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Self Convo: Alcohol

07/02/2009

self conversations

Wanna beer?

Dude, are you serious?

Serious about what?

People are reading this right now.

Oh, sorry.  I guess I don’t have enough for everybody.

Put the beer away!

What’s your problem?

You know I don’t drink in public.

Yeah, I never quite understood that.  Why can’t you just be real?

It’s not about being real.  It’s about setting an example.

Why is me having a beer a bad example?  I’m 30 years old.

Has anything good ever come from someone being drunk?

Tattoos hurt less.

The answer is no.  Drunkenness is a dangerous and very unhealthy act.  Do you realize how many people die every year due to alcohol?

I get that, but I’m not talking about being drunk.  I’m talking about having a beer.

The only way to get drunk is to drink.

The only way to be a glutton is to eat.  Is eating wrong?

I’m not saying that drinking is wrong.  I’m saying I don’t want to encourage people who struggle alcohol abuse to continue drinking.

So, when fat people are around do you refrain from eating?  Or when greedy people are around do you refrain from spending money?  Or when….

I get your point.  But those are all different.

Really?  I feel like greed is one of the worst problems in our culture right now.

It’s just that Alcohol, in our culture, is a much more confusing act in public.

How so?

The line between using and abusing is very blurry, so it’s hard for people to translate your intentions when they see you drinking.

Why should I care so much about how people translate what I’m doing if I have good intentions?

Because you want people to know the love of Jesus.

I’m glad you brought up Jesus.  Do you remember his first miracle?

Yes.  He turned water into wine at a wedding.

If Jesus loved people, but he was against drinking alcohol then why would his FIRST miracle involve supplying more people with more alcohol.

We don’t know that wine was fermented.

Yes we do.

How?

People only want more wine at weddings because it has alcohol in it.

That’s certainly true in America in 2009.  But, not necessarily 2000 years ago.

Well, I’m not going to get into hermeneutics debate with you.  There are much smarter people who have further dissected this passage.

Like, this guy.

I love when you speak in hyperlink.

Anyway, I just can’t accept that God would encourage people to drink more alcohol at a party.

Why not?

Because that is like helping people sin.

It sounds like you expect Jesus to steer us away from something just because it has the potential of being misused.

Alcohol isn’t just misused.  It can become an addiction.

Again, so can sex, money, or food.  Does Jesus want us to avoid those?

Of course not.

So what is more influential?  Being a person who steers clear of everything that is potentially bad, or being a person who reclaims everything for it’s good purpose?

So you’re still saying that alcohol has a beneficial purpose, and I’m not sure I agree.

Then why do you drink in private?

Maybe I shouldn’t.

Which means I’m now being a negative influence on you by drinking this beer.

Yes, especially because it’s your fourth one.

Touche.

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  • http://blog.davidvosburg.com David V.

    Excellent post – I'll drink to that!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Isaac_Downing Isaac_Downing

    Nicely done. I've been having this conversation with myself in my head lately.

  • amber

    Someone once said to me, regarding why they choose not to drink, "If it's questionable to people who may or may not know me, I just choose not to be questionable."

    Questionable? Yes, because of implications, or abuse, or drunkeness, or addiction.

    Wrong or right? I doubt either. It just is.

    I think this passage sums it up the best…

    "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men." – Romans 14:17-18

    Approved by men. Interesting. So in all, pursuing righteousness is our goal. If you read all of Romans chapter 14 it talks about how to conduct ourselves in front of a weaker brother so not to make him stumble or fall….so maybe if we come to the "drinking" issue with that in mind we'll be cautious. I think that's the point God is making. That our lives are to embody Christ to the fullest, which means edifying others, not causing any DOUBT in their faith or lack of faith…..

    So if you can drink a beer without it weighing on your conscious that your testimony won't be marred…then go for it. But if it weighs on your conscious, like Scripture says, maybe opt out….

  • John L

    I enjoy a great bottle of beer of a nice glass of wine and I use to get kinda tripped up, no pun intended, by this whole argument. I have finally rested on 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. My whole thing now is not whether or not drinking is wrong, but what is best for the people around me. My understanding of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10 is our actions are dictated on a case by case scenario. After all, as christians, it's not about what we want but about bringing God glory and leading people to Christ. And no, I do not believe that there is anything hypocritical about that, at least if I understand the verses correctly. Sheesh… I went into this post wanting to laugh and now I feel all serious and stuff. I'm going to watch Sponge Bob with my 5 year to recover.

  • Thor

    Well said. I always enjoy the self convos.

    I feel like the unfermented alcohol argument is pretty hard to make in light of John 2:10 (NIV) "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/kimmlee kimmlee

    Great post. It really makes you think, or in my case, being fat, liking beer, and liking to spend money, it made my head explode! Awesome.

