The goal of this regular feature is to provide our readers with opposing arguments on topics pertinent to the Christian life. We hope to encourage the reader to focus on the arguments involved in each position rather than on personal factors. The authors selected for the respective sides in the debate are outspoken supporters of their viewpoints.
Kenneth Gentry opens the debate by arguing that Scripture permits and even, at points, encourages the faithful to drink alcoholic beverages in moderation. Kenneth Gentry, Th.D. (Whitefield Theological Seminary), is pastor of Reedy River Presbyterian Church, Mauldin, South Carolina, and author of numerous published essays and books, including The Christian and Alcoholic Beverages (Baker, 1986).
Taking an opposing position is Stephen Reynolds Ph.D.(Princeton University), who served on the translation team for the New International Version of the Bible, and is the author of The Biblical Approach to Alcohol (Intern. Soc. of Good Templars, 1989) and Alcohol and the Bible (Challenge Press, 1983).
The burden of proof in the interchange is placed on the person opening the discussion, and so Kenneth Gentry will open and close the interchange.
Certainly there is evidence of widespread abuse of alcoholic beverages today; this few would deny.[1] Furthermore, the Bible clearly condemns all forms of alcohol abuse, by binding precept and by notorious example.[2] Yet the ethical issue before us is: Does the Bible allow for a righteous consumption of beverage alcohol? The fundamental question is ethical, not cultural or demo-graphical; it requires an answer from a Biblical, not an emotional base.
My approach to the issue before us involves three presuppositions: (1) The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Therefore (2) the Bible is the determinative and binding standard for all ethical inquiry. And (3) the Bible condemns all forms of alcohol abuse and dependence. The moderationist viewpoint in no way compromises any of these three fundamental commitments.
1. Lexical Consensus. The leading Old and New Testament lexicons and etymological dictionaries affirm that the major terms used of wine represent a fermented beverage, a "wine", not "grape juice." The most important terms for the debate that are employed in Scripture are yayin and shekar (Hebrew) and oinos (Greek).[3]
2. Translational Consensus. The major English translations of Scripture translate these words by English equivalents that bespeak alcoholic beverages, rather than terms such as "juice," "grape juice," and so forth. Translations include: "wine," "strong drink," "liquor," and "beer."[4]
3. Lexical Relationship. One of the major words in our debate is shekar ("strong drink," NASB). It is the noun form of the verb shakar, which means "become drunk."[5] This is evidence of the inebriating capacity of shekar.
4. Contextual Usage. Many of the verses that condemn drunkenness (see footnote 2) make reference to such beverages as yayin, shekar, and oinos. In addition, yayin is said to "make glad the heart" in a number of places.[6] This surely has reference to the effect of an alcoholic beverage, when used in moderation.[7]
5. Descriptive Reference. In certain places in Scripture the aging of the liquid express of the grape is specifically mentioned (Is. 25:5, 6; Luke 5:39). Aging is an essential factor for wine to be alcoholic.[8]
6. Circumspection Requirement. On some occasions, "strong" Christians are instructed to forgo the use of wine (Rom. 14:21), when there is a serious likelihood of "destroying" (Rom 14:15) a "weaker brother" (Rom. 14:1; 15:1). This surely indicates the temporary forgoing of an alcoholic beverage, rather than grape juice.
7. Ecclesiastical Expectation. Church officers are required to use wine in moderation (I Tim. 3:8; Tit. 2:3), indicating its fermented quality and intoxicating capacity.
8. Qualified Silence. Interestingly, there are no Biblical distinctions between "safe" wines.[9] Scripture lacks any commendation of "new wine" (fresh grape juice) over and exclusive of "old wine" (fermented beverages). Scripture lacks any commendation of watered wine over undiluted wine (it even disparages water wine, Is. 1:22). Scripture lacks any encouragement to retarding fermentation, which occurs naturally. Evidence exists that wine was intentionally exposed in order to accelerate the fermentation process (Is. 25:6; Jer. 48:11).
1. Righteous Example. In Genesis 14:18 Melchizedek gave yayin to Abraham in righteous circumstances. There is no evidence of any divine disapprobation in this episode. (See also Neh. 5:16-19.)
2. Sacred Employment. The Scripture teaches that both yayin (Ex. 29:38ff) and shekar (Num 28:7) were used for offerings to God. This is important for two reasons: (1) These (alcoholic) beverages had to be produced for worship and (2) they were acceptable as offerings to God. If alcoholic beverages were unsuitable for human consumption, why were they acceptable in divine worship?
3. Positive Blessing. God's Law allowed yayin and shekar to be purchased with the Tithe of Rejoicing and to be drunk before the Lord. "You shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine (yayin) or strong drink (shekar), for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household" (Deut. 14:26).
