A Third Seminary President Shares His Views

QUOTES AND MORE:

“Galen C. Bosley, D.H.Sc., has studied numerous medical reports published in journals in different countries showing that even moderate drinking of alcohol actually destroys brain cells which are never replaced. It is hard to see how anyone can contemplate the destruction of a part of his body with equanimity. When the part of the body first to be destroyed are cells in the brain controlling moral discernment the complacency of mankind about this wholesale destruction of human capacity is astounding.” (Reynolds, S - Available at http://www.alcoholandthebible.org/biblical_approach.htm)

“That we record afresh our deep and unalterable opposition to the liquor traffic in all of its forms and phases; that we urge upon our people the rule of total abstinence in their personal habits as the only sane, sensible and right course for Christian people concerning any recognized evil” (SBC Resolution, 1939).

A THIRD SEMINARY PRESIDENT ADDRESSES MODERATION

Alcohol Consumption: What Would Jesus Do?
By: R. Philip Roberts
7/20/2006

But Jesus drank wine, didn’t he? And, after all, he miraculously reproduced wine at the marriage feast in Cana (cf. Gospel of John, Chapter 2). These two points in and of themselves should suffice for anyone arguing on behalf of moderate alcohol consumption in the 21st-century evangelical context. Or do they?

They are common arguments which, taken at a superficial glance, would seem very convincing. When looked at in the first-century context, however, the resulting opinion about alcohol consumption is quite different. In order to answer the issue of “What would Jesus do?”, we need first to ask the hermeneutically relevant question of “What did Jesus do?” For an answer, I turn to an important, but now little read, resource that more Baptists ought to know about. It’s an article written by now-retired Southern Baptist Theological Seminary New Testament professor Robert H. Stein entitled, “Wine – Drinking in New Testament Times,” published over thirty years ago by Christianity Today , Volume 19 (1975), pp. 923-5. It was referred to in Dan Akin’s Baptist Press commentary of June 30, 2006. In Stein’s article, he adroitly and succinctly reviews the historical evidence for alcohol consumption in the New Testament era. He answers the questions of “Was alcohol consumed in the New Testament Period?” and “Was it similar to alcohol consumption in the modern context?” with a yes–no response.

Yes, alcohol was consumed and no, it was not synonymous with modern day consumption in the form of table wines, cocktails, mixed drinks or even beer.

In essence, the alcohol consumed in the first century was so diluted and moderated that in Stein’s words “one’s drinking would probably affect the bladder long before it affected the mind.” Surprisingly, even in strictly pagan contexts, alcohol was always diluted except in the most raucous and debauched of circumstances. Why? Because the ancients understood the potency of and the problem with alcohol when drunk without careful precautions. It would cause drunkenness often without warning. And drunkenness was a condition viewed by the ancients as undignified. Inebriation was a condition only barbarians tolerated and undiluted alcohol a drink only they would imbibe.

At a very minimum, wine was served by the general public, including the Romans themselves, at a one-to-one ratio, one part wine with one part water. In this mixture it was referred to as “strong wine.” This differentiation is why the writers of the Old Testament make a clear distinction between “strong drink” and “wine.” (Lv. 10:8,9; Nm. 6:3; Dt. 14:26; 29:6; Jdg 13:4,7,14, etc…) See Paige Patterson’s Baptist Press article of July 7, 2006, for further clarification on this matter. Wine mixed with more water in the ratio was “wine.” In Jewish practice and custom, it generally was mixed three parts of water with one of wine. This beverage was still referred to as wine or “oinos.” Even then, Nazarites, Aaron and his sons and others were directed not to drink this form of strongly diluted wine.

In his article, Stein notes that II Maccabees 15:39 comments, “It is harmful to drink wine alone, or again to drink water alone…” Obviously in the time of Jesus and later, the alcohol mixed with water served as a means to purify water, as boiling water in the time of Jesus was a tedious and expensive procedure. Post New Testament, a number of early church witnesses confirm the mixing of water and wine for generic use, as well as consumption at the Lord’s Supper. (see Justin Martyr Apology I, 67, 5; Hippolytus Apostolic Tradition XXIII, 1; Cyprian Epistle LXII, 2, 11 and 13.)

So, what would Jesus do when it comes to contemporary alcoholic beverage consumption? Probably he would do what he did. And that is to utilize only beverages that have absolutely zero chance of causing inebriation. In our modern context, in my opinion, where healthy non-alcoholic drinks and water are readily available, it would be very probable that Jesus would be a total abstainer.