Approving Alcohol, Prohibiting Marijuana: An Inconsistent Position
By Wally Morris
One of the most significant changes in attitude and behavior among conservative Evangelicals and some Fundamentalists is the acceptance of the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The increase in consumption of beer, wine, and liquor is characteristic of the wider American culture and influencing Christians as well. One reason BJU published a book about alcohol was because incoming freshmen did not see anything wrong with drinking alcoholic beverages. Many students in our community’s Christian homeschool organization do not see anything wrong with drinking wine. I suspect that is because their parents do not see anything wrong with drinking wine.
John MacArthur’s personal position on alcohol consumption appears to be abstinence. Yet The Master’s Seminary allows its students to consume alcohol as long as they do not get intoxicated. (The exact phrase in the student catalog is “use of beverages for intoxication”, a somewhat vague phrase.) However, TMS prohibits its students from using tobacco and marijuana, substances that are legal in California. When I (twice) asked TMS to explain the reasoning behind allowing wine but prohibiting tobacco and marijuana, they never answered beyond my first email asking general questions.
Huntington University, a local Christian college owned by a Brethren denomination, allows its students to use tobacco and consume alcoholic beverages (assuming they are legally old enough) as long as they do so off campus.
Carl Trueman, church history professor at Westminster Seminary, openly talks (almost brags) about drinking scotch and brandy. Ben Witherington, professor at Asbury Seminary, sees nothing wrong with drinking whiskey unless a person is an alcoholic. That begs the question of how do you know if you’re going to be an alcoholic unless you start drinking alcoholic beverages. I could multiply these examples. (Please note that I am not a crusty curmudgeon who loves “naming names” for controversy. But giving specific examples is helpful in understanding the depth of the problem.)
Christians who accept the consumption of alcoholic beverages will find it difficult to justify prohibiting tobacco and, particularly, marijuana. One common argument used to justify drinking modern wine, for example, is that Christians in the early church drank wine. OK, if that is going to be the argument, then how is it possible to prohibit legal substances such as tobacco and marijuana, which the Bible never mention? What is the basis for that prohibition? Often, the basis for prohibiting these substances will focus on health concerns or possible addiction problems. Could we not argue the same concerning alcoholic beverages?
The consumption of modern alcoholic beverages cannot be justified today simply because people in Biblical times drank diluted wine. The consumption of tobacco and marijuana cannot be justified on the basis of Christian liberty. These positions (prohibiting tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol) are consistent with each other. But those who allow consumption of alcoholic beverages but prohibit tobacco and marijuana (or those who prohibit marijuana but allow drinking alcohol and using tobacco, such as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) have produced an inconsistency which they will have difficulty defending. Therefore, I suspect that eventually you will see many of those Christians who allow consumption of alcoholic beverages eventually to allow consumption of legal marijuana. Consistency almost demands this result.
Wally Morris is pastor of Charity Baptist Church in Huntington, IN.
By Wally Morris
One of the most significant changes in attitude and behavior among conservative Evangelicals and some Fundamentalists is the acceptance of the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The increase in consumption of beer, wine, and liquor is characteristic of the wider American culture and influencing Christians as well. One reason BJU published a book about alcohol was because incoming freshmen did not see anything wrong with drinking alcoholic beverages. Many students in our community’s Christian homeschool organization do not see anything wrong with drinking wine. I suspect that is because their parents do not see anything wrong with drinking wine.
John MacArthur’s personal position on alcohol consumption appears to be abstinence. Yet The Master’s Seminary allows its students to consume alcohol as long as they do not get intoxicated. (The exact phrase in the student catalog is “use of beverages for intoxication”, a somewhat vague phrase.) However, TMS prohibits its students from using tobacco and marijuana, substances that are legal in California. When I (twice) asked TMS to explain the reasoning behind allowing wine but prohibiting tobacco and marijuana, they never answered beyond my first email asking general questions.
Huntington University, a local Christian college owned by a Brethren denomination, allows its students to use tobacco and consume alcoholic beverages (assuming they are legally old enough) as long as they do so off campus.
Carl Trueman, church history professor at Westminster Seminary, openly talks (almost brags) about drinking scotch and brandy. Ben Witherington, professor at Asbury Seminary, sees nothing wrong with drinking whiskey unless a person is an alcoholic. That begs the question of how do you know if you’re going to be an alcoholic unless you start drinking alcoholic beverages. I could multiply these examples. (Please note that I am not a crusty curmudgeon who loves “naming names” for controversy. But giving specific examples is helpful in understanding the depth of the problem.)
Christians who accept the consumption of alcoholic beverages will find it difficult to justify prohibiting tobacco and, particularly, marijuana. One common argument used to justify drinking modern wine, for example, is that Christians in the early church drank wine. OK, if that is going to be the argument, then how is it possible to prohibit legal substances such as tobacco and marijuana, which the Bible never mention? What is the basis for that prohibition? Often, the basis for prohibiting these substances will focus on health concerns or possible addiction problems. Could we not argue the same concerning alcoholic beverages?
The consumption of modern alcoholic beverages cannot be justified today simply because people in Biblical times drank diluted wine. The consumption of tobacco and marijuana cannot be justified on the basis of Christian liberty. These positions (prohibiting tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol) are consistent with each other. But those who allow consumption of alcoholic beverages but prohibit tobacco and marijuana (or those who prohibit marijuana but allow drinking alcohol and using tobacco, such as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) have produced an inconsistency which they will have difficulty defending. Therefore, I suspect that eventually you will see many of those Christians who allow consumption of alcoholic beverages eventually to allow consumption of legal marijuana. Consistency almost demands this result.
Wally Morris is pastor of Charity Baptist Church in Huntington, IN.