“Don’t drink, don’t chew, don’t go with girls that do.” It
may be bad poetry, but at least it has the virtue of being clear. And
fifty years ago, many American Evangelicals would have agreed that
alcohol consumption was a sure sign of worldliness, if not a lack of
genuine faith altogether.
But times have changed, as a recent CT article shows,
citing Moody Bible Institute lifting its ban on alcohol and tobacco use
for full time employees. This change is part of a larger shift in how
Evangelicals think about cultural activities once deemed questionable.
Consider, for example Brett McCracken’s recent book Gray Matters: Navigating the Space between Legalism and Liberty, which discusses Christian consumption of food, music, movies, and alcohol.[1]
Emotions run
high on this issue. This is understandable considering the destruction
and heartbreak many have experienced because of alcohol addiction and
abuse. No thoughtful person would advocate that all Christians should drink, but some believe total abstention is the only reasonable Christian position.
As with all matters of Christian living, the foremost question is, “What does the Bible teach?” Continue at Brian G. Hedges
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