  • http://830eyes.wordpress.com Katie

    Very funny post with very intense comments. The conversation in my head usually just goes something like this – "am I about to do something stupid – ok that means I don't need another drink."

    Although now I'm wishing my conscience also spoke in hyperlink.

  • Jason

    Never thought about the eating in front of a fat person thing. I'm serious. It seems minor or weak, but maybe we SHOULDN'T eat in front of fat people. I'm serious. If that is their stronghold, can you imagine what impact we could be having on them?

  • http://www.getapprovedshortsale.com airjared

    This conversation is like something out of fight club. CHEERS!

  • http://www.getapprovedshortsale.com airjared

    While that is an interesting thought Jason about not eating in front of fat people, it probably would do little good. When people drink to much, eat to much, smoke crack cocaine to much, it's not the products that are at fault (except maybe crack cocaine) it's the condition of the heart of the person. Usually they are hurting people that are filling themselves full of whatever to escape reality for awhile. So let's all pray for Tripps side of the brain that is drinking 4 beers.

  • http://www.andreabrown.wordpress.com Andrea

    Fantastic self-convo yet again!!

  • Melissa

    I was going to say I'll drink to that. Then I realized my comment was already taken. Oh well…I'll still drink to it.

  • Todd Yarkins

    I drink beer because commercials tell me to.

  • Leigh

    That explains the man capris. Beer goggles. I knew it.

  • rebecca McGoldrick

    i reclaimed tequila for its good purpose of blunting the pain of a tattoo.
    but i also have to have a pre-drink pep talk with myself to not tell people embarrassing things about me that i don't want anyone else to know, and also to not kiss random people who i am actually not attracted to in real life. sometimes it works.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/HaleyElise HaleyElise

    I could write a novel of my thoughts on this. None of them worth much. And most of them contradictory… Seeing as how my grandpa is a Southern Baptist preacher, and how my mom recently became convicted to never drink again, yet I go to a church where some of the small groups have been known to have wine together. But I will spare you because this is your blog and this is supposed to be a "comment." I can't promise anything though. What can I say, I have a knack for being superfluous. I'm sorry in advance.

    The way I see it is this: when the issue becomes more about protecting those who are uncomfortable with drinking rather than the actual act of drinking, then it's all legalism to me. People becoming too concerned with the letter of the law than with the spirit of the matter. Being a stumbling block is one thing. I firmly believe you need to be aware of the people around you and their circumstances. But to judge someone's character or "walk" by the beer they hold in their hand, puh-lease. Forgive me for being so annoyed.

    Sin is everywhere. But you can't eliminate sin by eliminating the objects. It's a matter of the heart and spirit, you know? Anyway, the most helpful verse I've found is Colossians 2, starting around verse 8 (But I'm a proponent of reading in context, so let's make that all of Colossians 2). Especially v.20-the end.

    I'm wishing I had something funny to say right now, but I've got nothin. I do love your self-convos though. They're brilliant.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/MarcoWill Marcus Williamson

    great post. speaking truth as always man

  • http://joshobannion27.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/self-convo-going-to-church/ Josh

    Funny blog bro….you inspired me to try to do one. They're fun.

  • Amanda

    I love this I love this I love this I love this. I love this I love this I love this. It's unfair that you are so smart AND funny, but I'm glad because it means that I get to read posts like this.

  • AnonymousFellow

    Hasn't Christianity been using wine (alcoholic in nature) in it's main ritual for like 2000 years – only questioning this in the last 150 years or so in Protestant America? Know who the first people were to use non-alcoholic beverages for Eucharist? Gnostics! I feel like not using alcohol in liturgy nowadays is like a hint of gnosticism (flesh is bad, spirit is good) sneaking back into Christianity.

    Good points about gluttony and greed, though. I don't understand your argument that alcohol is different. Alcohol, at least, is an acquired taste and you have to work to be an alcoholic. Gluttony and Greed are natural.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/trippcrosby trippcrosby

    anonymousfellow, (who I think has the initials TF) Has christianity been using alcohol in its main ritual for like 2000 years? Yes. Have we only been questioning the nature of alcohol for 150 years? Sounds right. Was I arguing that alcohol is different. No. Am I going to publicly give my view of alcohol on this comment? No. But if you are who I think you are, then I don't need to.

  • amber

    Listen to this…very interesting on the subject matter:

    http://www.trinityvineyard.org/sites/default/file…

  • angelmiles

    I really love reading these conversations. if there was a trend on twitter that said #reasonswhytrippsblogsareawesome I would tweet this one. . . Since Twitter means social success right??? :) ha

  • Wes

    I don’t know if you will find this post (I know this blog/rant is really old… like vintage… not like lame), but I think I’ve seen something awfully similar to this video. I just can’t put my finger on it. Maybe you could help? I think these guys might read your blog.
    http://www.wimp.com/facesmush/