September 30, 2002
Theology of abstinence shapes thinking on alcohol use
___In my home, "stupid" is a holy word. It never is used in vain. Its power is saved for those few occasions when no other expression will quite do. So, my 5-year-old son's eyes widened when I responded to a beer commercial with, "Using drugs is stupid."
___For the rest of my son's life, the nuances of this simple statement will be examined and tested. What is a drug? Does the list of drugs include alcohol? What about caffeine, nicotine or sugar? What if you just use and do not abuse?
___As someone who lives with the nuances of drug use every day, the path I chose to take with my own child was instructive to me. Instinctively I chose a cautious, even conservative, approach. Seeking a core belief out of a complex issue, I found that I operated out of a respect for the addictive potential of alcohol and a theology of abstinence.
___Alcohol use has been wrapped with layers of sophistication, but alcohol remains a psychoactive drug proven to be extremely addictive and dangerous to millions of people. Separating alcohol from other drugs only conceals the potential danger. Therefore, the drug-alcohol message to my son had to be clear and unambiguous in word and deed.
___My theology of abstinence rests on two significant biblical tenets. However, it is tempered by the Bible's silence on addiction and tacit approval of the moderate use of alcohol.
___Tenet one: The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. It stands to reason that one should refrain from putting harmful substances in this temple. Further, where God dwells, there is no room for other gods and no need for artificial mood enhancement. Treating the temple with proper respect creates both physical and spiritual health.
___Tenet two: All Christians have a responsibility to set a positive example to the whole community. Although I am not responsible for choices other people make, I am responsible for my own example and the message my actions send to the community.
___These are powerful principles when put alongside what we know about alcohol use. Just because I can maintain moderate use is no guarantee my child or my neighbor will be able to do so.
___The power of these principles to motivate decisive action is tempered by the Bible's general position on alcohol. Although drunkenness is universally condemned, the Bible reveals alcohol's role in worship, festivals and many holy traditions. Christ created an alcoholic beverage in his first miracle, and he even equated his blood to the wine used in the Passover meal.
___However, one must ask how important the chemical content of the beverages used in the Bible is to the meaning we should derive. We simply know more about the dangers associated with alcohol use now. We should no more be swayed to their cultural view of alcohol than we should to biblical notions of slavery or stoning.
___Many thoughtful people advocate that teaching the temperate use of alcohol is sound drug-abuse prevention meth-odology. Reasoning that moderate use of any addictive drug can be taught, however, implies that choice will always be rational. This premise cannot withstand either the test of scientific inquiry or the statistics of use and relapse.
___It boils downs to a simple equation: In light of the potential dangers of alcohol use, do the benefits of use justify the risk? Everyone continually formulates such equations. Is it worth the risk to get into a car or plane, to eat a French fry or to jump from a bridge with a bungee cord? The greater the risk, the better the reward must be.
___Even if drinking alcohol poses only a slight threat, what justifies the risk? Science supplies most of my information about the potential danger, and theology mainly informs the reward side of the equation. Together, abstinence makes the most sense.
___Perhaps the simplest answer is not the most prudent. However, Christ taught us the value of seeing through the eyes of our children. When I see drugs through the eyes of my son, the situation is clear.
___Good people disagree, but for me and my house, using drugs is stupid.
___Steve Sumerel is director of the department of family life and substance abuse of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina's council on Christian life and public affairs. His column is distributed by EthicsDaily.com, an online publication of the Baptist Center for Ethics
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