So how do start a blog up again?  What should your first “real” post be about?  I started theBeerean.com on April 20th, 2008 with one simple thought in mind.  There needs to be a blog for Christians who like beer.  My ultimate hope with the blog would be that:

God stirs in His people to redeem the world of beer for His glory and that people might come to know His Son, Jesus, as their ultimate treasure and salvation.

It was a lofty vision statement, but I still stand by it.  This blog ultimately isn’t about beer.  It’s about Jesus.  More clearly…it’s about how we can use our beer to worship Jesus. This blog isn’t another Christian ghetto for you to avoid the world.  Instead I hope to show you a different perspective on beer…a truly Christian perspective.  As I’ve grown over the past two years, I see even more clearly how this is possible.  I also see four distinct areas in our lives that we are called to use our beer with a purpose.

Gospel Identity

We are called to not find our identity in beer, beer knowledge, or drinking capacity.  Our identity is to be found in Jesus.  Any other identity we try to hold on to is ultimately worthless in comparison.

Worship

We are worshippers.  There is no way around it.  Human beings were created to worship.  Therefore we will either worship creation or Creator.  So you will constantly be hearing point you to worship our Creator with one of his best creations…beer.

Community

God lives in community.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live for all eternity in community.  Therefore if we want to image them like we are suppose to, we mus also be in community.  So why not do it with a nice cold one.

Mission

This is probably the drum the you’ll hear me beat the loudest.  We are a people who are sent on a mission.  God gave us beer to enjoy, to worship Him with, to be in community with others…but we are ultimately called to share the joy that can be found in Jesus with those that are hurting in this world.  I have always and will always see beer as a great tool that has been given to us.  We must use it wisely.

So how do you restart a blog?  You go back to the basics.  What are you about?  What is in your heart?  This is my passion.  Will you join me?

Our good friend Clayton Bell posted today asking for more content on the net that is produced for Christians.  He used theBeerean.com as an example of just this. But he ended his post with the question:

Am I asking for the type of content that will continue to entrench Christians in our own little ghetto?

I would have to say yes and no to this question.  This is actually that I have been struggling with over the last week.  I was asked by someone on the 4th of July why I don’t just do a beer blog…why does it have to be a Christian beer blog.  Now before I give you my answer, let me inform you of something first.

I hate (yes hate…I want to use a word that strong) the Christian ghetto.  If you don’t know what the Christian ghetto is, it is the world that Christians have created so they don’t have to interact with the rest of the world.  The easiest way to recognize it is how the word Christian is thrown in front of everything.  Christian bookstore, Christian music, Christian t-shirts, Christian radio stations, Christian restaurants, and Christian amuesment parks are a few to start. The last time I checked, Christian was an awesome noun and a horrible adjective.

So to think of the possiblility that I might be added to the ranks of the Christian ghetto scares/hurts me.  I hope you never get the idea that I write this blog to keep you from having to interact with any other aspect of the beer world.  That has never been and never will be my intention. If anything it is quite the opposite.

So back to my answer to the question posed by my friend on the 4th.  I don’t write a Christian beer blog.  I write a beer blog from the perspective of someone who has been radically transformed by the gospel.  My reason for writing isn’t to create our own little Christian beer blogging world, but to give you a different perspective as you do go into the world of beer. I want you to see that beer is more than just a tasty beverage.  I want you to see that beer is an instrument to be used to bring glory to God.  This blog is used to encourage you to get out of the ghetto and to glorify God with everything that He has given you.

So to answer your question Clayton, I think the content that you ask for could just add to the Christian ghetto.  If it’s just offering up the same content as the world and slapping on the label of Christian so people don’t get “dirty.”  But you’ll never see that on this blog (and if I ever do…call me on it).

We’re going to Shannon’s boss’s house tonight to go swimming and watch fireworks from their house that overlooks Albuquerque.  I’m going to drink some good beer (and maybe some wine) and do some much needed relaxing/partying.  But something came to mind.

