Chapter 6: The Party Scene (Freshman 15 Snippet)

Here’s a snippet from Chapter 6: The Party Scene:

One of the most debated issues in Christianity concerning freedom is that of social drinking.  Denominations differ.  Backgrounds divide.  Experiences direct.  When most pastors communicate to students concerning the sins to abstain from in America, the list normally starts with premarital sex, drinking, and smoking.  These are areas which the Bible actually does address, but few ministers ever mention the sins of hating one’s brother, developing an envious heart, supplanting God for another, etc.  Why has the American church focused so much on the previous?  It is that these actions are observable, concrete practices while so many other areas are matters of the heart.  I can physically see if someone is drinking alcohol or not.  I cannot perceive whether or not someone has bitterness in the heart towards another.

Many people who want to live for Christ see the party scene on the outside, and they envy it.  They envy the carefree nature, and you begin to wonder: is drinking really evil, or am I just listening to my fuddy-duddy preacher and parents way too much?  It’s the seduction of the unknown.

Most students, upon their first taste of alcohol, do not rave about the mesmerizing flavor, but they do come back for some reason. Some come back because people they admired accepted them for the first time.  Some try it again because it made them forget about all the drama in their lives.  Some continue to indulge because the Christian cliques on campus ostracized them for the first time they went to a party, so now they have nowhere else to turn.

So now you allow the question to run rampant in your mind: “Is there more to life that I’m missing by associating with Christianity?”  So is it wrong to drink?  Can a Christian go to a party?  Can he socially drink?  As our culture progresses, the line keeps getting blurrier.  Not only do different churches and Christians disagree on this issue, but also it appears as if the Bible supports both sides or is at least ambiguous about the topic.  So to address this issue, I encourage you to lay aside your tradition, denomination, preconceived notions, parental instruction, parental example, and join me in looking at what God’s Word really says about the issue of alcohol.

Leading up to the time around when I get to release Freshman 15, I wanted to provide you a snippet every day for 15 days at 15:00 in the afternoon.