I’ve written before on my theology of beer. But, with a recent post on a blog I frequent, in discussing varying views on alcohol, one commenter said his pastor preached a sermon where he offered these 3 positions (backing it with the listed passages of Scripture below):

1. Prohibitionist – all drinking is a sin and alcohol is evil (Eph 5:18; Prov 20:1; Prov 23:29-35).
2. Moderationist – drinking is not a sin and Christian conscience must guide each person (Psalm 104:14-15; John 2:1-11; 1 Tim 5:23; Matt 11:19)
3. Absentionist – drinking is not sinful but choosing to avoid it is the wisest choice (1 Thess 5:22; Matt 5:13-16; 1 Cor 3:16-17)

While the prohibitionist view espoused above wrongly uses the verses referred to in coming to such a conclusion, I actually believe all 3 views miss something in the bigger picture. Continue reading →