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Opinion: Alcohol

12/11/2019

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by RJ Dugone

(Disclosure: I do not equate my opinion to truth.  The following is an opinion based on my observations.  I commonly associate with people who drink alcohol.  I have close relationships with people who struggle with alcohol abuse; and I love and pray for them.  This is also not an attempt to recreate a standard of legalism from the past, it is simply to call on Christians to be more careful and circumspect with regard to alcohol use.  As in all things may we learn to be as “smart as serpents and as harmless as doves.”)

If I ever say or write anything about the issue of Christians drinking alcohol, I know that I am treading on dangerous territory.  (This is almost as bad as talking politics) Alcohol use has moved from a place of Prohibition to prominence in the American Culture.  As in almost all things, the Church has followed the lead of the culture.  Alcohol is now the drug of choice both in the culture and in the church. Since the Bible doesn’t strictly prohibit the use of alcohol, you will probably never hear me preaching in the pulpit on the evils of alcohol consumption; on the other hand, I would rather that God’s people be filled with the Holy Spirit as opposed to wine.  I grew up in a religious tradition that strongly opposed the use of alcohol.  So much so that to be a member you had to pledge that you would abstain from its use.  Over the years, as this denomination as become more secularized, the use of alcohol has become the norm, even among the clergy. 

Is there any danger associated with using alcohol—even in moderation?  The answer is “yes.”  Before you become defensive, please know that this is the official opinion of many medical associations, rehabilitation organizations and psychologists.  It comes down to this: Some people will be able to use alcohol in moderation with no negative effects; while there will be others that are inclined to become alcoholics. 

Alcoholics don’t wear signs that identify them as such; but, in every church that I have ever been associated with, there have always been people in the congregation who struggle with an addiction to alcohol.  It is a growing problem within the church community.  If you personally have the freedom to drink alcohol in moderation, you need to be very circumspect in that freedom.  Quite often the feeling of shame will cause an alcoholic to hide their problem, so we should not simply assume that “all” the people around us are unaffected if we drink alcohol in their presence.  The feeling of shame may also keep an alcoholic from sharing their addiction with someone who can seemingly drink alcohol with no apparent problem.

Time for some truth: Alcohol is a depressant.  According to WebMD, “Any amount you drink can make you more likely to get the blues.  When you drink too much, you’re more likely to make bad decisions or act on impulse.  As a result, you could drain your bank account, lose a job, or ruin a relationship.  When that happens, you’re more likely to feel down, particularly if your genes are wired for depression.”

I made a decision long ago—I don’t drink alcohol. There are several reasons, but at the top of my list: I don’t want anything in my behavior to contribute to the addiction of another person.  Secondly, I think that I might be vulnerable to such an easy addiction, and I’m taking no chances.  My wife’s family was destroyed by an alcoholic father.  My great uncle (Paul Donahue) was a rich inventor and his life was destroyed by alcohol.  A good friend of mine (19 years old) was killed by a drunk driver who was a repeat offender.  Another friend of mine lost his football scholarship when he seriously injured his knee in a one-car accident under the influence of alcohol.  (In my time of ministry alcohol abuse has been associated with arrests, disorderly conduct, accidents, suicide and a host of dysfunction) I could go on and on…  Maybe alcohol use enhances life for some, but for others…  
 
Freedom always has consequences.  As a Believer in Christ, I am free!  However, there is a caveat.  Not everything is “beneficial.”  1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV) 12  "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. It is my hope that my words are not offensive, but food for thought. 

Final Words: If you don’t drink—don’t start.  If you drink alcohol—be circumspect.  If you have an addiction to alcohol—get help.  Let me know, I’ll be your friend, which means, I will not judge you, but I will pray for you and be available to talk you through those times when addiction is putting pressure on you.  Blessings,  RJ


For further reading: ​https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/298190-can-christian-drink-alcohol.html

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Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins Turns from Alcoholism & Atheism, Becomes A Christian

11/14/2019

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By Mel Johnson On January 14, 2019
Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of the most well-known actors of our time. For years, he was a well-known atheist, too. But all of that changed when a woman at an AA meeting challenged his disbelief with one, simple question. That was the beginning of the inspiring Anthony Hopkins testimony!

No matter how successful someone may seem from the outside, we all have our own internal struggles. During the earlier years of Anthony Hopkins’ career, he found himself in his own battle with alcoholism. Anthony’s addiction started “innocently.” He adopted a worldly mindset and drank because “that's what you do in theater, you drink." But as is the case too often, the social pastime soon took over his life. By 1975, Anthony’s drinking had spiraled out of control.  "I was hell-bent on destruction," the award-winning actor recalled.  "It was like being possessed by a demon, an addiction, and I couldn't stop. And there are millions of people around like that.”

Sir Anthony Hopkins realized he needed help. So, he turned to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Up until then, Anthony Hopkins had been an atheist. But during an AA meeting, a woman asked him a simple question. "Why don't you just trust in God?" It’s not something Anthony had ever tried. But as desperate as he was, he thought, “Well, why not?” Deciding to believe and trust in God was the moment everything changed for the desperate actor.

“I could not stop [drinking], but I just asked for a little bit of help and suddenly, pow. It was just like, bingo," Anthony Hopkins recalled.  Miraculously, Anthony says the craving to drink was taken from him, “never to return again.” And he’s believed in God ever since, working day after day, year after year, to grow in his faith. When asked in a CNN interview with Piers Morgan if he believed in God, former-atheist Anthony Hopkins replied wholeheartedly, “Yes, I do. I do.”

Years after finding faith, Anthony Hopkins is regarded as one of the greatest actors of our time. In fact, he earned the title of Sir Anthony Hopkins when Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 1993, for his contributions to the performing arts.  As such an esteemed actor, Anthony was invited to speak to a crowd of nearly 500 high school and college students at the annual Leadership, Excellence and Accelerating Your Potential conference (LEAP). And he shared with them the dangers of confirming to the world.  “If you chase the money, it’s not gonna work. And if you chase success, it’s not gonna work.”

In fact, in a separate interview, Anthony opened up about how unfulfilling success alone is: You know, I meet young people, and they want to act and they want to be famous,” and I tell them, when you get to the top of the tree, there's nothing up there. Most of this is nonsense, most of this is a lie.  Accept life as it is.  Just be grateful to be alive."  After sharing how he was saved from the depths of alcoholism, Anthony Hopkins explained the power our words and our beliefs have over our lives. He also touched on how God can use anything, even our biggest messes, for good. “I believe that we are capable of so much,” Anthony said to the students. “From my own life, I still cannot believe that my life is what it is because I should have died in Wales, drunk or something like that. ... We can talk ourselves into death or we can talk ourselves into the best life we’ve ever lived. None of it was a mistake. It was all a destiny.”

While Anthony Hopkins has, at times, played characters who are truly evil, the actor lives out his real life with Christ in his heart. He’s been an atheist before finding God and now he just feels sorry for atheists, comparing a life of disbelief to “living in a closed cell with no windows."

"I'd hate to have to live like that, wouldn't you?” Sir Anthony Hopkins asked.  What a beautiful reminder the Anthony Hopkins testimony was of the hope we have through Jesus!


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