Nothing Good Happens After Midnight

Well, I think we've probably all heard the saying that 'Nothing Good Happens After Midnight' (most often used by parents of youth). With that in mind, I'll hope that this post is an exception.

Let me first say that it is amazing, and sometimes frustrating, how I can be worn out at 11:00 pm, get a second wind, and not be able to fall asleep at 3:00 am. Luckily, I have the boys from Fee to keep me entertained. Now, on to the meat:

It seems that there is one struggle that youth and adults alike deal with, one problem that has been answered by nearly every religious group, and one issue that no one wants to deal with head-on. This is, of course, the issue of alcohol use by Christians. Everywhere I look, whether it be local churches, high school Christian organizations, or even whole denominations; it appears that the tendency is to take an extremist view. Whether it be the laissez-faire attitude that anything goes or the prohibitionist attitude that it's the dry way or the highway (I made that up myself, impressed?), everyone seems more interested in perpetuating their particular view rather than digging into the Biblical view and perpetuating that.

So what is the Biblical view? I think that, to have a complete view, we must answer four questions:

1. Is it a sin for Christians to drink alcohol?
2. If not, who can drink?
3. Where should they drink?
4. How much should they drink?

1. Is it a sin for a Christian to drink alcohol? Well, if we look at The Last Supper (Mark 14), we see Jesus use wine in the first celebration of the Eucharist. If I, as a Christian, consider Jesus to be free of sin and thus an acceptable sacrifice for my sins, I must logically recognize that drinking alcohol is not, in and of itself, a sin.

2. Who can drink? Well, Romans 13 tells us that we are to obey the established governments. Thus, I am inclined to believe that, as an American, it would be a sin for me to drink before I turn 21. This changes from place to place (Canada: 16 years old, eh).

3. Where to drink? There is, obviously, no specific instruction provided for where Christians should drink. So, we must extrapolate these instructions. Given the gravity of 1 Corinthians 10 and its call to not cause anyone to stumble, I must believe that drinking in public is not the best idea. Personally, I have many close friends and siblings in Christ who believe that any alcoholic consumption constitutes a sin. With that in mind, I don't beleive that a drink should be worth harming one's testimony and causing a friend to stumble.

4. How much? Well, there are numerous passages (Ephesians 5 comes to mind) that admonish us as Christians to not be drunk (Not to mention Noah's bad example of drunkeness and nakedness at the same time. How would you like to walk in on a drunk, naked 600 year old man?). With that in mind, everyone's limit is different.

So, is it wrong for a Christian to drink? Not under certain conditions. Is it wrong for a Christian to completely abstain from alcohol? I sure hope not, or I have a problem.

Peace out, it's bed time.