Category: Standards

Fencing in Fido: Fundamentalism's Tendency to Devalue Discernment

~ fundyreformed ~ 12 Comments

how high is your fence?I recently came across two must read articles on fundamentalism and discernment. I underlined “must read” so go read the articles!    Okay, I guess I’d better give you the links if I expect you to follow my advice.    Both articles are by Buffington Powers of Truth Matters,  and you can view them by clicking on their titles: “Fence Building and Dog Training: Fundamentalism’s Dearth of Discernment” and “Discerning Dogs and the Masters Who Train Them: Developing Christian Discernment” (HT: Donette).   When you are finished, come back and we’ll discuss them a little.

I really think you should read the articles before continuing with my post, but I will summarize the main gist of the articles for you  before proceeding.

The articles paint a picture of two dogs: Well-Trained T-Bone and Fenced-In Fido. One dog is given a fence and the other was trained to follow his master. The dog who was trained lives life to the fullest, while constantly depending on his master. The dog behind the fence does not really need to depend on his master for anything. He also becomes discontented with his plot of beautiful green grass, preferring instead to focus on his fence and what lies beyond. For the whole story, I refer you again to the articles, but let me  quote a few paragraphs which provide the lesson from Powers’ parable.

You see, the problem is that Fenced-in Fido is dependent upon the fence for his safety. There is no thought required. The fence was imposed by someone who could not possibly be with Fido every waking hour. That is, the fence required no relationship between the builder of the fence and the dog. Much like the fences imposed by some pastors, churches, schools, and even parents, they require no thought and no relationship. If pastors, or parents, or schools represent the fences, the day will come when they will not be there. What then?

Well-Trained T-Bone, on the other hand is dependent upon his master. When he comes to a curb, he sits and looks for the approval of his master before he continues. He tunes his ears to the voice of his master and returns to the circle of safety after each Frisbee toss. He tunes out the barks and challenges of other yipping dogs. He is constantly under the control of his master.

Fundamentalism builds fences and does not train for discernment. Instead of teaching how to approach dogs, it just builds the fence — “No CCM.” Instead of teaching how to approach curbs and cars, it just says, “No parks.” Is there nothing to be gained from evangelical pastors like Swindoll, Piper, MacArthur, Warren, Hybles, Stanley, Evans, etc.? Should we just make them off limits or should we teach people how to be discerning? Is there no worship to be had in the lyrics and songs written by Smith, Patty, Green, Chapman, Paris, Third Day, Go-Fish, Mercy Me, etc.? Should we just make them off limits or should we teach people how to be discerning? By the same token, is every person, book, song and lyric that comes from Greenville, Pensacola, Watertown, Dunbar, Detroit and Lansdale infallible and worthy to be trusted without discernment? Is everything Bob Jones says to be accepted unchallenged while everything John Piper says is to be rejected unquestioned “by association” ?

Sure, you can keep your dog safe by building a fence and you can keep your dog safe by training him well. Which dog is happiest? Similarly, pastors, churches and schools can keep their children “safe” by building fences; but how does that enhance their relationship and walk with their master?

I am afraid that Fundamentalism is creating a breed of “Christians” who think they are navigating the world while simply enjoying the safety behind their fences; when in reality they need know nothing of the dependence upon the voice of their master.

You should know that Buffington Powers  goes beyond mere critique. He does discuss ways to build discernment and deals with Scriptural texts which encourage discernment. But his critique is worth listening to.

I think his critique is spot on. I can certainly see many ways in which fundamentalism in general, and hyper fundamentalism in particular devalues discernment.

I understand the desire behind legislating standards, particularly with regard to children and teenagers. Fundamentalists want to shelter and protect them from wrongdoing. Avoiding evil is commendable and fences can help us do that. But more often than not when fences are legislated, the fences become the focus. The practical “in”s and “out”s and the “how to”s and such concerning the fence  are all that is communicated. The reasoning behind the fence  is unclear.

