Alcohol-ism

We've denounced racism, forgotten about sexism, but now there is a new kid on the block: alcohol-ism. Now, I am not referring to alcoholism as it describes the addiction to and misuse of alcohol. I am talking about Christians dividing themselves on the issue of alcohol, firing prejudicial shots back and forth. Alcohol-ism may be the next ism that the church must overcome in order to maintain its relevance within society.

Alcohol is one of those very touchy issues in the faith of Christ followers. We seem to be unable to navigate this grey area. And as we consult the Bible looking for black and white answers they allude us. Here are some examples:

- - alcohol in the negative - -

Noah's drunkenness and Canan's Curse

Lot and his Daughters

The Vow of the Nazirite

Beer Brawler

Don't join and Drink too much

Kings shouldn't drink

Don's get Drunk on Wine

Not with Drunkenness

+ + alcohol in the positive + +

Reference to Joy

Wine Gladdens our Hearts

Filled to the Brim

Love of Wine brings Riches

Jesus turns Water into Wine

Wine as Rolaids

The Lord's Supper

Please do not think this list exhaustive. Wine and drinking alcohol is all throughout the Bible. It's part of Jewish culture. But does that mean it should be part of our culture? Part of our expression of Christianity? This is the question. And placing ourselves so strongly on one side or the other causes us to commit alcohol-ism.

So what should we do? How should we treat alcohol so that we are true to scripture and approbate to culture. We can find some help from Romans 14. Here Paul gives direction as to how those with "strong" faith should interact with those with "weak" faith. What is interesting is that those who accept disputable issues are considered to have "strong" faith; and those who reject them have "weak" faith.

Who are we? Where are we at? Is our faith strong or weak? Are we causing our weaker fathed brothers and sisters to stumble? How are we going to respond to the issue of alcohol without committing alcohol-ism?

your thoughts ? ? ?

The Power of the Dark Side

I'm sitting here watching the latest Star Wars release, Episode III. Though I do prefer the originals, this episode does have something to contribute to our discussion of "the grey." In it Annikan, who was once our famed hero, goes through his transformation into Darth Vader (sorry if I ruined it for you). For Annikan/Vader the transition is quick and definable. Though he struggles with himself he moves from one side to the other. He must make a choice. The choice is quite clearly black or white. Will he move to the dark side, or will he remain true to the Jeti? You know the answer.

I saw some of myself in Annikan's story. So many times I find myself making decisions that are black or white. My opinion on issues may be grey but my actions mustn't be. In each moment, each time I am confronted with a choice, I must choose black or white. This is what complicates the grey areas even more; and thus, purposes the existence of this blog.

For example: in terms of politics, Christianity does not require party allegiance (or at least it shouldn't). One Christian can vote Liberal, another Conservative, and still another NDP. In fact, one Christian can vote for all three parties in his/her lifetime and not place his/her faith in jeopardy. Though the issue of politics is grey, the voting process if very black and white. One cannot place a grey vote; one is forced to choose. Just like Annikan. Just like me.

But when will I choose white and when will I choose black? That is the question. We can discuss how grey an issue is until we are blue (or grey) in the face; but we still must choose black and white when we live it out. If we feel politics are grey we must still vote one way or another. If we see alcohol as grey we must still decide when and when not to drink. Etc, etc, etc. And the real, down-to-earth, practical, and grass-roots question becomes: When is a grey issue black and when is it white?

Absolutely Relative

I was cleaning up my office about a month back and found a book that I had borrowed from a friend for research purposes. The book was entitled Right from Wrong by Josh McDowel and Bob Hostetler (this is how the names appear on the book; which makes me question, though I may be wrong, McDowel's involvement in the actual writing other than printing his name on the cover). There was a section concerning "Absolute Truth" that caught my eye. As I started to read, I found out quickly that "Many of our youth [you could likely insert people in general] simply do not understand or accept absolute truth," (p. 17). I was shocked; appalled at this injustice. Why the nerve of those people. How dare they not fall in line with McDowel's opinions. How dare they challenge the beliefs of the conservative right. Blasphemy.

Hopefully you have read past my sarcasm. In fact, though McDowel made it out to be a surprise, I was entirely un-shocked with his assessment. Of course no one believes in absolute truth. It's part of Canadian culture; the only absolute is that there are no absolutes. Einstein's theory has become fact. Didn't you get the memo Josh.

But seriously, this issue of truth and whether it swings absolutely or relatively seems to expand further than the realm of philosophy. In essence, it is the reason for this blog in the first place; and thus, appropriate as its first posting. We must believe in both absolute and relative truth (if at least our only absolute truth is that "all truth is relative"). The difficult thing is discovering which is absolute and which is relative; which is black/white and which is grey. The problem is compounded when people like McDowel (don't get me wrong, I know he means well) bring Christianity into the mess. People like this seem to start arguing for religion (though they may never admit it): a system of rules in which all things are either right or wrong. They make Christianity a culture, when it should always remain a faith. Once it becomes a culture it is trapped into a specific time and setting. Thus going against its very nature.

If we understand Christianity to be a faith not a culture, then we must take a whole different approach to discerning "right from wrong." We must not only include the "absolutes" or principles learned from scripture as it is communicated through ancient culture; but also consider principles learned from current culture. Matching these two worlds and "navigating the grey" is the responsibility of every person. This is why God has given us the church; our journeying partners.