Today I am going to review a fruit beer made in Good Old Upstate NY. I know what you're saying, "Matt your first week back and you're reviewing a fruity beer?" Yeah, but not just any fruity beer, one that was made for my Grandmother, it was originally called "Barb's Blueberry Brew" ... "Oh, that's ok then." Anyways this beer pours light yellow with a hint of orange, and contains almost no head. There is a distinct aroma of what else but ... Blueberries with a mix of a floral smell in it. It tastes very fruity (blueberry) with a tiny malty hop finish. It is a good beer to satisfy ones thirst on a warm summer day. Unfortunately blueberry does get tiring after one or two bottles, so don't plan on drinking this all day when working on the deck or in the yard.
The Christian Pint Rating: 3 out of 5
Commercial Description:
Our newest addition to our family of craft beers. A light golden ale, crisp on the palate with a refreshing blueberry aroma and flavor. Surprisingly different that most people expect. A sure winner!
As always remember do not become drunk on wine (beer) but be filled with the Holy Spirit, and do not cause your brother to stumble. (Ephesians 5, Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8)
4 comments:
I really enjoyed reading the article you posted "A Sip of Wine or a Shot of Grape Juice." As a Christian who personally feels compelled for conscience reasons to abstain from alcohol completely, it has always irritated me that some Christians make the claim that the wine in the Bible was only grape juice. What a dumb, baseless argument.
I must admit, on the other hand, that I am very concerned by the current trend among evangelicals who are leaning too far the other way to the extent of glorifying alcohol, flaunting their liberty in Christ, and potentially creating a stumbling block for others.
Christians are likely always going to differ in terms of what our conscience allows regarding alcohol, even as Timothy was abstaining completely from alcohol and had to be encouraged by Paul to take 'a little wine' for medicinal purposes (I Timothy 5:23).
I think the whole point regarding Christian liberty in Romans 14, Galatians 5, I Cor. 8 and I Cor. 10:23-33 is to make sure that we are thinking of others above our liberties in Christ and abstaining from anything that might cause another to stumble.
I'll try to remember not to recommend this web blog to any recovering alcoholics.
Thank you for your comment. Actually that article was written by a former roommate of mine. So I will pass your appreciation on to him. As for our liberty in Christ, I would say that any theology which does not lend itself, or lead to holiness is at its core bad theology. If someone is personally convicted that they should not drink for the sake of others, God bless them. It is when they seek to impose that standard upon all of Christianity that we must show them their err in the light of scripture. Furthermore I hope that this blog is never seen as condoning drunkenness, as that is a sin. Thank you very much for your comments, and may the grace of the Lord Jesus be upon you and your house.
Matthew
"It is when they seek to impose that standard upon all of Christianity that we must show them their err in the light of scripture"
I completely agree with this and I hope my comment did not convey otherwise. I believe Christians will always differ in the area of what our consciences will allow and that's why the scriptures urge us not to judge one another in areas left up to conscience.
On the same token, Christians whose conscience permits them to drink should be mindful of those who abstain and should not try to impose their standard upon them either.
When I said we should think of others above our liberties in Christ and abstain from anything that might cause another to stumble, I was not referring to drinking or implying that I thought all Christians should abstain from alcohol. That is not my point of view.
Instead, I was referring to those who glorify drinking in the same way our society does which makes it hard to distinguish their form of drinking from society's which almost always involves drunkenness.
I think you have some wonderfully deep theological insights to share and I was just really shocked to come across this blog that contains such a great theological focus mixed with (what appears to me) an excessive focus on beer.
I don't think it would really be any different if it were movie themes in the background or a card game or football players. It just doesn't seem to match the focus of the blog and gives it a rather mixed feel in terms of holiness. It also implies that discussions of theology are equal in value with beer reviews.
I don't know. Maybe this sounds like I'm saying Christians should separate secular vs. sacred. I'm not sure how this comes across. I was just shocked by the blog. I've never seen one quite like it...
But you seem like someone of high caliber character and Christ-likeness and I would love to see you forget your friend's suggestion to post beer reviews and stick to theology and the gospel. These are dark, dark days we are living in and we need all the Christian men of character to rise up and use all of their resources for God's kingdom and His glory. We don't have time for beer reviews.
Just my humble opinion.
You are a valued brother!
In Christ,
Your Sis
Thank you again for your comment. To be sure I would never seek to elevate drinking to the same level as God. I understand this wish to write on things that are "only spiritual," or "only theological" but our lives aren't "simply spiritual" or "theological" rather our Theology should shape and mold ever aspect of our lives, including how and what we drink. Now those who are in the church that deify drinking as secular culture does, need to be called to repentance, on this you and I agree. However we also must instill good theology where there was bad theology previously.
Many of the reasons people abstain from drinking are not theological, but cultural, psychological, et cetera, not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with those reasons. However if we seek to be biblical those reasons must first speak to the broken theology that would allow a Christian to place alcohol on the throne of his or her life rather than Christ.
I believe that Christ has called the Church to redeem certain aspects of culture, among those being Sex, Alcohol, and Music. Now this blog at times specifically targets alcohol, though it has targeted Sex and Music as well. If I had children it would be very likely that I would write about them, and if I gave a weekly update on what they were doing I highly doubt a second glance would be taken, other than at the photos.
I am not sure that my blog implies that discussions of beer are of the same importance as the discussions of beer. Simply because I do not discuss theology on every blog does not in anyway mean that the topics are equal. The blog isn't strictly theological. Rather to paraphrase John Newton "my theology is seen in my whole life, not in lumps but like sugar stirred into the tea."
Alas, we agree that this is a "corrupt and twisted generation," but to say that all we have time for is theology, or reviews of good books, or expositing scripture, while all good things, would do just what Jesus asked the Father not to do, that is take Christians out of the world. (John 17:15) This is the equivalent of saying that children should be reading their bible instead of playing soccer. It creates a false dichotomy, rather than a this or that type of situation, I see this as a both and type. Children can both play soccer and read their bible. Christians can write about our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ and other things, including beer.
Other blogs by Christian men do similar things, Nathaniel Darnell writes about pretty much anything in his blog "Persevero." Dr. Ray Van Neste has a blog dedicated to childrens books, "The Children's Hour." Not all of which are christian. This is also the guy who wrote the notes on the Pastoral Epistles in the new ESV Study Bible.
The main difference between these blogs and mine is they do not deal with nearly as controversial a topic as alcohol.
I do again appreciate you comments, and I pray that you will continue to grow in the knowledge of the Truth. I would like to suggest two resources to you. The first is an article by Marion Lovett, the Pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church, Why Did We Change the Grape Juice to Wine in the Communion Cup? The second is a book by James West called Drinking with Calvin and Luther! A History of Alcohol in the Church
Grace and Peace of the Lord Jesus be upon you and your house.
Matthew
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