Friends,
Article after article in the newspaper of late is...about alcohol. College orientation...mainly about the effects of and dealing with alcohol. I, personally, am "alcoholled out"...and that's not because I use it -- I don't. I am disturbed by what an increasing idol it continues to be in our culture. We don't often like to talk about it, nor the fact that it so often walks hand in hand with "drugs," because this is not pc. But, whenever we are talking about and dealing with amongst the greatest of the maladies of our society...it is "alcohol and drugs." Now, this is not to say that I am going to take a (non) Biblical stance and try to declare that drinking alcohol is a "Sin" or some such thing (as some have sought to do), because I have studied it out and, in my opinion, no such statement can be made. The Word only deals with the excesses...of alcohol, sleep, food, etc. At the same time, I don't think that anyone is going to be in "dire straits" from having a little alcohol now and then. Paul indicates to Timothy that some wine would help his stomach, illnesses (1 Timothy 5:23). It has been well-attested that a little wine can have health benefits. But...like so many other things, too many folks don't know when to "apply the brakes"...knowing when enough is enough. This is especially so when it comes to young people. They don't have the experience with or understanding to realize just what alcohol can do to them or to others. Unfortunately, it often takes a tragedy -- the all too frequent drunk driving accident or alcohol poisoning that claims lives -- to stop people in their tracks for a time, but then once the shock wears off...it's back to it. And this is all against the backdrop that Six Flags is strongly considering adding alcohol at its closest site to us...as it has already done at a few other sites. Our own county is considering whether it should no longer be a dry county, but become wet (have alcohol in stores and businesses). Finally, there is legislation to consider dropping the drinking age from 21 down to 18 on college campuses. There are a lot of proponents as well as opponents for many of these above topics under consideration. We all need to consider.
In my opinion, I do not believe that a whole lot of good is going to come spiritually, societally and otherwise from continuing to loose the ties on alcohol (as well as drugs, sex) wholesale for our youth and culture. (Take a good look at the Netherlands and see what libertinism has done to their society). Even now, we have movies like "Step Brothers," "Pineapple Express," and now "The House Bunny" that continue to "increasingly" and (as they see it) "innocently" mainstream and glamorize playboy, drug use, and the like. What our culture needs is a spiritual re-awakening to see that abuses related to alcohol, drugs, fornication, pornography, R and X-rated (is there any longer a difference?) movies, gambling and the like...are a dead end street, spiritually. Hedonism is the way of the devil, and the Lord is ultimately going to bring destruction upon those who deploy, promote and participate in what it offers. Paul has the final word...."do not be filled with 'spirits' (wine, alcohol), but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18, my paraphrase). Blessings,
Don
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