Fences become a crutch. It is easy to measure yourself by your adherence to the fences. It is easy to measure others by their level of conformity.    Soon the fences are the indicator of spirituality in an unhealthy way. If anyone questions the fence they are viewed as spiritually deficient or even as  a threat to the authority. But remember, fences are not explicilty demanded by the Bible, rather they are a human  attempt to apply the Bible’s prinicple to a given situation.

Take the typical fundamentalist Bible college, for example. (I  am thinking more  along the line of  IFBx or hyper fundamentalists, but I believe the criticisms can apply  in  a lesser degree to  any  fundamental Bible college.) The  students are not usually guided into right decisions, they are forced into them. They receive a rule book a mile long. Emphasis is given as to what exactly constitutes the breaking of rules rather than on the Biblical rationale behind the many rules. Demerits fly left and right, and there is usually some form of a “gestapo” in place defending the rules and policing the students. In many hyper fundamentalist colleges, the young adults are treated like junior highers in many respects. They leave home with independence and endorsement from their parents that they are prepared to be responsible adults yet they arrive to find that the college does not trust them to leave campus and go to Walmart to buy a toothbrush on their own! Back to kindergarten they have come. Rather than seeking to empower and help the students through their choices as responsible adults, the leadership suspects the worst of them and does their best to erect a 50 foot high fence rimmed with barb wire to keep them away from any negative influences.

At many such colleges you are more apt to hear discussions concerning different standards end with “well, preacher says…” than with a well thought out position based on Scripture. This might reflect the fact that the preacher is constantly making blanket statements such as, “If you do external behavior A or do not do external behavior B you will never do anything for God!” Never mind that behaviors A and B are not explicitly addressed in Scripture and that the preacher has not given a Biblical defense as to how he comes to his conclusion about A and B–no he prefers to “pontificate”, if you will. The preaching, then, tends to reinforce the devalueing of discernment.

Censorship and isolationism have their roles in this system as well. Intentional censorship attempts to keep people away from certain authors or books, while the unintentional censorship of isolationism keeps people away from other ideas and approaches to Christianity.

The end result  in one sense looks great. People look and act the same and they know which standards to emphasize! But the result comes with a price. People often stay because they are pressured into staying and they conform in order to achieve acceptance  or recognition. They only know the environment they are in and this tends to make room for a dead orthodoxy. Discernment is only needed as far as discerning what preacher’s position is on any topic, and thus the healthy dependence on Christ and the searching of His word that discernment creates are absent. An environment where people can look good and be branded as good and which requires little heart worship is scary indeed.

I do not say that such an environment is only to be found in IFBx circles, we all must watch out for it. And I admit that I may be overstating my case a bit. I am sure it is not alwasys quite so cut and dry as I make it out to be. Yet, I believe the over emphasis on fences found within fundamentalism contributes to the scenario described in the articles linked to above  being played out far too often. When the young person finds the fence is removed momentarily, they rush out into the world only to get hit by the first truck that rumbles down the street.

Any other thoughts on this tendency of fundamentalism? Any suggestions for how to cultivate Christian discernment?

Welch's Grape Juice, Worldly Wisdom, and Wine

~ fundyreformed ~ 31 Comments

With wine on the mind, I thought I would discuss the interesting role of Thomas B. Welch in the controversy concerning the use of alcohol.

Thomas Welch is remembered as the inventor of modern grape juice. He applied Louis Pasteur’s new pasteurization process to grapes: the result was unfermented wine better known as grape juice. But what many do not know is that Welch had a specific reason for experimenting with grape juice. He was a minister who objected to alcoholic wine being used for communion. So much so, in fact that he refused to touch it even though he had been elected communion steward. After developing his unfermented communion alternative, he tried, unsuccessfully to substitute it in his church’s communion. Eventually, however, he convinced his church and many others to use the unfermented wine, furthering his temperance movement cause. The family business soon grew and his son Charles E. Welch developed the business into the large company it is today.

