But regardless what you do, someone is going to find fault with you:
- For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
- The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works (Matthew 11.18-19).
I know I’m pulling this passage out of a context talking about who John the Baptist and Jesus are. But, I think the point still stands; there is room in the Christian faith for both ascetics and … what shall I call them … non-ascetics (normal people ?).
This has been an issue I’ve struggled with. Not because of biblical teaching necessarily, but because of erroneous biblical interpretation. I don’t drink, but I no longer think ill of those who do. Well, that’s not totally true. Abuse aside, drinking to give a certain appearance is quite lame, as such displays with anything are.
“drinking to give a certain appearance is quite lame”
Amen! Which is why I drink to my health (and enjoyment). I’ve now been in communities where drinking is the norm and where not drinking is the norm (or at least the stated norm, which very few people actually follow). As much of a problem as alcohol abuse is, I think an inordinate focus on externals (drinking, smoking, dancing) rather than on the condition of a person’s heart is equally a problem. But, walking that path down the middle of not calling people who don’t drink legalists or people who do libertines is a lot harder for some than simply taking a side.