Crossroad

OK . . . . let’s get started with the questions from ‘All for One and One for All.’ BTW- these questions are copied and pasted on so any typos and such are the fault of the medium (texting to email). Also, if I received many questions that cover the same topic, I will only answer one of those, so if you don’t see your question, look for one that is similar.

How did you get arrested for bootlegging in Texarkana?

Technically speaking, bootlegging is when you bring a certain amount of un-taxed alcohol from one tax district to another. In this case, it was a very large amount of Arkansas beer into Texas. We had actually acted with one shred of brain-power and had a designated driver, so the cops ended up just charging us with a MIP- or minor in possession of alcohol. I was not a Christian at the time, but that event ( I was 16) set off a chain reaction that led me to it when I was 18. One of the best things that ever happened to me.

We know that alcohol harms the body so then does this not make it a sin?
The same argument can be made about bacon, red meat, the sun and kissing. Abusing alcohol is a sin. Studies show that a drink now and then (especially wine) can be good for the body. Again, this is importing ideas into the realm of morality that are not meant to be there.

What about body tattoos and Leviticus 19. 28?
Those commands were much more about not being identified with Canaanite Baal worship than anything else. I don’t think that we can put this in a category for today that says it is wrong. I don’t know if it is the smartest thing (sorry, all you tattooed people! But I think there will be some weird looking grandparents one day!), but I can’t say that it is sinful. (To the person that said that they were going to get ‘Greg Pinkner’ tattooed across their back- my wife said not even she would do that, so I would stay away from it! P.S.- my initials are GJP, if you are interested! HA!)

What about being drunk?
All things in moderation. I would say that being drunk is sin, because there is nothing good that comes from it and it usually leads to nothing edifying. People make ‘the worst mistakes of their lives’ when drunk. Cops will tell you that 90% of crime happens when people are drunk or high. Someone who goes out with the purpose of drinking too much is not seeking the glory of the Lord, but their own hedonism. As we looked at the verses last night- they will give account. Many of the emails on this subject, however, are intertwining ‘being drunk’ with ‘drinking’ and they are not the same thing- although in the college context they are usually one and the same. We need to be more discerning than that.

Can’t a person fool themselves into thinking that an action is perfectly fine, while their hearts condemn it and rationalization begins?
ABSOLUTELY! Which is why last night I kept talking about being wise and spiritually mature. The way we guard against these things is by staying in the Word and around Christian community. Our Christian friends will hopefully call us out when we are doing this and it will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us regarding our hardening heart. All this to say that is why I was talking about this being a ‘dangerous’ teaching- those that are slaves to the flesh will only use it to justify their sinful behaviors. But we must teach the whole of the Word. We do not hold back portions of it because some might hang themselves with the rope you give.

What are the differences between these verses and the arguements the emergent church uses to justify its “cultural” views?
Well, mainly the EC is talking about doctrinal issues and we are talking about moral ones. They would say that since our culture does not really believe in sin, we should not use it to talk about the Gospel. (Foolishness, by the way). We are saying, along with Paul in Rom 14, that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of peace, joy and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. The EC is basically saying the Gospel is ‘enslaved,’ if you will, to a culture’s precepts. We are saying the Gospel is transcendent.

Can u be in a relationship when you disagree about the grey areas? Ex. Alcohol?
Simply, yes. That is the whole point of the passage; that we are to be in relationship with people that we disagree with on these things. I am guessing that you are asking about a romantic relationship and there we run into some other issues. If you remember our Dating series, you know that ultimately dating is about marriage. Marriage means kids and there is the rub. It could be very confusing for a kid to see their parents doing two opposite things. But that is something each has to decide for themselves. If you are asking my gut-level opinion- I think that it would be wiser to not date someone you disagree with. Too much opportunity for the flesh to insert itself and hurt you both.

I am also on staff at a church. Do you believe church staff is held to a different standard with respect to drinking?
Only in that they are more visible. There is no distinction between how a lay person should live this out and a pastoral person. Each should have in mind the people that they affect. In the case of the pastor, they are usually more visible, so the number of people that could be wounded by them is greater, thus they have to be more careful. But the degree to which they must respect others is no different.

What about churches that have turned either lost people or struggling Christians away for wearing jeans when they come in the 1st time?
You can only do your best. If a church has set a culture of a relaxed nature and someone is put off by it, then that is more on the person than the church. What about the people that DO come because of the relaxed culture and are turned off by the opposite? That is why Paul said ‘the one who eats, eats to the glory of the Lord; the one who abstains, abstains to the glory of the Lord.’ The church that glorifies God through a relaxed culture is no more or less glorifying to God than the one that does it through a formal culture, and vice versa. Some people are ‘looking’ for reasons to leave the church, and for that they will give account.

Is it wrong to drink in front of a recovering alcoholic who still struggles with quitting?
This is an easy one- yes. Without a doubt.

What about things like ‘little white lies?
Lying is prohibited by Scripture- it is not the same thing as something that is not directly addressed by Scripture. As much as we say that ‘lwl’s are to spare someone else’s feelings, they are usually more about sparing our own feeling and getting us out of ‘uncomfortable situations.’