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What does the Bible say about alcohol?
Evangelical Christianity has a complicated relationship with alcohol. For years, many believers have welcomed it as a gift from God, while others have rejected it as a definite, Spirit-quenching sin. But what does the Bible actually say about alcohol and its use?
Alcohol is a pervasive theme throughout the Bible. In The Mountains Shall Drip Sweet Wine, John Anthony Dunne offers an exhaustive exploration of the references to alcohol and its related imagery within the Old and New Testaments. His biblical-theological approach allows for the nuance of the genres and historical periods of the Bible to shed light on how we are to approach the topic.
In his thorough account, Dunne argue that the symbolism of wine and other fermented drinks in the Bible is multifaceted and complex--as a good vintage itself would be. We must be attuned to the various ways in which biblical authors deploy this motif, dripping with theological symbolism, when they speak of creation, covenant, kingdom, wise decision-making, and more. The Bible's kingdom-oriented imagery communicates a call for wisdom in the everyday life of the Christian disciple with an overarching vision that what Christians think about alcohol, regardless of position, has significant impact on community life.
List of contents
Part 1: Queuing the Questions
What does alcohol in the various corpora of the Bible communicate regarding the
Covenantal structure of the Bible, the Kingdom of God, and the wisdom called
for in decision making within the Covenant and Kingdom of God?
Part 2: Arriving at Answers
1: Alcohol in the Pentateuch
a. The portrayal of drunkards as foolish,
b. The temporal vows of abstinence
c. The use of alcohol in Israel's cult
d. The presence of alcohol as blessing, and the absence of it as a curse
2: Alcohol in the Historical Books
a. The effect of drunkenness in warfare
b. The portrayal of drunkards as foolish
c. The use of alcohol in Israel's cult
d. The presence of alcohol as blessing and absence as curse.
3: Alcohol in the Wisdom Literature
a. The use of wine as a symbol of joy
b. The use of wine as a symbol of pure sexuality
c. The portrayal of drunkards as foolish.
4: Alcohol in the Prophetic Texts
a. The depiction of Israel as a vineyard
b. The portrayal of drunkards as foolish
c. The association of drunkenness and God's wrath
d. The temporal vows of abstinence,
e. The presence of alcohol as blessing and its absence as curse
f. The abundance of alcohol in the eschatological restoration of Israel
5: Alcohol in the Gospels
a. The depiction of Israel as a vineyard
b. The portrayal of drunkards as foolish
c. The association of drunkenness and God's wrath
d. The temporal vows of abstinence
e. The presence of alcohol as blessing and its absence as curse
f. The abundance of alcohol in the eschatological restoration of Israel
6: Alcohol in the Rest of the New Testament
a. The use of alcohol in the Christian Eucharist
b. The strong statements regarding drunkenness
c. The use of alcohol-related imagery for final judgment motifs
d. Drunkenness and church authority
Part 3: Reflecting on the Relevance
Practical reflection on the use or non-use of alcohol in light of the priorities of the
Kingdom of God.
About the author
Jonathan Lunde (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of biblical and theological studies at Talbot School of Theology of Biola University. He is coeditor (with Kenneth Berding) of Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and has contributed articles to The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Jon and his wife, Pamela, have three children and reside in Brea, California.
Summary
Following the familiar structure of the BTFL series, John Anthony Dunne examines the use of the alcohol motif throughout Scripture, reflecting on how alcohol and its related imagery practically play a part in the life of the Christian in light of the priorities of the Kingdom of God.
