Monday, April 7, 2008

Cheers!

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of New Beer's Eve. A day in 1933 when many looked forward to having a weak watered down beer legally. The 18th amendment was not fully repealed till later that year, but Budweiser and others are using today to sell, sell, sell. I was once asked by a pastor's kid if drinking beer was a sin. I replied, "That's a pretty controversial issue, but I'm sure of one thing". "What's that?" he asked. "Drinking Cheap beer is a sin!" I said.

I'm pretty sure none of my spiritual ancestors were there celebrating that day. In fact, I'd bet my pentecostal forefathers would be pretty upset that I'm blogging about this... and even more upset that I just said "I bet." I think few people in the evangelical church today care too much about drinking alcohol in moderation, yet I am sympathetic to the prohibitionists who were concerned about the abuse and drunkenness that was affecting their communities. I see many similairities today with those who want to ban abortion or protect marriage. I am against abortion and I am for traditional marriage, but considering the grand success of the "noble experiment" called prohibition, I wonder if our efforts are still misplaced.

Why don't we love people better? Why don't we take better care of our traditional marriages? Why aren't more christians all about adoption? Why don't we engage people where they are at, and pray for His kingdom to come? That's sounds difficult, it'd be easier to go protest politics. Anybody want to drink to that?!? Enough ranting for today... Cheers.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Yesterday, I saw scratched into a bathroom stall door the following statement. "Jesus may love me, but I'm pretty sure all the Christians hate me."

Nicholas A. Love said...

Great, great thoughts.

Maybe the goal should be getting at the root of problems and helping to pull people out, rather than trying to outlaw the problem, and maybe pushing people more to the outskirts. It takes less sacrifice to rely on a blanket solution than deal with people where they are at.

I'd drink to that.