some people and in some situations. But to preach total abstinence from alcohol as if it is an expected and mandatory discipline of the Christian life, to bind the consciences of believers upon this point as if it were a non-negotiable essential of the Christian faith, and to argue Scripture as if it supports and commands total abstinence from alcohol, is something which I cannot support.
Proverbs 23:29-35 paints a poignant picture of what life is like for one who is addicted to alcohol, and serves as a warning that this is what happens if you drink too much wine. But I see nothing here which says that you should not drink wine at all. Besides, there are many other verses (such as Psalm 104:14-15) which teach that wine is a blessing given by God to gladden the heart of man.
1 Corinthians 6:19 says that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The implication of this verse among those who use it to support total abstinence from alcohol is that alcohol is evil and defiling to the temple of the Holy Spirit. But if that is so, then why did Jesus drink? (Yeah, but wasn’t the wine Jesus drank nonalcoholic? I will deal with that later.) And again, what do we do with all the other scriptures which teach that wine is a blessing from God?
Romans 14:21 says that we should not drink if it will cause a weaker brother to stumble. But who is a “weaker brother”? Not some Pharisaical snot who gets offended if anyone else around him is drinking. If he sees you drinking and gives you grief about it, just tell him to get over it. The “weaker brother” in this verse is someone who, for whatever reason, believes that drinking is sinful, yet if he sees you drinking, would be tempted to drink himself while still believing it to be a sin. If you are with someone whom you know falls into this category, then by all means you should abstain from drinking.
But what if you are in a situation where some random person out there who just happens to be a “weaker brother” should just happen to see you drinking and be tempted to drink himself? Don’t worry about this. Just about every possible human choice or action is considered to be a sin within some branch of Christianity. So if we were to worry about random “weaker brothers” who would be tempted to sin by our actions, we wouldn’t even be free to get up out of bed and leave our own houses!
Now, what kind of wine did Jesus and his disciples drink? Some say it was nonalcoholic, or that its alcohol content was much lower than the wines of today. But whatever the alcohol content of first-century wines, it was still high enough that the Biblical writers felt it necessary to warn of the dangers of drinking too much wine. And if the wine that Jesus drank was nonalcoholic, he sure didn’t do a good job of letting people know, because the Pharisees sought to discredit him by saying that he was a drunkard. (Luke 7:33-34) Do you think they would have said any such thing if they or others knew that Jesus was really drinking nonalcoholic wine?
Daniel Whitfield has written an essay which deals with all of the Biblical considerations concerning alcohol, laying out the points which I just covered in much greater detail. Here it is. And here is a listing which he has gathered of all the Biblical verses pertaining to alcohol.
Now, a word about my own views on alcohol. I do not drink beer; I never really acquired a taste for it. But I have been known to drink a glass (or two) of wine on occasion. And I have no shame whatsoever about using wine when I cook. I grew up in a church which used real wine for communion, and I think that is how it ought to be. Total abstinence from alcohol may make sense for some people and in some situations. But it is not commanded by Scripture, therefore it should not be treated as a mandatory discipline to be expected of all who would call themselves Christians.
Maybe this little “brew-haha” will help the Baptist church to reassess their views on alcohol and move toward a more Biblical view, which is that it is okay to drink as long as you don’t get drunk.
For those of you interested in further reading, here is a Michael Spencer article on the alcohol issue in the Baptist church and how it affected him during his growing-up years.
And here is an article by Jack Graham in support of total abstinence from alcohol. I thought this whole article was tongue-in-cheek, until I looked up Proverbs 23:29-35 and found that it really does go as Jack Graham quotes it. (The NIV is slightly different; I think he uses the King James.) Anyway, some of you might find it to be a hoot. I think it is, even if it is serious.
Comments, anyone?
Come on, people. I’ve been to East Andrews. I know someone out there has something to say on this.
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