Alcohol – Abstain or Moderation

May 7, 2008

A.B. Simpson
The Criswell Theological Journal (Volume 5, Issue 2) has devoted their latest issue to that of Christians and Alcohol. Three of the articles are available online. Together they are an amazing resource for what the bible says about alcohol.

Ken Gentry argues for the moderation approach, while Richard Land and Barrett Duke along with Norman Geisler argue for abstaining.

I think that both sides have some good points. It seems to be more of a North American debate, with a strong cultural element. My own German Baptist church is made up of members who would definitely be on the moderation side of the argument.

From my own experience, and the experience of others that I have witnessed, I have seen the value of setting guidelines for our children. One of these guidelines is the principal of moderation. God has made many good things for us, but these things whether food or alcohol, if abused can lead to many poor outcomes. If I only say to my child, “Don’t drink alcohol”, and my child disagrees, have I taught them any good lessons about how to handle it safely?

I encourage you to read the articles and formulate your own opinions on the topics.  I would also encourage Christians to show generosity to other Christians whose views on the topic do not line up with their own.

1 Comment | alcohol, Kenneth Gentry, Norman Geisler | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian

What will the future bring?

Mar 10, 2008

In a recent Bible study at church, our Pastor challenged three of us to prepare a ten minute presentation on one of three views of the millenium. The view that I was assigned was post-millenialism, a topic that, in spite of three years of theological education, I knew very little about. I grew up in churches that have a pre-millenial theology that believe that Christ will return to earth “imminently” to usher in his 1000 year (millenium) reign.

Post-millenialism on the other hand teaches that most of the book of Revelation was fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. We are now in the Millenium where Christ is building his kingdom one soul at a time. Like pre-millenialists, post-millenialists still believe in the future return of Jesus Christ where he will come to judge the world.

I must admit I have not spent a whole lot of time studying this topic, and that is intentional because I think that we have more important things to worry about. So when it comes to end-times discussion, I would rather take a pan-millenial view. That, is, it will all “pan” out it the end.

However, if you are interested in finding out more about post-millenialism, Kenneth Gentry has some interesting free papers on the subject. I found the ones titled Apocalypse Then and Back to the Future – The Preterist Perspective expecially helpful. Another article that is a little more difficult to read, but details the biblical basis quite well is Blaising Rattles.

Comments Off | apocalypse, end-times, Kenneth Gentry, post-millenialism, pre-millenialism, preterism, revelation | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian

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