Why do some Christians abstain from alcohol?

One hundred years ago, the United States did something unthinkable.

They banned alcohol.

Not for long, mind you, only about thirteen years…

…but guess who led the initial charge?

Christians.

Christian women to be exact.

Temperance 

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was, as the name suggests, a group of Christian women who gathered to ban alcohol. 

These women believed the alcohol consumption of the time was a threat to the stability of American families. So they did something about it.

One of them even had a hatchet!

The WCTU’s influence was so large that they laid the foundation for the federal Prohibition that followed.

But why?

Why would these Christian ladies, or any Christians for that matter, seek to get rid of alcohol when the Bible only prohibits drunkenness? 

And where can I get a cool hatchet like Carrie Nation?

Stumbling Blocks

The church in Rome was quite diverse.

And as beautiful as this diversity was, it did cause some friction.

There were a lot of opinions in play about what habits promoted the best lifestyle. 

In Romans 14, Paul writes to this issue. Here, he stresses that the Gospel is the most important thing to live for. Nonetheless, he gives some helpful wisdom to his readers.

Even though actions such as, say, eating meat weren’t sinful, they could still lead some into sin.

Let’s take alcohol for instance.

Drinking casually isn’t a problem for many people. But for those with a history of alcoholism, just one drink can undo years of hard work. So, you’d want to be sensitive to that.

And that’s what Paul’s getting at when he urges the Romans not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. 

Some followers of Jesus don’t drink for this reason, others just don’t want to introduce the possibility of getting drunk altogether. 

It’s certainly not wrong, the same way drinking alcohol isn’t wrong. 

We should respect the choices of our fellow Christ followers so long as they don’t contradict the Gospel.

And we should practice sensitivity, too, abstaining from alcohol if it avoids putting that stumbling block before another Christian. 

Now do we need to wield hatchets and outlaw alcohol entirely? I’m gonna stay out of that one…

That hatchet is really cool, though.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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