Every time I read about Jesus going to a party, feast, festival, holiday, or celebration, he is preaching the gospel.  Jesus always used the natural gathering of people to share God’s desire to show His glory in their lives.  Holiday’s weren’t a day off for Him.  Instead they were a great opportunity to be used.

So how are you using the 4th to share the gospel?  Do you see holidays only as a time to relax and retreat?  Do you see holiday’s as a time reach out to those who are far from God?  Am I an idiot, or am I hitting a nerve?

There are those out there that will say that we should not use our freedom in Christ to drink (there are times that we should put aside our freedom, but I’ll talk about that in a future post).  They will use lame excuses like how our kids will become drug addicts.  They will say that drinking alcohol no matter what is a sin and those that do drink alcohol should question their salvation.

But I was reading through Galations this week and I came across some really profound verses that helped me to understand the connection between our freedom to drink a nice cold one and the gospel even more.

Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. – Gal 2:4-5

It is clear that in these verses that Paul makes a direct connection between our freedoms and the gospel.  Whoever these guys were that sneaked into the church, were trying to take away the freedoms of the believers.  They were trying to take away what God had given them as freedom in Christ.

Paul’s reaction wasn’t, “well we have to help these weaker brother’s in Christ, so we’ll give up our freedoms.”  His reaction was to not even yield for a moment.  He held high the banner of his freedom in Christ in the face of his opponents.

What was even better is the fact that he didn’t do this for his own selfish gain.  He did it so the gospel would preserved for those that were around him.  He wanted the Galatians to see that Christ came to set us free. That in Christ we don’t have to be in slavery to the things of this world.   That Christ came so we could have the freedom to worship Him with every aspect of our lives.  That we don’t gain salvation through rituals or good works but through Christ alone.

So my charge to you fellow beer drinkers is the same as Paul’s:

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. – Gal 5:1

Go therefore have a drink and spread the good news.  Tell them Jesus sent you.

photo by: maccanti

ChristiaNet.com just came out with the results of a poll that they took on their site asking the question, “Does drinking alcohol hurt a Christian’s witness?”. The results I must say were pretty interesting/annoying/dumb/”who said you could have a web site”.

To quote the article:

Out of 2,300 Christians surveyed, a whopping 66% felt that drinking alcohol would hurt a Christian’s witnessing ability for Christ.

Whopping?! I didn’t realize that 66% was considered whopping. That last time I checked you had to have at least 85% to even consider it a whopping.

So from the results of this poll they determined that it would hurt a Christian’s witness if they drank alcohol. The president of ChristianNet.com even said:

Christians should attempt to avoid drinking alcohol, especially when in the presence of non-believers.

Here is the thing that really makes me mad. When did we start determining our theology based upon popular vote? I say give up the polls and look at what God’s word says on the subject. Are we free to drink (in moderation and consideration of those that have issues)? If we are, then I would say God gave us that freedom so we can use it to give Him glory. Instead we are taking polls.

The other thing that makes me mad is who are they asking this question. If our theology is based upon what the bible says, then what determines our methodology? I would say our cultural context (it’s kinda how Jesus did it). Now I could see how a poll like this could help us to determine our methodology. The only problem is we are asking the wrong people. If you want to find out if a freedom that we have is hurting our witness, don’t ask a bunch of stuffy Christians who think drinking is wrong in the first place.

Ask the people who need witnessing. Ask those on the outside, “Would you respect the Christian faith if Christians showed you that you can enjoy alcohol yet not let it overtake your life?” Ask them if they would be more willing to listen to what a Christian has to say over a nice cold one in a bar or in picket line in front of the bar.

To summarize, let me drop the Piper bomb real quick:

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

God is not most glorified when we hole ourselves up in our Christian ghettos and throw gospel tracts at the lost when they get near. But God is glorified when we show our complete satisfaction in Him in all areas of our lives…even drinking a beer.

