This week’s question(s): What is the deal with partying? Is it hypocritical to go party Saturday night and then show up to church the next day all tired? How about drinking? Is it sinful to get drunk at parties and act a little crazy? Does it matter how drunk you get?
For most people reading this (college students), this is an important question to consider. As Christians, we’re called to be counter-cultural. We know that the world should not define who we are, what we value, or what we do. We have a higher, more fulfilling, calling to live lives of obedience and service to Jesus Christ. At KUPC several weeks ago, we finished up looking at Christ’s proclamations to the churches in Revelation 2-3, and we saw there how the churches struggled to remain faithful in the midst of a culture whose values did not line up w/ the values of Christ. In any context, Christians always need to evaluate the culture they live in, and determine which parts of it they ought not participate in, and even speak out against. On most any campus, partying and drinking are, to one degree or another, a part of the culture. So, we need to ask ourselves, “Does this part of the culture I live in line up with my calling to live as a follower of Jesus Christ?”
The drinking question is the easier of the two to answer, so we’ll start there. First off, if you’re not of legal age, then drinking alcohol, regardless of how much, is in disagreement with your call to follow Christ. Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that we’re to respect the authority of our governments, so long as they don’t interfere with our call to be faithful to Christ. Our government has set a law that you can’t drink until you’re 21, and as Christians, we ought to honor that.
Now, for those of us of legal age, the question gets more complicated. There’s nothing wrong with drinking socially and in moderation. Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and served and drank wine at the Last Supper with his disciples. Also, Paul, in his letter to Timothy, advises his disciple to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes. That being said, there is such a thing as too much. The basic principle of Scripture is summed up well in Ephesians 5:18: “do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Throughout all of Scripture, there’s a contrast made between being filled with the Spirit and drunkenness. For example, in Luke’s account of John the Baptist’s birth, the angel Gabriel explains to John’s parents that he is not to drink any wine, or even eat fruit of the vine, because he’s going to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The connection between alcohol and the Holy Spirit has to do with controlling influence. As Christians, we’re to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our living. If we drink too much alcohol, we allow something other than the Holy Spirit to control us. So, to the question, “how much can a Christian drink?” we’re given the answer: however much we can take in before it has influence over our decision making.
The question about going to parties is a little more complicated. There’s nothing inherently wrong with going to parties. In fact, it seems from reading the gospels that Jesus went to parties from time to time. There is good reason for Christians to go to a party. Firstly, Christians are allowed to have fun. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Christians might have the opportunity to bear witness to Christ at such parties.
That being said, there are reasons not to go to parties. Our inquirer brings one of them up. What if we party late on Saturday night and then come to church tired? I don’t know if I’d call it hypocritical, but I would call it irresponsible. When we worship, we’re to do so with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Furthermore, in our worship, Jesus Christ desires to encounter us and speak to us, and we ought to seek Him out. All of us have, at some point, gone to church tired, and we all know how difficult it is to do give our all in worship when we’re tired. There’s nothing wrong with going to parties, but there is something wrong with being so undisciplined that we don’t prioritize our life in Christ.
Another reason for possibly skipping out on a party goes back to the concept of being countercultural. Sometimes, not going to a party may provide more powerful of a Christian witness than going to the party. By not going, we demonstrate that we don’t consider partying an essential aspect to our life, as some might. By abstaining, we can show that we live our life by different standards, and that we refuse to look like the rest of the world.
All that being said, there’s no universal rule for Christians and parties. It’s best taken on a case by case basis. Pastor Matt, your thoughts?
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1 comment:
Amen, amen, amen!
A couple bits of practical advice, and one additional bit of spiritual advice, both of which will help you as you aim to follow these excelent guidelines Pastor Mike has presented.
The first is: getting drunk doesn't make you more fun for others to be around. Think of the times you've run into someone who was drunk. Would you like to be around them, ordinarily? I'm not talking about silly. People at parties are happy, making jokes, letting their hair down...all that can be excellent fun! But, as Pastor Mike said very eloquently, when your decision making is hampered...Think of it as the difference between being silly, and being stupid.
The second is: aim to have people around who encourage moderation, especially if you're new to alcohol. I was introduced to ale (a wonderful beverage I have since come to greatly love) by friends all of whom loved Jesus and loved me. I still remember one of them showing me how to drink slowly and steadily through the night (rather than all at once) so that I kept my head and had a good time. Very roughly, the human body can process about one unit (one beer, one glass of wine, one shot etc...) per hour. My friend showed me that. You can also watch your friends who are good at staying within moderation. In the UK, beer and wine is served with almost every major meal except breakfast. I've taken to ordering my drink, and then pacing myself by picking a *sober* friend in the room who is also having a good time and watching how fast he/she drinks. I drink no faster and no more than him or her. For me, that system works fairly well.
Third: There's a difference between guilt and conviction. I have a conviction not to drink to excess. Sometimes, however, I've drank a little too fast or accidently had a little too much. It's not godly to beat yourself up for minor accidents. If you find yourself dizzy, or your wiser friends tell you that you're drunk and starting to act more stupid than silly, just stop with the alcohol, drink some water, eat some food, and don't beat yourself over the head for it...On my birthday once there were so many different kinds of lagers around, and I positively LOVE to try new things. I tried too many new things :-) Plus, we ran out of time, and I guzzled my last drink. I didn't feel the effects till I was home, and by then I was very dizzy and tired. My brother in law was there along with some other great friends in Christ. In a half-joking / half-serious and completely gentle spirit these wise friends laughed and told me I was hammered and I should go to bed. I drank a lot of water to rehydrate and stem the hangover, went to bed as they instructed, and was fine! Actually got up at five the next morning. No biggie. So: guilt isn't helpful. Christian friends are helpful and wise habits are helpful. (The biggie comes in when you find you have an addiction and can't stop yourself, and neither can your friends. That's when you need to abstain and get help. See below.)
Four: Know Thyself. Everybody is different. I'm a featherweight of Scotish descent. I can handle a moderately small quantity of alcohol. My British middleweight friends can handle a bit more. Once I wandered into a party where there were some folks who couldn't handle their alcohol, apparently, at all. They were all acting stupid from the quantity they drank, and the bar area was becoming a disgusting puddle of spilt and spit-up beer-goo. Bleh! I left very quickly because it was so NOT fun. (Not to mention unsanitary. Sorry -- guess that's the germophobe in me!) I've also met a couple people in my life who have addictive tendencies. One guy I met -- I don't think I'll ever get over the tragedy -- had been a missionary. His life was completely destroyed. Another guy was reduced to a shell in front of me, lost his wife, kids, intellect, everything. Key is, know and embrace your limits. If you know you can't take much (or any), then don't. Life has other fun things than alcohol, in fact quite a bit of things MORE fun than alcohol. If you discover you have an addiction pattern, then get help, stay away from compromising situations, and fill up the empty time that's left with other things you enjoy and which are godly. Again, guilt isn't helpful here: wisdom, conviction, godly friendships,...these are all helpful.
A final piece of spiritual advice: the Scriptures treat freedom and joy in God's creation very highly. But, there is one thing they treat more highly, and that is Love. Love regards others as better than itself. If you find yourself with a person who has an addiction pattern, don't drink around them -- you could hurt them, and that's unloving. I know a woman whose stepdad was abusive when he drank, and she is terrified of alcohol. I don't drink around her, period. Love works the other way, too: I've been invited to parties and graciously offered wierd foods, drinks, etc. In moderation and with joy, accepting these can open up doors of friendship that otherwise you'd never know. Embrace such opportunities -- because that is what love does.
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