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Asen Shudov | PentecostalTheology.com
Do We Have Room for Alcohol in the Assemblies of God?
Many are trying to decide whether or not we should loosen our stand against drinking alcohol, based solely on what the scripture says or doesn’t say. While I agree that the Bible is the ultimate rule for the lives of believers and is the best way to govern our societies, I also believe that there are things that are not covered in specificity but are covered by the law of sowing and reaping. While I can’t find a pure statement in the Bible that completely outlaws the consumption of alcohol I can say that the fruit of its use is a harvest no one wants. http://www.northtexas.ag/Administration/do-we-have-room-for-alcohol-in-the-assemblies-of-god
Pentecostal Theology [03/13/2015 12:21 PM]
Alan N Carla Smith http://ourcog.org/social-drinking-aye-or-nay/
David Lewayne Porter
Why don’t we try getting more of the God-Head into the Church and Christians?
Why is this mostly an American question?
Varnel Watson
There you go. Less wine – more of God. No wine – all of God #ToT Alan N Carla Smith
Ben Wilson
Well, if wine needs to be proscribed. . . shouldn’t we also shun fellow believers who teach that it’s okay to drink?
Shouldn’t we avoid worldly places that serve alcohol, such as restaurants, football, and baseball games??
Shouldn’t we strongly preach that drinking any alcohol — in spite of what Jesus may have done at a wedding party — will send you to a Devil’s hell??
David Lewayne Porter
Ben,
Well, let’s see,
if we teach it to totally abstain (drinking any alcohol will send you to a devil’s hell) then we go above and beyond what Paul, Jesus, or any of the rest did. We then pervert the gospel and not only give space for people to find fault and distrust ministers and the ministry, but we disqualify ourselves as His true ambassadors.
Ben Wilson
David Lewayne Porter — extremely well said; that thought has occurred to me.
Carl Murphy
I see alcohol as a person matter, to some it is sin, to others not. There is nothing in the Bible prohibiting it. But by all means bring on the judaizers to make up some legal prohibition, like they did mixed bathing. I have found that those that make up such rules have trouble controlling themselves in those areas and so they impute their problems onto others. As in, I can’t see a girl in a bathing suit without lusting, therefore you must lust to, I am or I have seen folks that are alcoholics, therefore everyone is. I do not drink, I tried hard to drink beer in high school and mixed drinks in the business world, I simply didn’t like it, but I won’t call you a sinner if you do
David Lewayne Porter
You would be correct as long as they are not getting drunk, or are not addicted to it.
Carl Murphy
Then to them it is sin, it is not a general sin
Ben Wilson
Oh, that was very much an A/G teaching in some places — such as the North Texas District.
Mike Stidham
I was going to guess that Carl was from the South, where it’s a general taboo for fundamentalists across the board. He’s from Michigan though. I tended to associate it with Baptists more than A/G, though…
Mike Stidham
And it was the Methodists who invented the teetotaler position. Go figure.
Al DeFilippo
thank you for the post. If anyone is interested, I would like to invite you to read an article about the Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser advertisement that featured a picture of John Wesley. The article can be found at https://www.francisasburytriptych.com/john-wesley-budweiser-beer-ad/.
Varnel Watson
Al DeFilippo Author has written an excellent text against the 1908 Budweiser Beer Ad portraying John Wesley as a beer drinker. This John Wesley Budweiser Beer ad was run nationally, during the summer of 1908. The John Wesley Budweiser Beer ad pictured is from Nevada’s Tonopah Daily Bonanza which ran from 1906 to 1929. Considering that the arguments made above in The Western Christian Advocate clearly point away from the accuracy of the John Wesley Budweiser Beer ad, is there anything in the personal life and habits of John Wesley that would lend credence to Budweiser’s attempt to link beer with John Wesley?
As expected, there is no valid indication to show that John Wesley would have approved of being on an advertisement for beer. https://www.francisasburytriptych.com/john-wesley-budweiser-beer-ad/
Mike Stidham
Now Martin Luther, on the other hand,…
Al DeFilippo
Quote by Martin Luther: “It is better to think of the church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church.”
