In Theory: Should church leaders abstain from alcohol?
The Religion News Service recently surveyed representatives from five Christian denominations, asking them how they have addressed alcoholism among their leaders.
The United Methodist Church once required all clergy and youth to sign abstinence pledges, although “that ended decades ago,” according to the article. Meanwhile, the Assemblies of God Fellowship is currently drafting documentation in support of abstinence from alcohol, while also requiring ministerial applicants to avoid drinking and recommending the same for its members.
The Catholic church, according to the article, not only helps its priests seek treatment for alcohol —through “an independent network of Catholic treatment centers” — but other addictions as well, including drugs and gambling.
Q. While the article focuses on alcoholism, should church leaders, who are generally held as the moral stalwarts of their faiths, abstain from alcohol — or do you consider that too extreme? Are there other potential vices, like gambling, that church leaders should abstain from?
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One of the great aspects of the Christian faith, in my opinion, is that one answer is not necessarily right in all situations. Other faiths may have the same idea, but I know that Christianity does. For example, early in the gospel of John, we are told that Jesus turned some water into wine at a wedding. By the way, the wine was not only good, we are told, but even better than the first batch that the host provided for the wedding guests! So what do I get from that story? That wine is good, and it’s part of God’s great creation, which, we are told in Genesis, God saw was very, very good.
But in another part of the New Testament, the apostle Paul, in a discussion about eating meat sacrificed to idols, makes the great statement that if eating meat causes my brother to sin, then I’ll eat no meat. What I get from St. Paul’s remarks is that Christians have a certain responsibility to their fellow creatures, believers or not. So what is a Christian to do? Wine is not a bad thing… but what if my consumption of it causes another to consume it, and the result is something tragic? In Genesis, Cain asks God if he is his brother’s keeper.
The unanswered question’s answer seems to be yes. So we Christians have a dilemma on our hands: When to consume and when not to consume alcohol. I personally enjoy wine and other alcoholic drinks, and I don’t plan to quit. I am also not overcome by a guilty conscience. So I do think it would be somewhat extreme to require clergy or those who wish to be clergy to abstain. However, I am aware of the problem of addiction, and the answer for some people is never to drink. I can respect that decision because of the toll addiction takes on our society. But to go from one extreme to another, while understandable, is not necessarily the right thing to do. My wife the psychologist always urges balance in all things, and like Aristotle before the time of Jesus, she would urge the mean between the extremes… and I totally agree.
The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada Flintridge
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You know, Jesus Christ (God-incarnate) chose as His first miracle the transformation of water, not into sour grapes, but into their fermented, alcoholic wine. Do we think He didn’t know this would be noticed? Was He worried that some future person with personal lack of restraint might construe that as an endorsement of alcoholism?
God made the chemistry responsible for every spirituous libation that finds itself ingrained in every culture of mankind, and yet we have religious institutions still married to some archaic and misguided move of Prohibition from only 100 years ago in Temperance America. God never condemned drinking anything, per se. In fact, He condemns the pagans and cults who teach, “Do not taste! Do not touch” because it is simply “their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value” (Col 2:21, 23).
The fact of the matter is, that things we find pleasurable almost always have a place; albeit a place in context. Certainly abuse and perpetual drunkenness are soundly denounced in the Bible, but “use” is not ipso facto “abuse,” and to make a higher standard for God’s ministers than God Himself would impose is not to more glorify God, but to misrepresent Him and to do what the Pharisees of old had done, who Jesus lamented saying they “tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders” (Matt 23:4).
If a pastor may not drink, then nobody may, yet that is not a teaching of God’s word, but a further pharisaic restriction of man. The Bible clearly teaches, that if you “drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1Cor 10:31). God can actually find glory in drinking (believe it or not) and if you’ll recall, that Last Supper of Jesus derived from his last Passover Seder— which has as one of its elements four glasses of wine; real wine, and not Welch’s grape juice (as some seem to assume). And who keeps calling such things “vices?” God? Nope. Get off the moral high horse and stick to Scripture. As St. Paul said, “Do not go beyond what is written.” (1Co 4:6). Prohibition is not divinely written.