In fact, the psalmist attributes to God the production of yayin, which makes man's heart glad (Ps. 104:14-15). Surely God's provision has in view a righteous employment of alcoholic beverage. Furthermore, Scripture speaks of the satisfaction of life as illustrated in the eating of bread and drinking of yayin with gladness (Eccl. 9:7).
4. Spiritual Symbolism. The rich symbolism of God's redemptive revelation makes bold use of fermented beverages. The blessings of salvation are likened to free provision of yayin: "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come , buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Is. 55:1).
Kingdom blessings are symbolized by the abundant provision of yayin: "`Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, `when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows see...; I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; ...they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them" (Amos 9:13-14). Elsewhere we read: "In this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees" (Is. 25:6). Clearly, wine--even carefully aged wine -- is viewed as a symbol of God's blessings.
5. Christ's Witness. Interestingly, our Lord Jesus Christ miraculously "manufactured" an abundance (John 2:6) of wine [yayin] for a marriage feast. This wine was deemed "good" by the headmaster of the feast (John 2:10) -- and men prefer "old [i.e. aged, fermented] wine" because it is good (Luke 5:39).
Having "manufactured" wine in His first miracle, it is no surprise that the Lord publicly drank it. This put a clear distinction between Him and the ascetic John the Baptizer: "John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, `He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, `Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinner!" (Luke 7:33-35).
6. Prohibitional Silence. Scripture nowhere gives a universal command on the order: "take no wine at all". In fact, select groups that forgo wine are worthy of mention as acting differently from accepted Biblical practice, e.g. the Nazarites (Num. 6:2-6) and John the Baptizer (Luke 1:15). Others are forbidden to imbibe wine only during the formal exercise of their specific duties, e.g. priests (Lev. 10:8-11) and kings (Prov. 31: 4, 5).
All prohibitions to partaking wine involve prohibitions either to immoderate consumption or to abusers: "Be not drunk with wine" (Eph. 5:18). "Do not be with heavy drinkers" (Prov. 23:20). "Do not be addicted to wine" (I Tim. 3:8; Tit.2:3). "Do not linger long over wine" (Prov. 23:30).
It would seem abundantly clear, then, that the Scriptures do allow the moderate partaking of alcoholic beverages. There is no hesitancy in Scripture in commending wine, nor embarrassment in portraying its consumption among the righteous of Biblical days. Wine is set before the saints as blessing and gladness (Deut. 14:26; Ps. 104:14-15), even though it may be to the immoderate and wicked a mocker and curse (Prov. 20:1; 23:29ff.).
[2] See, for example: Gen. 9:21; Gen. 19:32; I Sam. 1:14-15; Prov. 23:20-21, 29-35; Is. 28:1; 29:9; 49:26; 51:21; Jer. 13:13-14; 23:9; 25:27; Ezek. 23:28, 33; Hos. 4:11; Joel 1:5; Matt. 24:29; Luke 12:45, 21:34; Rom. 13:13; I Cor. 5:11; 6:10; Gal. 5:19,21; Eph. 5:18.
[3] See: Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Oxford: Clarendon, 1972), pp. 406, 1016. Benjamin Davidson, The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970), pp. 303, 716. Joseph H. Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), p. 564. See the English "wine" in The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971), 2.3788. See also usch etymological dictionaries as John M'Clintock and James Srong, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, (Grand Rapids: Baker, rep. 1969 [1887]). Carl Darling Buck, A Dictionary of Selected Synonymns in the Principal Indo-European Langauges (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949). Ernest Klein, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, (New York: Elsevier, 1966). Robert K. Barnhardt, The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, (Bronx, NY: H.W. Wilson, 1988).
[4] Authorized Version (King James); American Standard Version, Moffatt's Holy Bible: A New Translation; Revised Standard Version; New English Bible; Weymouth;s New Testament in Modern Speech; Williams' In the Language of the People; Beck's In the Language of Today; Amplified Bible; New International Version.
[5] Brown, Driver, and Briggs, Lexicon p. 1016.
[6] Judges 9:13; II Sam. 13:28; Est. 1:10; Ps. 104:14-15; Eccl. 9:7; 10:19; Zech. 9:15; 10:7.
[7] Drunkenness deoes not 'make glad the heart' and is not spoken of in a righteous context for beverage consumption. Rather, it brings woe and sorrow (Prov. 23:29-35).
[8] Of Isaiah 25:6, E.J. Young writes: "By means of gradation, Isaiah now characterizes the banquet as one of wine that is matured by resting undisturbed on the lees. A play upon words as well as a gradation appears between shemanium (fat things) and shemarim (lees). This latter word originally signified holders or preservers and then came to designate the wines that had rested a long time on sediment or dregs, and so had become more valuable. The wine lay n the lees to increase its strength and color." Young, The Book of Isaiah (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1969), 3.193.
[9] Please notice that this argument from silence is put last. Nevertheless, it would seem that if there were a prohibition against the consumption of alcoholic beverages, there should be evidence in Scripture of the careful handling and production of grape juice in order to arrest fermentation.