Trigger warning—this might sound like an anti-booze diatribe! Eighteen is the legal age to buy alcohol in New Zealand. Like some other Western countries, it is considered a rite of passage into manhood to go out and get wasted. You would think that it was tantamount to a Sunday picnic the way some talk. The bits about fights, rapes, domestic violence, car accidents and suicides seem to be left out of the ‘war stories.’ As far as I can tell many Christians in the twenty first century see social drinking as a personal choice. One of those, ‘as long as it in moderation,’ type of things. On the other end are those who preach things like: “Yes, Jesus turned water into wine, but the wine was only non-alcoholic grape juice.” You need to cringe if you hear this kind of talk. It just doesn’t help anything. What we do know from John 2 is that Jesus turned water into wine—that’s it! What was the alcohol content? Who knows? Was it the fire-water imbibed by many today? It is only my opinion, but I seriously doubt it.
Remember, Jesus does not treat people like children. People are responsible for their own sobriety. To justify or condemn drinking alcohol from John 2 is missing every point. Why am I so against booze? I have seen the damage and have no desire to support it in any way. The good news is that your loved ones are one hundred percent safe around me. They will never be tempted to drink while around me. Do I believe you have the right to drink alcohol? Of course. Who am I to say otherwise? Then, why do I go on about it? Because one man’s freedom is another man’s licence. Is that your problem? Only when it is. Given all that I have seen and continue to see, I have taken it off the table. I believe all Christians would be wise to do likewise. I weep when I ponder the damage that booze has done to people I love. And just in case you think I have gone soft on this: “I believe that the only difference between a liquor salesman and a drug dealer is that one is legal.” Christians have better things to do than support the liquor industry. Those are your kids that they are marketing to. May God bless us with the wisdom to know and to do that which is always right for every occasion.