So there you have it. A centuries long practice of using alcoholic wine in communion is overturned by a prohibitionist and profiteer. To substantiate my history claims above look no further than Welch’s own company history. At the bottom of this article there are further resources.

Now I do not want this article to say too much. I definitely want to be fair and honest in my presentation of the facts. For instance, it appears that Welch was moved more by conviction than capitalism (at least initially). And also the fact that Welch invented the modern method of preserving grape juice does not imply that there were no other methods prior to 1869. For instance the link provided here gives some documentation of ancient methods of preserving grape juice which may have been used in Bible times and after. I am not advocating that every instance of the word wine in the Bible must only be understood as alcoholic wine. However, in my research I believe there are numerous places where the Bible affirms the intoxicating nature of wine (thus fermented wine) as a gift of God, see my first post on the topic here.

The link provided above goes on to cite evidence that unfermented wine was the normal practice of the early church. While I have not looked into all that evidence closely, I do believe there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. For instance Keith Mathison claims that fermented wine was the universal custom of the church for 1800 years, see this link to a pertinent excerpt from his book Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. History unequivocally testifies that from 1500 until the late 1800s it was universal practice among Catholic, Protestant, and Anabaptist groups to use alcoholic wine in communion and daily life. It should be startling, therefore, to learn that the prohibition movement and a particular representative of it, Thomas Welch, were extremely instrumental in changing that consensus into the great controversy of the present. Today, many churches and even entire denominations decry any use of alcohol and act as if this has always been the position of God’s church.

Before I close, let me briefly discuss the prohibition movement. The movement was spawned from a worldly wisdom not a Christian belief system: the church joined the bandwagon of the secular movement, not vice versa. This claim is easily substantiated through basic research. I encourage you to peruse this article to gain an understanding of the previous widespread consumption in America and the birth of Prohibition. The article goes on to document the underhanded tactics used by the prohibitionists. They censored school textbooks and paraded pure fallacies as documented fact. Also of note is prohibition’s view that alcohol was bad and that which inherently caused drunkenness and alcoholism. They saw many of the problems of society traced to the disease of alcoholism with alcohol as the culprit. In this focus the movement practically denied the Biblical contention that what is inside a man defiles him, not what comes into him. They thought society could be cured of its evils by purging it of alcohol, but society is only cured through its submission to the Lordship of Christ.

When anyone wants to develop a position on alcohol and hopes to prove whether or not Scripture permits its use they must not ignore the facts presented here. Failing to admit that the practice and doctrine of churches were influenced by the secular temperance movement will not permit the investigator to understand that he may be severely prejudiced through his own church traditions of the past one hundred or more years. In this discussion, therefore, it is vital to remember the role Thomas Welch and the worldly wise temperance movement made in the history of the church and its views concerning wine.

Resources and Documentation:

Welch’s Grape Juice

Prohibition

picture borrowed from here

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

Will You Be Having Some Wine?

~ fundyreformed ~ 57 Comments

Ps. 104:15 About six years ago I took my future wife out on our first OCD (off campus date). We were at Olive Garden and at our own table (which was a big deal back then :)) and this suave waiter walks on up and presents us with a bottle of wine. He asks, “Will you be having some wine?” I quickly replied to my wife’s chagrin, “I’m not old enough but she is!” Flustered, Carolyn declined the wine and gave me a look. It was her 21st birthday, and drinking wine was the farthest thing from either of our minds.These days, I am still not much of a wine drinker. I am slowly developing a taste for it and experimenting with all the options. But at times it still shocks me to think that I am actually allowing alcohol to pass through my lips. Any such drink was the biggest taboo, growing up. It was just assumed that the only Biblical position was absolute and total abstinence.During a period of a few years, while I was beginning to slowly register conflicting opinions and doubts concerning my fundamentalist beliefs, I began coming across verses concerning wine which amazed me. I kept a running list, even before we made our break with fundamentalism. A professor at college had even argued that alcohol for medicinal purposes was clearly condoned by Prov. 31:6-7 and 1 Tim. 5:23.