So here is my response to your poll ChristiaNet.com. Does drinking alcohol hurt a Christian’s witness? No. I say NOT drinking alcohol hurts a Christian’s witness.

photo by: Zeetz Jones

As I’ve told you in the past, I’ve been searching the internet daily to find another like-minded blog or web site out there. But to no avail, I have yet to find any other Christian bloggers that openly talk about their love of God and good beer. But as you can imagine, I have found plenty of blogs and articles that are anti-alcohol.

As I’ve read through these blogs/articles, I have to say that my blood pressure has risen a little. Now I’m not upset because they don’t like beer. I’m not even upset because they feel their conscience won’t let them drink. I’m getting upset for two reasons.

First, time and time again I read phrases that say something like, “Now there isn’t anything in scripture that says you can’t drink, but…” But…But…I’m sorry, but this is just annoying to me. This is like saying, “Now I know Jesus says to ______, but…” It just doesn’t jive. I even read a blog post by one guy that said that Jesus drank alcohol (which he did), but we shouldn’t. There’s a word that is used when you say that you can’t do something that Bible says you can. I’ll give you a hint…begins with a “legal” and ends with “you’re an idiot”.

We know scripture says that you can drink as long as you are of age, don’t have a conscience against it, and don’t get drunk (unless you do some freaky hermeneutical gymnastics to say something different). To say anything beyond that is to add to scripture.

This leads me to the second thing that just annoys the crap out of me…flawed logic. Since these people can’t use scripture to back up their prohibition, they have to come up with some other way to say you can’t drink alcohol. I wish they would just come out and say, “You shouldn’t drink alcohol because I personally think it is bad for you and society.”

I would be cool with that. If you are personally against drinking, I completely support your views. It’s when you start to impose those personal views on the world that I have a problem. I personally don’t like tomatoes, but I don’t judge those that do like tomatoes (I just vomit a little in my mouth when I see them eating them…but that’s my problem).

But unfortunately these blogs don’t stop there. They start to use some weird messed up logic to prove their personal preferences. It usually goes something like this, “If you drink, even if it is within the bounds of scripture, you are encouraging others to drink. If others drink they are going to get drunk and become alcoholics and then they will go to hell!” I even read one blog (I’m not telling you where these blogs are at, because I don’t want to give them any link love) that said he doesn’t drink, because if he did his kids would then become drug addicts.

Here is where that logic fails. Lets use something else in place of alcohol and see how this would pan out if we used the same logic. Lets use sex (sex and beer in one post…this is definitely getting found on google). So here is how that would work out. “If you have sex even if it is within the bounds of scriptural loving marriage, you are encouraging others to have sex. If others have sex they are going to do it without their spouses and become sex addicts and then they will go to hell!” I don’t know about you, but I’m not giving up relations with my wife anytime soon. It’s just flawed logic.

Here’s how I see it. God has called us to share His light with this world. Just in the same way we shame the world by living in loving sexually healthy relationships with our spouses, we shame the world by going to the local pub and enjoying a good brew without getting wasted. We confuse those around us. We make them wonder what is different about us. We show them how they fall short of the glory of God. I see God being more glorified by our proper handling of alcohol than by not using it at all.

As my pastor used to say growing up, I know I’m preaching to the choir on this one, but I just had to rant for a little while. I really don’t want this blog to be about bashing those who are against drinking, but I just had to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening.

Photo by: rick

With my recent post on how Christians that love beer are called to be missionaries to the world of beer, I thought I would give you some quick tips on how to be a missionary at your local bar.

