On Alcohol consumption

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I no longer subscribe to Leadership Journal so the Out of Ur blog does keep me in touch with some current clergy issues (at least in the USA context). It was interesting to read that more US clergy are more "open" in their position on alcohol consumption. I wonder if the article will have statistics of any survey done.

On a side note, looks like NZ's legal drinking age is lower than US :-(

From CTi's Out of Ur blog.

March 17, 2009

Trouble Brewing

The shifting views about alcohol among clergy.

by Brandon O'Brien

In the upcoming issue of Leadership (in print mid April), we’ll hear from a number of pastors—including Craig Gross, John Burke, and Matt Russell—who are committed to taking the gospel to people with addictions.

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We’re also featuring a couple of articles about how pastors can and should deal with their own addictions.

One article I suspect will get people talking is Eric Reed’s report on clergy alcohol use. Here’s a preview: Some younger pastors in traditionally teetotalling denominations are beginning to view bans on alcohol use as out of date. Is their so-called liberty in Christ simply an excuse for bad behavior? Or are the old timers adding laws to the gospel?

Mark Driscoll has thought the issue through (probably because the Pacific Northwest has more breweries than people) and argues that responsible alcohol use is thoroughly biblical.

John Piper disagrees. “I choose to oppose the carnage of alcohol abuse by boycotting the product. Is it really so prudish to renounce a highway killer, a home destroyer, and a business wrecker?”

No, I suppose not. But others see the issue as less cut-and-dried. More on that in April.

Our twin concerns of alcohol and addiction come together in a new online resource from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Rethinking Drinking is an interaction diagnostic tool that helps users determine whether they have a drinking problem. It presents lots of useful information in plain language and with pictures and graphs—information about the signs of alcohol abuse, resources for help, and even a “pros and cons” chart to help you decide whether to change your drinking habits. So if you’re an imbiber, check it out here.

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Brandon O'Brien is Leadership's assistant editor.

Posted by UrL Scaramanga on March 17, 2009


There is a link in the article to an interesting website: rethinking drinking. Lots of interesting information.

Comments

  1. zMarch 24, 2009 at 11:35 AM

    well, the drinking age in the US is also controversial to some--you can vote at 18 but you can't drink until 21??? :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paul LongMarch 24, 2009 at 1:42 PM

    I always thought hat was pretty silly. Old enough to be responsible in voting but not to drink?

    At least NZ is consistent here - both age 18 (though I recently learned that a few years ago drinking age there was a failed attempt to raise it to 20)

    Oohh .. learning something new everyday :-)

    ReplyDelete

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