Judg. 9:13 After changing our positions on many of the extreme fundamentalist beliefs I was raised with, I was even more open to the potential (which at that point seemed likely based on my ever growing list) that the Bible allowed for the moderate use of wine and alcoholic beverages. But still several months went by without a determination to even give alcohol a sip. I say this to reitirate that drinking alcohol was no special desire of mine. Tee-totalism was just normal, as both of our families and extended families for the most part do not drink.Two events moved me to have some wine, however. First, I came across some blogposts written by a blog friend of mine, Matt Fitzsimmons. They were well written, and adequately defended in the comments (check them out here & here). That discussion brought my list back to mind. By this time I was completely convinced (having been quite familiar with tee-totaller arguments for some time) that the Bible not only permitted but encouraged the moderate use and enjoyment of wine and alcoholic beverages. Further I had been convinced that many of the “wisdom” arguments against liquor had equally convincing counter arguments and further “wisdom” arguments levied against them.Still I remained dry. But a month or so later I was asked what I thought about alcohol by a cousin of mine. He actually married into the family as I did, and we both went to the same college (even sang on a men’s quintet together). Our discussion was overheard and the fundamentalist in-laws grew livid! Well not exactly, but there was quite a commotion for a usually soft-spoken bunch. Further conversations with Nathan led to my being given some flavored beer. He also gave me some research he had compiled–a list of all the verses referring to alcoholic beverages in Scripture, along with a few articles. Reading the articles made me even more convinced that wine is to be viewed as a good gift from God. Who was I to snub my nose at God’s gift and say, “No, thanks, God. I am better off without that.”So, I determined to partake of alcoholic beverages to God’s glory. And to this day I conscientiously seek to honor God and thank Him for the wonderful gift of alcohol. By no means am I an experienced drinker yet. But I have experienced the joy God intends for us through this refreshing means.Enough about me, what about you? Will you be having some wine?

I am writing this because of stumbling onto several blogposts on this very subject. The Southern Baptist Convention just recently passed another resolution condemning the “use” of alcohol. Not the “abuse” but its “use”. This has sparked several blog objections and a few have caught my eye. Below I am listing some links for you to peruse. I also mention a few things I have learned recently through these blogposts. But before I send you to these links, take the time to read my first post defending wine entitled “‘Wine to Gladden the Heart of Man’: Thoughts on God’s Good Gift of Wine”.

Cheers!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Links:

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

Dictating Applications and Enforcing Personal Convictions: Three Case Studies

~ fundyreformed ~ 7 Comments

One of the problems I see with fundamentalism in general and more specifically with IFBx fundamentalists is the dictating of the application of Scriptural principles. In what should be matters of personal conviction, fundamentalists often enforce “standards”. The standards or personal convictions are not problematic. We all need to have personal “rules of conduct” which allow us not to violate our God-given conscience. However, when leaders enforce a specific conviction or standard–which is not expressly demanded by Scripture–they are overstepping Scriptural bounds. They all too often end up acting in the stead of the Holy Spirit in the lives of their followers. If Scripture did not expressly declare a particular application, we have freedom to apply the Scriptural principle as we see fit while being led by the Spirit as all true believers are.

I recently came across an article which points this out very poignantly. Ryan Debarr (of RyanDebarr.Com), himself a former IFBx, discusses this very problem by way of doing three relevant case studies. He looks at the issues of birth control, music, and alcohol, while highlighting how it is best to let individuals individually decide how best to apply the Biblcial principles to those specific topics. You will find the article interesting just for its treatment of those topics, but I hope you see his underlying point: dictating applications is unhealthy, controlling, and unScriptural. Below, I want to highlight a few quotes from his article, but be sure to read it in full. It is excellently written and very thoughtful.

The question I ask today is, in our practice of Christianity, how assertive should we be about a specific application of a Biblical principle? Should we let others find the best way to do their job, their Christian duties, or do we dictate not only the principles but the applications? The question is one that is at the heart of much division and controversy in the church….