Ricky Grimsley
We have room for lots of things but we should be letting them go and make more room for jesus
John Duncan
We need to love those that struggle with too much alcohol and give it up for them – or they may backslide or find a church that puts them before strong drink (which is said to be raging, wine which is said to be a mocker, & drunkednedness which will not inherit God’s kingdom).
Charles Page
Don’t most AOGs have storage room space in their churches?
Carl Murphy
I don’t drink alcoholic drinks because 1. I never tasted one I liked 2. Too many recovering alcoholic friends, 3 I volunteer at a homeless shelter and I believe in the concept of the stronger brother. But do I think it a sin? To some it may be, to others not.
Louise Cummings
No. Sir
John Conger
Let’s just stick with scripture. Nothing should be added or subtracted. That’s the stand we should take
Mary Ellen Nissley
I could see a very reasonable route via the Scriptures to allow drinking alcohol… after all, there was no way to preserve fresh grape juice from the fall harvest, until Passover the next spring… therefore, Jesus served what was regularly drunk at Passover. Fermented wine.
Furthermore, the Scriptures say that no man, having drunk old wine, straightway desireth the new, for he saith, the old is better… Yet, what did they say after they drank what Jesus made at that wedding feast? They said it was better than what they had just drunk. Therefore, what Jesus made was older than what the master of the feast had served!
And…
Paul said to Timothy to drink no longer water (how’s that for a literal command?) but to take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake, and for thine oft infirmities. Alcohol is actually an antiviral, antibacterial, and stimulant. A little alcohol. (A LITTLE!) can turn a gastrointestinal infection around very quickly.
Alcohol is literally Biblical medication, and should be treated as such.
However, alcohol is not drunk today as a beverage the same way it was back in Biblical times. For one thing, it was greatly diluted, to about 1/6 wine and 5/6 water. That’s a pretty low alcohol content… only about enough to kill germs in the water.
Today’s wine is sweetened before fermentation, to give more nutrition to the yeast, so the alcohol content will go higher than it would naturally. This is not the wine spoken of by the Bible.
There is such an epidemic of drunkenness today… and one drink will slow the brain and affect decision making. Not a good thing for a Christian.
Pro 31:4,5 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.”
We are kings and priests unto God.
And both of those were forbidden to drink ANY alcohol while on duty.
John Conger
I agree but it won’t matter how much you point out the facts of scripture you’ll still be named a heretic. If it really was that diluted then how did people get drunk?
Mary Ellen Nissley
Because those people didn’t dilute it like was expected of decent people.
John Conger
Where do you get that info
Mary Ellen Nissley
oh boy… years of reading… I didn’t keep track of it.
John Conger
I’ve always heard it too but it’s never been substantiated. I can’t see it how though. Then the commands is “don’t get drunk with much grape juice”?
Mary Ellen Nissley
Here’s a good link…
http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/bible/Doctrines/Holiness/Drugs%20&%20Alcohol/Wine-Drinking%20in%20New%20Testament%20Times.htm
Ricky Grimsley
Matthew 11:18-19 KJVS
[18] For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. [19] The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Mary Ellen Nissley
The meaning of “winebibber” means one who is continually tipsy from wine. The root of “bibber” means “to effervesce” or to bubble up.
just as the accusation against John was false, even so the accusation against Jesus was false.
Ricky Grimsley
Obviously
Mary Ellen Nissley
David Levandusky
You will all have to get a copy of my coming book entitled “Alcohol, The Christian and Social Drinking.”
John Conger
Freely you have received freely give ?
Charles Page
I like a good book and a glass of good wine
John Conger
Wine bibber
Charles Page
I’ve been called better things
David Levandusky
Chaarles – Hope you get filled up with all I Write in my book. Esp. An Eph. 5:18 fillup. 🙂
Ricky Grimsley
I cant imagine how anyone likes a glass of wine.
Mary Ellen Nissley
It stinketh.
Ricky Grimsley
Yep