Alcohol response

After reading the letter “Alcohol Use” published in the Feb. 24 edition of The Alabama Baptist, I was overwhelmed with a sense of shock resultant from the historical inaccuracies and biased use of Scripture contained within the letter. 

First, neither Baptist nor Bible doctrine has always rejected the use of alcohol by Christians. In years past, liquor was a common beverage in Baptist events such as weddings, funerals and often ordinations. In early America some parishioners even gave the pastor alcohol as a tithe. Moreover, in 1 Timothy Paul implores Timothy to drink wine for the sake of his health. Further still, Jesus’ first miracle (according to the Gospel of John) was turning water into wine. 

It is worth noting that the wine Jesus made was not any ordinary cheap wine. The wine made by Jesus was the best wine of the entire banquet. Surely, these cannot be examples of “Bible” doctrine rejecting Christian use of alcohol.

The issue at hand is the belief that a Sunday School lesson should be a tool for parading a political agenda. A person should make life decisions based on his or her relationship to Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Sunday School is a time of coming together in love with the common bond of Jesus to learn how to provide spiritual health to a world plagued by illness. If we ever allow ourselves to become a rulebook demanding that every letter of the law be obeyed, we will cease to be the presence of Christ to the world.

Jeffrey Howard
Birmingham, Ala.