God wants us to think about how to get from point A to point B, and the plan for each of us should vary as our circumstances vary. It isn’t right to insist that everyone do it our own way. Others will have to answer to God for how they fulfilled His commandments and principles, and we shouldn’t interfere with their work….

It is fine to stay away from things that might ensnare you, and it’s good to look out for the welfare of others. But those are personal applications, which like the use of birth control, vary according to circumstance. It is not okay to set “strong policies” like any good sports team or corporation has. The pastor is not the CEO, and the congregation is not the Board of Directors. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and it is He who decides what is and isn’t okay…. [Be sure to read the entire article here.]

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

"Wine to Gladden the Heart of Man": Thoughts on God’s Good Gift of Wine

~ fundyreformed ~ 86 Comments

There is an interesting discussion on alcohol going on over at Bob Bixby’s blog, Pensees. It has been mentioned over on Sharper Iron, as well.

I have been meaning to post for some time on this topic, and now seemed like the appropriate time. Some of my research for this article was helped by a cousin-in-law of mine, Nathan Grant. I plan to post an edited version of his own study on this topic in the future.

Okay, you will probably want to go over and read Bixby’s article on the issue, “Drinking Beer and My Right to Read the Bible in The Middle of the Street”, first. Then you can read my response verbatim below.

I hate to post another long comment, but… I think this should be said, in the context of this discussion.Why drink wine?? Good question! I respect your arguments from common sense and Biblical principles. These are not light-weight arguments. Yet I think there is a big Scriptural argument for the use of wine that you are overlooking.Before presenting that argument, let me hasten to say that I can only imagine the sorrow liquor has caused many people and many families. Drunkenness is a sin which Scripture strongly condemns and warns us against. And more than many sins, it can affect innocent bystanders, and unfortunate family members. It should be no laughing matter for such an argument to be raised. The injury and harm alcohol has caused so many deserves no scorn from the eyes of young fundamentalists eager to partake in another activity they deem permissible from Scripture.If I agree so much with your argument, why then would I go on and seek to argue for the use of alcohol? Why not just stay quiet, and agree to disagree privately? I cannot remain quiet, because truthfully I feel the argument I have to present is of such a nature that to disregard it would be to despise God and His Word.

Ps. 104:14-15 presents my argument: “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.” Here the Psalmist praises God for the gift of wine. And he declares that God gave us wine to gladden our hearts. My argument is that Scripture abundantly declares this truth: God gave us wine to bring us joy. I want to present 8 points which combine to make this truth extremely clear. God gave us wine for our joy. [Scriptures are taken from the ESV, unless otherwise indicated.]

1) Wine is a gift of the goodness of God.

Jeremiah 31:12-14 “They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

See also Ps. 104:14-15 above. 1 Tim. 4:1-5 applies also, I believe.

2) Wine produces joy–it “gladdens the heart”.

Judges 9:13 “But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?'”

Ecclesiastes 10:19 (NASB) “Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything.”

Zechariah 10:7 “Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the LORD.”

It should be clear that even the intoxicating nature of wine is being praised, here. Wine lifts the spirit and gladdens the heart long before it actually overtakes you and makes one drunk. Wine can be enjoyed and its effects relished without losing control and becoming drunken. Prov. 31:6-7 encourages Lemuel to give wine and strong drink to the sick and the sorrowful of heart. And Jer. 16:7-8 points to a practice of comforting those who are mourning over the death of loved ones with wine and a feast–“the cup of consolation”. Rabbinical literature declares that such was a common practice–particularly in obedience to Prov. 31:6-7.

3) Wine is used in rejoicing before God.

It is also used in offerings and must be tithed on.

Deuteronomy 14:22-26 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire–oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.”

Isaiah 62:8-9 “The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: ‘I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored; but those who garner it shall eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.'”

Deuteronomy 12:17-19 “You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil…but you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place that the LORD your God will choose….”