1. Leave a big tip.
   In the words of one of my friends, “Your Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but you’re leaving a 5% tip.”  What is it with most Christians being so tight with their money?  I workded as a waiter through college, and I have to say that I was embarressed to be a Christian sometimes.  I didn’t work on Sunday’s, but the people that did hated it.  And it was all because of the Christians that came in after church.  They were rude, annoying, and terrible tippers.  In the world of waiting, this is like having Satan as your customer.  Show so some love and leave a nice tip.
2. Don’t be afraid to be a Christian.
   Now I’m not saying walk into the joint carrying your John McArther Study Bible, wearing all white, having a huge comb-over and singing Amazing Grace (you’ll get your ass kicked).  What I’m saying is to not be afraid to share the hope that you have inside of you.  Whether that means spending some time reading your Bible while enjoying a nice cold one or helping someone get through a tuff situation by sharing about Jesus, don’t worry about openly being a Christian (whooo! that was a run-on sentence).  The reality is that most people are actually really cool with it (and sometimes really curious).
3. Get to know your bartender/support staff by name.
   Bartenders and support staff are normally nameless faces.  You’ll be amazed with how much further a relationship will go if you know someones name.  Enough said. 
4. Care for the people that work there and the regulars.
   I’m not talking about superficial-I’m-pretending-like-I-care caring.  Actually care for the well being of these peoples lives.  This is both spiritually and here on earth.  Care about their lives, their families, their finances, their jobs, their souls.  Take interest in them and their lives.
5. Pray for them.
   This kind of goes in line with the previous tip.  The reality is that if you care about their lives you should be praying for them.  When they tell you about their troubles, pray for them.  When you think about them during the week, pray for them.   As you get to know them better, ask if you can pray for them right then and there. 
6. Bring your Christian friends with you.
   God has designed us to work together as a body.   We called to work together.  We are called to unity.  We are called to lift each other up.  We are called to use our gifts where they are needed.  So why do we always think of evangelism and missions as a Lone Ranger affair?  If you are doing this alone, I would say that you are working from an area of weakness and not strength.  So don’t go it alone.  Plus, you just look weird drinking by yourself.
7. Listen.
   This goes hand in hand with the caring tip, but I think it deserves to be by itself.  You need to listen to the problems of those that are around you.  Bars can be a breading ground for loneliness and dispair.  Be observant of those that around you in the bar.  Be there to listen.
8. Toast “to the glory of God.”
   You might think this is corny, but it works for me.  It helps me remember why I’m at the bar.  It’s a reminder of what my ultimate purpose is.  It helps me to remember that there is Someone greater than beer.
9. Pray for yourself.
   “Pride comes before the fall.”  Don’t think that you can do this without God.  He is your ultimate strength.  Pray for strength.  Pray for guidance.  Pray for opportunities.  Pray for humility.  Pray for patience.  Pray.
10. Share the gospel.
    In in the end, missionaries share the gospel.  You can be nice.  You can pray for people.  You can listen to their problems.  You can do all this and more, but if you don’t share the gospel, it’s pointless.  The gospel is the only thing that has the power to change anythig in their lives.  If you don’t share the gospel, you’re nothing more than a nice guy who likes to drink beer. 

 

There are plenty of blogs that focus on one or the other, but not both. That’s just one place that we can look at the lack of the Christian influence on the world of beer. You can go into almost any bar, pub, or micro-brewery and see this even more. The only influence I’ve ever seen in a pub is the presence of Monk’s Ale.

So what does this mean? Why should we care? What difference does it make whether Christians have an influence in the world of beer. Well I would say we should care because there are lost and dying people in the world of beer who don’t know about Jesus.

If we are to be followers of Jesus, we must be about what Jesus is about. In Jesus’ words, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” We should be about the same thing.

Unfortunately for decades it has been taboo for Christians to be in the world of beer (and still is in most places). So we have stood on the sidelines of the world of beer while people have died and gone to hell. But Jesus has told us to be, “in the world.”

If you go by the name of Beerean, you are called to go into the world and share with them the hope that they can find in Jesus. It is no accident that you are Christian that likes beer.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4

Jesus gave you the love for beer that you might take His light into the dark places. He gave you a love for beer that you might be able to share the hope that Jesus has given you with those who would probably never hear it otherwise. He has given you the love of beer that you might be a missionary to the world or beer lovers.

So to my fellow Beereans out there listen to Jesus and, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” If you don’t go, who will?