The Wrath of Grapes

i spent a summer in undergrad serving a small rural Baptist church down the highway from Enon College. Here, i got into a little trouble with the notion that drinking was not in fact evil or of the Devil. i'm afraid this was on instance where my Biblical knowledge was not welcome. Keep in mind, i was the president of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) in high school and i myself am not a drinker.

Indeed, there are many references in scripture to drinking. Some warn of the dangers, others not only extol it, but claim that wine and drink are gifts from God that show us how much he loves us. i can get on board with the modern day folk who say that the Biblical wine was likely watered down, but i can't at all believe those that perpetuate the myth that the Biblical wine was non-alcoholic. Were that the case, there would be no need for verses about drunkeness or drinking wine in moderation. Anyone remember the story of Pentecost? The crowd immediately blamed their speaking in tongues on wine. Would non-alcoholic wine have this effect?

To my delight, the AJ Jacobs book i'm in the midst of reveals an expert on the subject, a Christian oenophile, Daniel Whitfield. These are the results of his exhaustive research on wine and drink in the Bible...

On the negative side, there are 17 warnings against abusing alcohol, 19 examples of people abusing alcohol, 3 references to selecting leaders, and one verse advocating abstinence if drinking will cause a brother to stumble. Total negative references: 40, or 16 percent.

On the positive side, there are 59 references to the commonly accepted practice of drinking wine (and strong drink) with meals, 27 references to the abundance of wine as an example of God's blessing, 20 references to the loss of wine and strong drink as an example of God's curse, 25 references to the use of wine in offerings and sacrafices, 9 references to wine being used as a gift, and 5 metaphorical references to wine as the basis for a favorable comparison. Total positive references: 145, or 59 percent.

So eat, drink and be merry... for tomorrow we may die...