Led by a pastor (John Smith), a worship minister (Ben Duncan), and a Christian college admissions counselor (Ben Smith), Reclamation Brewing company is doing their best to make people like Jesus and Paul, good respectable Christians again in the eyes of the evangelical elite.
In fact… here’s their “THEOLOGY OF BEER”
The founders of Reclamation Brewing Company all happen to be followers of Jesus Christ and also happen to be brewers of quality beers. This may seem to be a contradiction in some people’s minds. But in reality, it’s not. We believe that beer is among the many good gifts with which God has blessed mankind. You don’t have to believe that to enjoy a good beer, but we would love to tell you why we do if you so desire. Basically, we’re persuaded that although the Bible condemns the abuse of alcohol, it doesn’t condemn its proper use. In fact, we think it often commends it and appeals to an abundance of alcohol as evidence of God’s favor! Jesus’ first public miracle was turning water into fine wine. We believe this is just one of many Scriptural evidences that there is no incompatibility between being a Christian and enjoying a good beer. We believe that the Bible and history (from David in the Psalms to Jesus at the wedding in Cana to Martin Luther to the Baptist Pastor and distiller, Elijah Craig) confirm that there isn’t any contradiction between enjoying a tasty brew and being a follower of Christ. Once again, we don’t think you need to believe this to appreciate good beer, but we’d be happy to continue the conversation over a pint!
What do YOU think?
Todd
Apparently the three owners, and those who left prior comments have never lost a loved one due to a drunk driver or have never been beaten by a drunken spouse. Try telling the person sitting in your church Sunday who lost a loved one, was abused by a spouse due to alcohol, or is suffering through a broken marriage because of alcohol, that you have a brewery and you think thats great…I feel sorry for your congregation..
Sounds like you are preying on the very lives you should be praying for.
Lol. They wrote this drunk.
Perhaps they “…were in the spirits on the Lord’s day…” when they came up with this idea.
Driving cars irresponsibly has tragically caused the death and injury of many people. Should I as a Pastor, insist all our people working in the car industry stop doing so? Responsible behaviour is surely the Christian response, not don’t touch don’t taste? Colossians 2:20-23
@Keith: that argument applies to many things, including painkillers and other prescription medication which I have seen destroy my daughter-in-law. So is your doctor preying on the very life he is trying to save ? Everything in this fallen world can be used for good or lead to evil. If we try to control those things that may potentially lead to evil, do we perhaps feel like we’re playing God ?
Alcohol dominates our culture. This sounds like, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” Alcohol is not a sin but it sure is consider a stable of this world. 1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
I could be wrong but it comes off as another example of justification and compromise I see in American Christians.
@Keith Warner – I’m one of the owners, and I’ve lost someone to a drunk driver. Making beer is different than forcing someone to get drunk. It’s still their choice. We just provide a tasty beverage and advocate (and enforce when possible) proper use.
Ben,
Justify this however you feel necesary. Fact is, you are contributing to the decay of society.
Why not start selling lotto as well…
Given that we are sinners living in a fallen world… we all contribute to the decay of society. Sloganesque comments do not help a debate on alcohol consumption (or sugar, fat, tobacco, … consumption)
tell that to the mother who just lost a child due to a drunk driver…see how far your justification gets you.
What do you do for a living, Keith? I bet I can twist any profession into causing sin.
I am a pastor. Would live to hear your rational about my profession being a sin. Especially with so many other pastors on this site.
If you start out with the presupposition that alcohol in and of itself is evil, then I can’t help you and you need to reconsider your devotion to Jesus who made, drank, and condoned the proper use of alcohol. (Don’t use the argument that it wasn’t really alcohol. We’ve been down that road and it’s an easy argument to combat.)
If we start out with the presupposition that alcohol is something that can be used wrongly, and not wrong in and of itself (once again, why would Christ make it if was?) then we can talk. Alcohol, just like sex, food, etc, can be used incorrectly by people. They make the choice to abuse it. People who make beer are not forcing anyone to drink it and become intoxicated.
