Comments on: So What About Wine?

By: Connie

Connie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:54:18 +0000

I totally agree with you, and enjoy a glass of Scuppernong wine here and there (best stuff for your heart health too) but I would like to point out that much depends on where you live. Here in the South many-Christian and nonChristian alike-associate Christianity with abstaining from alcohol in any form. In general if I have a glass of wine I do it in my own home, or only around those who I know will not stumble. (Last time I had it in public was my 25th wedding anniversary, but my husband ordered it for me and I wasn’t going to let it just sit there!) Anyway, love for others makes me abstain at times when I think it is best to do so.

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:08:54 +0000

Sarah, you wrote: “I once attended a university that required all students, even those of drinking age, to sign a covenant saying they would not drink alcohol.” I am attending a (Baptist) university that requires the signing of a covenant as well (very well may be the same one you mention). When asked by the 18-year-old young lady doing my phone interview if I drank, I replied, “I am 38 years old, and yes I do drink red wine.” She proceeded to tell me that I would have to write a letter to someone (Dean?) and explain myself. Well, that never happened, but what really stuck with me was, how many sign the covenant but don’t adhere? I refused to sign, as I do not agree, but somehow I have managed to “fall through the cracks” so to speak, as I am still attending 3 years later and have never seen a covenant document.

That being said, this was a wonderful post Nancy. I used a few past articles from Credenda Agenda years ago to explain my position when I was confronted with my “sin” of drinking (another Baptist church). When I requested Biblical proof of my error, I was told by a deacon at that church that I was causing controversy. Strange. The argument that the wine in the Bible wasn’t really wine but grape juice was mentioned, as was the wine was diluted with water to such a degree that it was basically non-alcoholic (do not those two statements contradict?). If either is correct, how did Noah and Lot get drunk?

Anyway, I love a glass of Carbenet in the evening with (or without) my dinner, and have experienced many a night of happy feasting and drinking with my beloved family. Indeed these things are marvelous gifts from God, and they should be enjoyed as such.

Kim

By: Shelly

Shelly — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:02:03 +0000

I love this post, Nancy. Thank you! I agree with the comments that abstaining from wine to separate ourselves from the world does not help our witness. My husband and I have gotten farther with our non-believing friends by showing them that we enjoy wine with self-control, gladness in our hearts, and thanksgiving to God for it. It actually opens more doors and seems to make us “safer” to them.

I have always been perplexed by those who say we should not drink alcohol at all because it might cause someone to stumble into drunkenness. While I agree we need to be wise about who we drink with, to prohibit it altogether seems to go too far. The Bible also prohibits gluttony, among other things. If we follow the logic, shouldn’t we then stop eating so that those around us will not be tempted to gluttony (a much bigger problem in our culture)?

By: Billie

Billie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:55:19 +0000

Dear Nancy,

My apologies. I don’t see a pronounced disdain for the agrarian experience over here on Femina. I see that more over on your husband’s blog. I don’t much care for it when someone takes something my husband said and comes to me with it in the fashion I did you. Please forgive me.

It’s quite clear with all the feasting that goes on here that the Wilson bunch is fond of farmers and the fruits of their labor.

I did find it to be a fascinating comparison, though. We should all try to enjoy wine so that we have more biblical metaphors in our experience–Great idea. We should all try to produce a bit of food from the bit of land we’ve been given so that we can have more biblical metaphors in our experience–Not so great idea. While I think the same could be said for wine (We all know what happens when someone drinks a glass) this isn’t the place that came near to my agrarian toes in the least, and it was in poor taste to address it here. I hope you will accept my apologies.

Billie

By: Rita Joiner

Rita Joiner — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:13:57 +0000

I would definitely second that loving wine without drunkenness *definitely* sets you apart from pagans!

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:54:22 +0000

As to witnessing with wine – I actually find in my experience that being a wine drinking Christian opens up various avenues for conversation with Allen’s (mostly) non-Christian programming buddies. We went to a wedding where I can say with pretty good certainty that we were the only Christians there, and yep we drank wine, ate good food, and played Rock Band with the rest of them. Actually surprised some folks. They didn’t expect it.

On a tangential note, I’ve always wanted to be able to go get a beer with my friends, but I could never stand the taste of beer until I tried some of the really dark good stuff. So if you’ve only had the light stuff and don’t like beer, try the chewy stuff. It’s really good

By: Nancy Ann

Nancy Ann — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:01:53 +0000

Dear Billie,
I must have missed it if someone showed disdain for the agrarian experience here on femina. Of course a farmer has a closer connection to the farming metaphors in Scripture, but here on the Palouse, with farm fields all around us, I take it for granted that most people know what happens when you put a seed in the ground. I was just visiting with a farmer in our congregation on Sunday, and the grandkids go by the sheep farm to check on the lambs in the springtime. In fact, I pass the university’s large herd of sheep on my way to the mall! So by bringing up wine in the context of a post on marriage, I wasn’t intending to step on your agrarian toes a bit. Hooray for farmers!

By: Billie

Billie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:37:41 +0000

I suppose I should have elaborated on my earlier post a bit more. You extol the virtues of enjoying a glass of wine, and I am every bit in agreement. However, there are so many biblical metaphors, parables, instruction, etc. that have to do with animal husbandry and the growing of crops–many more than wine. From my own experience, I can say that so much more of Scripture has opened up to me since starting a very small farm. Even the sacrifices–for God to ask for a male goat or sheep–it’s not just symbolism of Jesus, but truely is a practical blessing to the herdsman that causes me to delight in God and his goodness all the more because I have that in my experience. So, it confuses me to see such an emphasis on experiencing wine, and such a disdain for the the agrarian experience.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:58:31 +0000

I have learned to enjoy a glass of wine in recent years, too, even though I grew up in a tee-totaling tradition.

I would say that those who use abstinence from alcohol as a way to “look different” from the world need to be careful. That can communicate a very legalistic gospel to unbelievers, and I’m not sure it is necessarily a better witness than, say, those who show self-control while drinking.

Thank you for the ever-encouraging blog posts, Mrs. Wilson!

By: M. Hull

M. Hull — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:57:53 +0000

Coming from a family with wine-making experience – I disagree with the issue of wine potency in Jesus’ time and the present day. By virtue of how wine is made, the yeast (a living bacteria) will always ferment the grape juice to a specific level before it goes dormant. Although methods vary, yeast will generally produce a wine with 13 – 16 % alcohol by volume for a red wine. From this, we can safely assume that wine made thousands of years ago was equal in strength to the wine we consume today.