Notice that in the Dt. 14 passage above, even strong drink [everyone agrees that this is alcoholic] can be drunken before the Lord with rejoicing! Strong drink is also used as a drink offering in conjunction with certain sacrifices, see Num. 28:7. Wine, of course, is also used for drink offerings, see Ex. 29:40, Num. 15:5, 2 Chron. 31:5, Dt. 8:4.

4) Abundance of wine was a particular blessing from God.

Joel 2:24-26 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.”

Joel 3:18 “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD and water the Valley of Shittim.”

See also Gen. 27:28 (part of Isaac’s blessing for Jacob) and Dt. 7:13.

5) Having no wine was a hardship or a judgment of God.

Amos 5:11 “Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him…you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.”

Deuteronomy 29:2-6 “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: ‘You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.'”

The above passage has Moses describing the glories of God that the people saw and also stressing that they had endured trials in the wilderness. He speaks of the miraculous provision for them, but also of God’s keeping them from the normal joys of life–eating bread and drinking wine and strong drink. God did all of this so they would know that He was their God, yet they had no spiritual circumcision of heart to appreciate that. The point I am drawing out is that not having wine and strong drink was a hardship, exactly parallel to not having bread. Bread is good, and so is wine and strong drink. (See also Dt. 28:39, Micah 6:15, and Zeph. 1:13)

6) The absence of wine results in the absence of joy.

No wine, no joy.

Isaiah 24:7-11 “The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourines is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled. No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none can enter. There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished.“

Jeremiah 48:33 “Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses; no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy.”

See also Is. 16:10.

7) Drinking wine is singularly festive, joyful, and celebratory.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 “Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.”

Isaiah 22:13 “And behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.'”

It goes without saying that wine is associated with times of joy and feasting (Job 1:13, Esther 1, 1 Chron. 12:39ff., Gen. 27:25 [a special occasion–the passing on of the blessing]). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988; edited by Geoffrey Bromiley] points out, “A banquet hall is called a bet misthe hayyayin (lit. ‘house for drinking wine’ Est. 7:8), and a ‘feast’ is literally a ‘drinking’ (Heb. misthe, Gen. 21:8; Jdg. 14:10; 1 S. 25:36; 2 S. 3:20)” (vol. 4, pg. 1070). Further it states, “wine…was an essential part of feasting in the biblical tradition” (pg. 1071).

(Another point, similar to this is that the joys of sexual intimacy and love are compared to the joy produced by wine. See Song of Solomon 1:2-3; 4:10; 7:1-2, 9; 8:2.)

8) Wine will be part of the future feasting in Christ’s kingdom.

Isaiah 25:6-9 “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.'”

Jeremiah 31:12-14 “They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

Matt. 26:29 “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

See also Lk. 22:28-30, Mt. 8:11, and Lk. 13:29. It is worthwhile to mention here that from the above verse, it is clear Jesus drank wine. The celebration of the Passover had developed into including 4 cups of wine. From the passage in Luke you see they drank at least two cups of wine (Lk. 22:17 and 20). In Lk. 7:33-34 Jesus himself says that he came “eating and drinking”. Since John the Baptist was specifically said to have abstained from alcoholic drinks (Lk. 1:15), and since Jesus contrasts himself with John in this text, Jesus is saying he came drinking alcoholic drinks. While it is obvious Jesus was no drunkard, the charge of “drunkard” would sound ridiculous if Jesus had been a tee-totaller. Not only did Jesus drink wine, but he was concerned to produce the best kind of wine for those at the wedding feast in Cana (Jn. 2).

Also, the feast of the Lord’s supper looks forward to the feast with Jesus in His kingdom (see the Mt. 26:29 passage above). And it is clear from 1 Cor. 11:21 that the beverage used at the Lord’s table in Corinth could make some drunk. Paul in no way castigates them for using the wrong kind of beverage. He even points out that they could drink in their own houses (v. 22). So it makes Biblical sense to expect that the feast in Christ’s glorious New Kingdom will include alcoholic drinks.

