Should a Christian drink alcohol? Simple answer: What did Jesus do? I mean, this isn’t even what would Jesus do! There’s no speculation here. It’s simply “What Did Jesus Do?” He drank. He even drank enough to be accused of being a “wine-bibber,” which I believe is first century speak for “alcoholic.” He himself said, “The Son of Man came eating anddrinking…” and in the context “drinking” refers to alcohol. On top of that, his first miracle was turning water into wine at a party. At a party. A party where people were drunk. And it wasgood wine, too!

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons not to drink. Perhaps it’s an addiction for you. Perhaps your body doesn’t process alcohol well. Perhaps drinking makes you angry. All good reasons not to drink.

However, if you’re not drinking because it’s not the “Christian” thing to do or you’ve been led to believe it’s not “godly,” you’ve been misled by the teachings and traditions of men, not God. If your pastor or your church or your religious tradition somehow make you feel like drinking alcohol is not something you as a Christian should do, then your pastor, church, or tradition is just simply wrong, and probably legalistic. Sorry to break it to you.

Don’t drink if you don’t want to, but don’t avoid alcohol because you think it’s what god wants you to do. It’s not going to make you any godlier than Jesus.

Disclaimer: written by an agnostic.

(For a deeper discussion, see below.)