Christians and alcohol: What to say? Should Christians drink alcohol? Short answer? It’s not a sin, but in the past 11 months of going alcohol-free, God has put on a message on my heart to share.
We must be more cognizant. We must be more thoughtful. We must not say that not drinking is just legalism.
1 Corinthians says “Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial.”
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Alcohol is permitted, but it’s a question Christians don’t often tackle. With data showing rate of alcoholism increasing in women rapidly, it’s important we don’t ignore it. The rates of women dying of alcohol-related deaths has skyrocketed in the past decade.
The one group of people whose drinking has increased most in the pandemic? Moms of young children, many of them Christians. We don’t need to co-parent with alcohol, friends. It’s scary to think so many people have been running to a mind-altering substance to deal with stress. While it may seem harmless to have a glass of wine now and then, many people struggle with being able to stop and you would never know it.
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The vast majority of Christians who struggle with overdrinking would never let on — and sometimes even their partners don’t know. The reality is — it’s an individual, spiritual decision — and we shouldn’t take it lightly. As one pastor I know put it, “I’m not saying alcohol is a sin, but the Bible has so many warnings about it that I don’t touch the stuff.”
You don’t have to quit drinking, but ask yourself if you could if you wanted — or needed — to. Then, you’ll be on the path to a productive conversation about it.
Here, I share some of my story and why I think we aren’t giving this topic enough thought. What do you think? I’d love to get your feedback on this topic.