Now I have presented my Biblical argument–that God has given us wine to make our hearts glad. So I say we should glorify God by the wise use and enjoyment of his good gifts to us (see 1 Tim. 4:1-5).

Now some will be hanging onto a weak argument here. They will be trying to convince themselves that wine most often does not mean intoxicating juice of grapes, but rather non-intoxicating juice similar to the Welch’s variety. Yet much evidence exists that this is not correct. Modern grape juice was not really available until the late 1800s when Mr. Welch began marketing his variety. ISBE says, “Both yayin and tiros are fermented grape juice with alcoholic content; hence both are able to cause intoxication (cf. Hos. 4:11) and are to be distinguished from ‘must’ or unfermented grape juice….The ‘new wine’ (Gk. gleukos) of the Pentecost account (Acts 2:13) was the vintage of the recent harvest; the thrust of the taunt requires that it refer to wine that can cause intoxication.” (vol. 4 pg. 1069) The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1988; edited by Merrill F. Unger] states, “In most of the passages in the Bible where yayin is used (83 out of 138), it certainly means fermented grape juice; and in the remainder it may fairly be presumed to do so. The intoxicating character of yayin in general is plain from Scripture.” Now it is true that ancient wine was not as alcoholic as wine today. Yet it is also clear it could intoxicate. In NT times, wine was a common table beverage (diluted of course). Yet ISBE says, “Wine is not attested as the normal table beverage of OT times. It seems generally to have been reserved for special occasions…” (vol. 4 pg. 1070). More evidence could be cited, I am sure, but I agree with Unger that it is plain that wine was quite able to intoxicate. Yet God says this is good–it gladdens our hearts.

I have two further counter arguments. One counters the argument you (Bob Bixby) have brought up in this post. The other counters another common argument, which has been brought up in the comment thread. I will start with the latter argument.

Should we not refrain from alcohol and wine, strong drink, etc. out of deference to weaker brothers who might stumble? Is not this the point of Rom. 14:21? In a sense I would agree. But the context speaks to situations where you know a brother will be observing you drink in such a way that he may stumble and offend his conscience. If one happens to stumble upon me and find that I am drinking, I could charitably explain my reasoning for doing so. But for me to disregard his conscience and deliberately challenge him or cause him to be offended would be quite another thing. Applying 1 Thess. 5:22 to this case is a false application of that text. It refers to actual cases of evil–avoiding actual evil. Not avoiding what appears to be evil but in fact is neutral or not evil. And it also specifically in context refers to the judging of each prophecy in the setting of a church or Christian gathering.

My second counter argument deals with your argument concerning the great potential harm that alcohol can cause families and individuals. Yes, this is a strong caution and particularly listens to the warnings of Prov. 20:1 and other like passages. However, let me ask something. Is total abstinence the best preventative course for me to pursue with regard to the rearing of my children? Since Scripture does not forbid alcohol, and actually encourages its moderate consumption, how can I in good conscience teach against its use period? Would the argument you propose be received as sufficient from my children? Or could it not be as effective (or more) for me to model the moderate use of wine in front of my children and family? My children would learn by example that wine and liquor is not to be consumed frivolously, but rather to be enjoyed in moderation–always thanking God for the blessing of wine when we partake of it. This also seems to be more in line with being controlled by the Spirit in this dispensation of the new covenant, in my opinion.

Before closing, let me point your attention to two articles on this topic written by a friend of a friend of mine. Alcohol and the Christian, and Alcohol and the Christian Part Deux. In the second article there is an extended discussion which approaches the topic from many perspectives and seeks to apply Biblical principles to the decision whether or not to enjoy God’s gift of wine, this side of heaven. I think you (and your readers) may find the discussion beneficial in thinking through this issue.

UPDATE: Check out two later posts I did on this topic: “Will You Be Having Some Wine?” and “Welch’s Grape Juice, Worldly Wisdom and Wine”.

Recommended Resource: God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol by Kenneth L. Gentry.