The relationship of Christians to alcohol is one of those perennial
issues. It has often been the source of heated disagreement and even
separation. It is a particularly important topic in the United States,
but, since much of the rest of the world is culturally downstream from
the U.S., it effects every Christian to some degree. Today I want to
discuss the issue of alcohol, or at least one component of it.
(Parenthetically, many Americans may not know this, but alcohol is a
non-issue for Christians in many other parts of the world.)
A Personal Perspective
For
reasons that I will explain in a moment, I believe it would be useful
to begin with a personal perspective. I was raised in a Christian home
and I was raised around alcohol. While my parents (Christians, both)
never drank to the point of drunkenness, or even close to it, there was
often wine or beer in our home. My parents never hid this from us and
they were never ashamed of enjoying a drink. When we were children and
asked if we could have a sip of beer or wine, my parents would allow us
(and enjoy our disgusted reaction to it). By the time I was a teen,
alcohol had been thoroughly demystified.
There is
another pertinent detail. A relative I love was an alcoholic and I saw,
up close and personal, the danger excess could bring. The demystication
of alcohol along with witnessing the effect of drunkenness left me with
no desire to get drunk. I have never been drunk and have never even
gotten close. Keep Reading >>>
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