God Gave Wine: Recovering a Biblical View of Alcohol, Freedom, and Fellowship

I was recently asked for my thoughts on Christians and alcohol consumption, so I wanted to take a moment to write out my perspective for everyone to read and consider.

First, let me be clear — you’re hearing from a former teetotaler. I approach this topic with both humility and grace. I’m not here to convince anyone that they should drink alcohol. If you have a personal conviction against it, I would 110% encourage you: don’t drink. Don’t consume it at all.

But since I’ve been asked, let me share how my journey on this issue began.

The Journey Begins: Testing Tradition Against Scripture

Several years ago, I was introduced to God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol by Kenneth L. Gentry Jr. That book, combined with conversations with godly brothers, forced me to wrestle with long-standing assumptions I had carried for most of my life. Growing up in Southern Baptist circles, I was repeatedly taught that the Bible strictly forbids drinking alcohol. I simply accepted this — as many do — without personally studying the Scriptures on the issue.

But as I dug deeper into both the Word of God and church history, a different picture began to emerge.

What Does the Bible Actually Say?

Consider Psalm 104:14-15:

"You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man,oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man's heart."

God Himself declares that wine gladdens the heart of man. This isn't man's invention—it’s God's design. And yet I had been raised to believe that any form of alcohol was evil, the "devil’s playground." But here it is, described as a gift from God to bring joy to His people.

Even more striking is Jesus' first miracle at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1–11), where He turned water into wine. Not water into grape juice, but into wine. If alcohol were inherently sinful, why would our sinless Savior create it? Would the Holy Son of God create that which is morally evil? The answer is clearly no.

Charles Spurgeon once said:

"I wish Christians would be as decided in glorifying God with a glass of wine, as others are in abusing it."

Spurgeon did not advocate drunkenness, but he recognized that wine, like all of God’s gifts, can be received with gratitude when enjoyed in obedience to God’s Word.

Why America Struggles with This Gift

Across church history and in most global Christian traditions, alcohol has been embraced responsibly. So why is it such a point of controversy in modern American evangelicalism?

The answer lies not primarily in Scripture, but in cultural history — particularly in the rise of 19th-century feminism and progressivism. In the late 1800s, groups like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) arose, equating alcohol consumption with the destruction of homes and families. These women, many of whom were early advocates of modern feminism, laid the groundwork for the American Prohibition movement.

But the temperance movement didn’t stop at alcohol. It became part of a much larger cultural shift attempting to redefine marriage, family, gender roles, and personal freedom—remaking society according to human ideology rather than God’s design.

The Pioneer Baptists and Elijah Craig

Interestingly, prior to the temperance and prohibition movements, many Baptists — including the very pioneers of Baptist life in America — held a much healthier and more biblical view of alcohol. One notable example is Elijah Craig, an 18th-century Baptist pastor from Kentucky, who is often credited with inventing bourbon whiskey.

Elijah Craig was not some fringe or compromised Christian figure — he was a respected Baptist preacher, church planter, educator, and businessman. His life reflected the understanding that alcohol itself was not inherently sinful, but like all of God's gifts, it required wisdom, moderation, and personal responsibility. Early Baptists like Craig clearly distinguished between the proper enjoyment of alcohol and the sinful abuse of it.

Historical records even note that “distilling according to law was not frowned upon by pioneer Baptists,” so long as drunkenness was avoided. The abuse of alcohol was condemned, but its proper use was seen as a legitimate part of Christian liberty and normal life among believers.

This historical reality demonstrates that the rigid, prohibitionist mindset so common in some modern Baptist circles is not the historic norm. It was largely a 19th-century development, driven more by cultural and political activism than by sound biblical exegesis.

Sadly, many pastors and preachers were swept into this movement. Evangelists like Billy Sunday made it their life’s mission to eradicate alcohol entirely. Yet tragically, Billy Sunday's own home was plagued with family failures. Prohibition didn’t produce holiness; it produced legalism, rebellion, and in many cases, deeper bondage.

The Danger of Legalism

The problem was never alcohol itself, but rather the unbiblical legalism that grew around it. Alcohol, like every good gift from God, comes with boundaries.

God gives us sex for pleasure, unity, and procreation — but outside of marriage, it becomes destructive.God gives us food for nourishment and enjoyment — but gluttony brings ruin.Guns, when used responsibly, serve as tools for protection and provision — but in the wrong hands, they destroy.

The issue isn’t the gift — it’s how we handle the gift. As Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:4-5:

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."

Legalism attempts to create artificial "fences" around God's gifts, rather than teaching proper, biblical guardrails for enjoying them as He intended.

A Personal Approach to Alcohol

For those who do choose to partake, alcohol must be handled with accountability, moderation, and wisdom. As one of my reformed pastor friends wisely said, “The problem isn’t drinking — it’s drinking in secret.” Sin thrives in secrecy. Drinking openly within godly fellowship provides both accountability and joy.

In my own life, I follow a few simple guardrails:

• I never drink alone.

• I never consume more than two drinks at any given event.

• I limit alcohol consumption to no more than twice in a given month.

• I embrace accountability with godly brothers who walk alongside me.
  

If anyone in our circle were to abuse alcohol, there would be swift, loving, and biblical discipline — just as there would be for any brother who abused sex, food, or any other good gift.

The Real Battle: Gospel-Centered, Masculine Fellowship

For years, I lived unknowingly under a legalistic framework born out of feminist and progressive attempts to control men and rewrite biblical norms. But the answer to these unbiblical distortions isn’t more rules — it's the Gospel.

Godly men gathered together, enjoying God’s good gifts under the light of His Word and accountability, is not sinful — it’s sanctifying. In these gatherings — with brothers sharing life, food, cigars, and sometimes a glass of wine — there is joy, freedom, and growth, rooted in God's good design.

Life is better this way.

So when people ask me why I believe it’s okay to enjoy alcohol and cigars in Christian fellowship, my answer is simple:

Because God gives good gifts, and when enjoyed within His boundaries and with godly accountability, they glorify Him and bless His people.

As Spurgeon once said:

"Do not reject the good things of God, lest you dishonor the Giver."

May we receive His gifts with joy, gratitude, and reverence.