To drink, or not to drink—that is the question that simply will not go away.
Disclaimer #1
I know there are different views on this subject. I respect people on both sides of the issue. I know some good Christians who drink, and I know some lousy Christians who don’t. And vice-versa.
Disclaimer #2
I am taking OFF my Every Nation and Victory hats, and putting on my husband/father hat to write this blog. These are my personal views—my opinions—my reasons for not drinking. This post is not about you; it’s about me and my opinions.
Disclaimer #3
I am NOT saying drinking is a sin—that depends on the context, the amount and the motive. I AM saying that drunkenness is a sin—not a disease, a habit, an addiction.
Note: I did not grow up in a religious non-drinking home—exactly the opposite. My Dad was in the liquor business. He was good at it. Represented Barcardi, J&B, and twenty-five others. He thought something was wrong with me when I refused to drink after I got saved as a teenager.
No one told me to stop my under-aged drinking. I just knew I should. And, I saw no reason to resume drinking simply because I had an 18th and a 21st birthday.
So, with that lengthy preamble, here are the current top 10 reasons I choose not to drink:
1. My Taste Buds. People say beer is an “acquired taste.” Do you know why Coca-Cola is not? Because it actually tastes good. Why acquire a taste for something that tastes nasty?
2. My Motive. I stopped trying to impress people with my drinking skills when I turned 16. Really. I did. And haven’t tasted alcohol since. No need. No desire. No one to impress. Nothing to prove. Remember, I’m talking about me and my reasons, not you and yours.
3. My Past. I already did the drinking thing and have no desire to bring that part of my past into my present or my future.
4. My Culture. I am a missionary, church planter, and pastor living in two cultures where public drinking is not exactly the acceptable norm for religious leaders—Catholic Philippines and conservative Evangelical Nashville. I do not live in a city where they baptize in beer or in a nation where they brush their teeth with vodka. I have to respect the culture I live and minister in. I’m in a root beer and sweet tea church culture. Some things are OK biblically but wrong culturally.
5. My Job. See #4 and add this. . .
I work with a church and ministry that focuses on youth. I am sick of seeing drunk teens wreck their cars and kill their friends. I choose to set a non-drinking example for every young person who might be looking. Unfortunately in our culture, non-drinking examples are about as rare as a Bigfoot sighting.
6. My Fear. I don’t care what you call it—genetics, generational curses, or bad domestic examples—all I know is that my family has had a pattern of alcohol abuse, and I fear that if I start, I will not know when to stop. I have no intention of getting delivered from that fear.
7. My Wife. She does not want me to drink. So I don’t.
8. My Bible – O.T. As I said in the disclaimer, I do not believe that it is a sin to drink. But I do believe that in certain situations it is irresponsible and foolish for leaders to drink. Proverbs 31:4 seems to warn LEADERS about drinking, saying that it is “not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer.”
9. My Bible – N.T. Paul had a biblical right to eat pork chops, lechon, and meat sacrificed to idols—but he didn’t—in certain settings. Likewise, I choose not to drink because . . . it is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother to fall . . . therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall . . . (Romans 14:21, 1 Corinthians 8:13). But that’s just me, and how I apply Paul’s words to my life.
10. My Family. I grew up in a home ripped apart by alcohol abuse. So did my wife. We decided twenty-five years ago that our home would be a no-drinking zone. No regrets about that decision, and no intention of changing it.
Last thought—I’m not one of those mindless illiterate “theologians” who teach that Jesus turned water into grape soda. I realize that Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine, “because of your stomach and your frequent illness.” This instruction might have had something to do with the fact that it was sometimes difficult to find amoeba-free bottled water on his mission trips, so for Timothy it was wiser to drink red wine than brown water. Therefore, if you find yourself on a mission trip with no bottled water available, then feel free to find some good wine and drink up. I’ll have a Coke.
And finally, before you write back to correct my theology or to balance me—please re-read disclaimer #2, take a deep breath, relax, visit the pub, order an unsweetened iced tea, smile . . . then respond. I’d love to hear your opinion.
Cheers!