Rev. Bryan Griem
Montrose Community Church
Montrose
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Here I agree with Pope Francis. Who am I to judge?
Anyone for whom alcohol is a problem needs help and it seems that abstaining is safest, though I have read of treatment programs that allow social drinking. Those in a leadership position such as the ministry should be concerned that their behavior is professional. Obviously in a sect holding drinking to be immoral, the pastors can’t indulge, and should get help if needed or press for reform in the rules.
But drinking alcohol is not a vice. In fact it, is good for us, taken moderately. This month’s UC Berkeley School of Public Health wellness letter says that a moderate intake of any kind of alcohol reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and cognitive impairment. (Note to self, “moderate” for women is no more than one drink a day.)
I think that alcohol’s mild mood-elevation and relaxing effect can make for a creative boost. Here, again, moderation. A sort of preacher, the folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie is said to have testified, “There are a lot of good ideas in a pint of whiskey, but not so many in a quart.”
Alcohol served and enjoyed appropriately provides a useful social lubricant that can enhance human interaction. Jesus recognized at Cana that a bride and groom and all the new in-laws and others at a wedding were better off with wine than water. So I say “cheers,” and don’t drink and drive or bike.
Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose
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My belief about whether religious leaders should be mandated to abstain from alcohol is that such a requirement confuses use with abuse. Just because someone drinks alcohol, does not mean that she or he will become addicted and behave in ways that are inappropriate for congregational leadership. Drinking or other potentially addictive activities, if done in moderation, are not the same as compulsive and drastic behavior modifying actions.
I do not think that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to these issues. If a person becomes addicted to certain detrimental substances or activities, treatment and perhaps discipline would be justified for clergy and other religious leaders. But the assumption that anyone who partakes of such things, will automatically behave in ways that are harmful to her or himself or others is misguided, in my opinion.
However, I do believe that it is the responsibility of congregational governing bodies to deal with the abuse of or addiction to consciousness-altering drugs or activities by their leaders with interventions at the earliest possible moment. For me, that would mean sharing concern directly with the person and offering support to overcome the problem. As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Assn., we are all expected to act for the good of our colleagues when we are concerned about addictive behaviors.
What I would not advocate is the immediate dismissal or other punishment of a church leader before various forms of mediation have been implemented. My hope is that we can share our truth in love rather than with retribution in the case of addiction or other destructive conduct.
Rev. Dr. Betty Stapleford
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills
La Crescenta
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The LDS church strongly urges all members to abstain from alcoholic beverages as part of a broader dietary code known as the Word of Wisdom. Adherence to this counsel is seen as one measure of an individual’s commitment to the faith. As a result, alcoholism is unusual among church leaders and active members.
We believe that the Word of Wisdom was given to Joseph Smith, the church’s first president, by revelation in 1833. In it, we are counseled to avoid alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea. The Word of Wisdom also suggests a diet based on grains, vegetables and fruit with limited consumption of meat. I find it remarkable that this advice, so consistent with modern science, was given more than 132 years ago.
We believe the Word of Wisdom was provided to help us avoid addiction and many other common health problems. That said, it doesn’t make church members immune to any of those things. Those who fall into substance abuse deserve our help and compassion. In recent years, the church has expanded its outreach to individuals with addictions and their families. Local leaders are given training and resources to help addicts get professional treatment. In addition, most stakes, geographic units comprised of several congregations, offer recovery support groups based a modification of the 12-step program.
The text of the Word of Wisdom warns of the “evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men.” It isn’t difficult to see this today. Over the years manufacturers and growers have increased the potency of their products, usually without advising their customers. And certainly, marketers have grown adept at making the public forget, or ignore, the sometimes terrible consequences of indulgence. For church members the prescience of the Word of Wisdom’s message is faith-affirming. It also provides very practical advice on how to safely navigate a sometimes perilous world.
Michael White
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
La Crescenta
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