Posted on 06/15/2006 12:56:52 PM PDT by Kahonek
My baptist church is overwhelmingly of the position that scripture forbids all alcohol. I actually quietly boycott a regular summer speakers' series because of repeated invitations to a speaker that insists on arguing that scripture makes abstention obligatory. I have no problem with people listening to the Holy Spirit and choosing to abstain because they do not want to handle the potential problems of alcohol, but I cannot honestly interpret the texts to advise anything other than avoiding drunkenness.
I most appreciate Charles Spurgeon's position on the related issue of tobacco use: the non-addicted (i.e., non-idolatrous) smoking of cigars "to the glory of God" is not a sin. http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cigars.htm
The sin lies in replacing God's primacy with that of some other habit, such as smoking, drinking, whoring, gambling, eating, and making non-scriptural rules against disfavored subjects.
"Granted, alot of that is stereotype, but that's how it was when I was growing up, and I think it's still like that today."
True enough, but they did so based on private moral grounds or pressures from their local churches. Today it's starting to be handed down from the Convention level as extra-Biblical direction, in order to distinguish those who are "real" Christians (having passed denominational muster) from those who only think they are Christians. That's my concern.
Alas, every denomination, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Anglican, whatever, has their theologal flaws.
Until Christ comes back, all churches will fall short.
I got the courage to witness to a friend with a good glass of Scotch (McAllen 25).
"I got the courage to witness to a friend with a good glass of Scotch."
Praise the Lord and bring us another round.
Some times I thin SB get so caught yo in the alcohol issue. I was raised in strong SB family, but honestly they need to get over this issue. Lot's of people drink wine and it does not make them alcoholics!
Well said. See the scripture quoted above in confirmation.
God in his goodness
sent the grape
To cheer both great and small
Little fools sometimes drink too much
and great fools not at all
Actually, I think a lot of Baptist could stand to have a glass of wine or two....... my parents included!
Why won't Baptist couples make love standing up?
Someone might see them and think they are dancing.
[The joke is actually told about Church of Christ (Southern version) who actually teach dancing is a sin. Some Baptists may go that far as well (and include movies, playing cards, pinball, etc.) regarding prohibited "sins", but most Baptists these days stick with considering drinking and smoking (and all the usual violations of the Ten Commandments) as sins.]
And if you take two they just stare at each other.
When I first read this I thought it was about drinking DURING the committee's meeting.
I guess I've been reading too many reports of the Episcopal Church's Convention now going on in Columbus. Of course, one needs a few drinks to even read about the Episcopal Convention, let alone attend it.
Oh and how about the use of the word "consumed" in the above-quoted sentence?
Someone might think they are dancing. /rimshot
See, I don't just pick on the Roman Catholic Church.
It's pretty funny that even Jesus Christ would be excluded from serving on the boards, committees and entities of southern baptist convention....
Jesus's first miracle was turning water into wine.
I agree. In one breath they're saying you can't drink (dance, etc.), and in the next breath it's "the free will of man" and "I'm not under law, but under grace". So which is it?
"It's pretty funny that even Jesus Christ would be excluded from serving on the boards, committees and entities of southern baptist convention...."
Hmmm. I guess I hadn't thought about it that way...
In (slight) defense, free will does not include free will to sin.
The flaw with the SBC, however, is that they espouse that having a drink is forbidden scripturally, which is bunk.
A true position from the SBC (which I would respect), is that temperance is a traditional value of the SBC and the safest route to avoid temptation and a weakening of the will.
But to pretend that the rule is anything more than a tradition of man is to add to the Bible, which is expressly forbidden in the last 3-4 sentences of Revelations.
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