Few weeks ago started a series on
Christians and their attitude towards alcohol. Today I would like to talk a bit
about how Christians might exercise their freedom to drink alcohol in the
Zambian context.
Just before I get to my seven
points I feel I need to say a bit more about why I bothered to start the series
at all. When I started the series I knew there was great potential for misunderstanding
and controversy. Despite this I felt compelled to go ahead since I believe that
in our country the issues surrounding the
Christian attitude towards alcohol relate to the sufficiency of the gospel and
that is serious(read Galatians). I considered ignoring the issue since it is
not the most important issue in the Zambia, that honour goes to missions. But I
thought of the Apostle Paul and how he handled legalism. He saw it as a counterfeit
gospel and confronted it. I may not be
the Apostle Paul but I felt all things considered this was an issue that deserved
discussion amongst evangelical Christians in our country.
Secondly, I was compelled to
write when I saw a group of Christians abuse their freedom to drink. It seemed
to me their understanding of the freedom to drink was that they were free to
drink in the way that everyone else does and that is wrong. The more I thought
about it the more I became persuaded that this group of Christians were
behaving this way due to a lack of counsel. If evangelical Christians in Zambia did not
have an unofficial law against alcohol drinking these Christians could have got
the guidance and counsel they required.
So how can Christians exercise
this freedom in the Zambian context? Well here are some suggestions:
1. Drinking should be practiced in a counter cultural way. The
Zambian drinking culture is sinful. Let be clear about that. In fact let me go
further to say the evangelical Christians critique of drinking in Zambia is mostly spot
on. Zambians celebrate drinking to excess, glorify the drunken state and their exploits
while in the drunken state and prize social events were beer flows freely and
wildness happens (just look at any issue of the Friday Post). If you choose to
drink as a Christian in Zambia you must ensure that the way you drink in no way
endorses the SINFUL drinking culture in our country. This will involve doing
things like refraining from engaging in
or approving of any talk that approves such drinking, refraining from drinking
at places where the sinful culture is practices. Positively, I believe that it
will involve drinking mainly in family settings or family friendly settings. By
family friendly settings I mean the type of places where children can be taken
without fear of their being damaged by the experience.
2. Drinking should not be practiced with the unwise or worldly. The
scripture is full of advice on how bad company corrupts. In Zambia where
evangelical Christians generally do not drink there is a risk that Christians
who choose to drink will become drinking buddy’s with non Christians. It risk
is further extended since in Zambia those who drink usually endorse other
sinful behavior such as sexual promiscuity and so on. As such a Christian who
drinks must be aware that unwise decisions on who they will drink with can lead
to a slide into sin.
3. The why the freedom to drink alcohol is practiced should clearly
display the difference between drinking alcohol and getting drunk. While is acceptable Christians to have their heart “gladden” by alcohol, drunkenness is sin. If a
Christian chooses to drink it should be clear to all who know them Christians
and non Christians that they do not get drunk.
4. A Christian who drinks should be sensitive to Christians who
cannot drink with a clear conscience or believe that it is wrong to drink. They
should not indulge in their freedom with an “in your face attitude” or go on
crusades to recruit “drinkers for Christ”. After all the Apostle Paul in Romans
14 instructs that the unity of the Church that God is building is more valuable
than your right to drink. This however, does not mean that the Christian will
be silent on legalistic attitudes towards drinking. When faced with such
attitudes any Christian must gently and clearly point out how this is legalism.
5. If you drink, in light of the fact that most Christians do not
expect you to drink and society does not expect you to drink you should be
prepared to clearly explain your position. The non Christian should never get the
impression you are embracing everything that goes along with drinking in the
Zambian. The Christian should be clear in their mind that you stand apart from
the world and love the Church.
6. Be well aware of the temptations that go along with your choice
(that is if you choose to drink), gossip, slander, verbal abuse, fighting and
sexual promiscuity and be sure that you have strategies to fight against these temptations.
Further If you find that you are regularly fall into these practices my recommendation is follow the counsel from Jesus’ sermon on the
mount and pluck out your eye (drinking) and live without an eye rather than
have your whole body cast into sheol.
7. If you drink, drink wisely. Remember wisdom listens and does not
take advice lightly. If people come to you with valid concerns about your
drinking listen to them and where appropriate put their advice into practice.
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