To use your profession as a pastor (who seems to have a little bit of a “holier than thou” attitude) I’ll make this point. Being a pastor isn’t in and of itself wrong. You are supposed to be a man of God who communicates the scriptures to a congregation and helps shepherd them. However, many people have the tendency to glorify and even worship pastors. Because people act wrongly and glorify pastors instead of the Gospel they are preaching, are pastors evil? Should everyone who is a pastor stop being a pastor because someone COULD abuse it? Now, I understand – there are a lot of things I’m stretching on. But when you start out with the presupposition that alcohol is in and of itself evil, you’re stretching as well. Once again… your profession isn’t sin – the misuse or unGodly glorification of your profession is a sin. Just as alcohol is not inherently sinful – the abuse of it is.
Check out this book (http://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Jesus-Drink-Alcohol/dp/1937274136). It goes through each and every passage in the bible that even mentions wine or strong drink. It categorizes them into positive, negative, and neutral. I think you will find, if you truly seek the scriptures and abandon your false logic of the “I BET NONE OF YOU HAD A LOVED ONE LOST DUE TO ALCOHOL!” that your traditions are informing your prejudice against alcohol and not your firm standing from the scriptures.
Don’t forget.. you should love your alcohol drinking brothers more than you love your hatred of alcohol.
Yeah. thanks but no thanks. and thanks for the accusatory suggestion that I am Holier than thou preacher. before you make assumptions, i suggest you come and listen a bit.
As a pastor, I am a sinner in need of a savior, just as you, and every other person on the planet. And just like any other drinking person, you allude or illustrate with the jesus turning water into wine, and would jesus drink, etc. I am personally not interest in the debate of justifying actions based on the scriptures actual mentioning of the issue. For example, the bible doesn’t specifically mention its a sin to go in to a school or movie theater or supermarket and shoot people. But because we know that the sins underlying those actions are wrong we know those actions are evil. yes it does say not to commit murder, but apparently murder can now be justified if a preacher sells beer to a drinker, but the preacher warns the drinker first.
You can do as you please. you can continue to base your theology on what you feel is accurate. I will base mine on Gods standards.
Your comments have gone from what I had hoped could turn into an intellectual debate to pointless dribble.
My comment about you being “Holier than thou” was based on your statement of “Would live to hear your rational about my profession being a sin. Especially with so many other pastors on this site.” – that comes off to me as “Yeah… try and attack us, we’ll get you because there are more of us than you.”
Also, your statement of “You can do as you please. you can continue to base your theology on what you feel is accurate. I will base mine on Gods standards.” is pretty much the epitome of self-righteousness. It says “I know the bible better than you and I know that I can’t be wrong. Nor will I have a conversation about this from the text of the bible, because I already know I’m right.”
Perhaps you don’t act “holier than thou” in person, but your typed words here in a space of anonymity certainly convey something quite to the contrary.
I don’t understand your argument about it not being mentioned in the Bible. Sir, if my savior drinks/makes wine (Luke 7:33-34, John 2:9-10, Matthew 26:29) and encourages others to do so – it simply can’t be inherently evil. In addition, if the bible outright condones the use of alcohol (it does – 1 Timothy 5:23, Deut. 14:22-23, 25-26, etc.) then we have to admit that it’s not pure evil in liquid form.
Stop basing your convictions on emotionalism and tradition. I’m ready to “argue” my convictions from biblical text. Can you say the same?
If anyone would like to have a real conversation about alcohol, I’d love to get in contact with you. Feel free to email at contact@reclamationbrewing.com
You, Keith Warner, are the very definition of swine and the rest of us should save our pearls.
You cant argue from a biblical perspective that alcohol is wrong because its just not there. Drinking wine was just normal in Biblical times just like it is in Europe even today. American Christians it seems are the only ones who have an issue with having a drink and seeing it as sin..Its more from a cultural preference than any biblical stance. in actual fact having a class of red wine or beer with a meal is probably far more beneficial and far healthier than having a can of coke.