"In heaven there is no beer ..."

One of the biggest controversies I ever experienced in college was the debate among my group of Christian friends about drinking alcohol. It was a less than fun experience leading to several arguments and frustrations. In the end we kind of all just got sick of it and gave it up, but I did think about the whole issue quite a bit and explained my position several times (including here). I was fairly solid (you could translate that as "stubborn" sometimes) in my opinion.

Just today, I was reading some old posts that I had saved on my computer and came across the one I linked above. Reading it, I realized that after a year away from college and a year into the seminary, I have some different ideas that might be worth posting. Though I don't think I've made a huge change in my position, I've definitely come to a different point.

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First, a view into two different worlds:

1. Drinking at MUC: Like most colleges, lots of people spent their weekends (as well as Wednesdays and Thursdays) drinking. It wasn't "social" or moderate drinking - it was typically getting wasted. My group of friends sort of stood out as "people who didn't drink." Hopefully, as Christians, that wasn't the only thing we were noticed for, but that was a big point.

2. Drinking after college: Now that I've been out of the college environment for a little over a year, I have been around drinking far more than I ever was in college. The difference is that, whether it is a party at the seminary or simply hanging out at a friend's house at home, the drinking is, what I would label as, in moderation. It's under control, and not simply a way to escape from reality.

So, what do I see when I look at drinking now? Well, in as a recognized Christian in college, I could see the value in never drinking, even when it was legal and in moderation. It seemed, and still does seem, like a powerful witness and a way to keep yourself out of many other more problematic activites (lust, drunkenness/drunk driving, violence, etc.). However, I do not believe that, if a Christian of legal drinking age wanted to drink an alcoholic beverage while being in control and not getting drunk, I could say that he or she was wrong.

The world outside of college is slightly different. Though binge drinking and similiar activities are a problem, they are not the concentrated ridiculousness that appear on college campuses. As adults (especially Catholic adults), we will be around alcohol fairly often. At least it looks that way to me.
For example, there is alcohol at seminary parties and wine at some dinners. I do not think that drinking (in moderation, of course) at events like these is scandalous. We all know why we are in the seminary: to be configured to Christ and prepare for, God-willing, ordination. Similiarly, in other social situations that alcohol is present in, we can be seen drinking without causing scandal.

Have I backtracked and changed my position? I don't think so. I'm still not a big fan of alcohol ... the vast majority of it tastes bad and I do enjoy Mountain Dew quite a bit. But I can understand drinking something and enjoying a taste or whatever, not getting drunk and not setting a bad example.

Basically it comes down to this:

Don't drink if you are under 21.
Don't get drunk.
And if drinking becomes a problem for you, get help.

In the end, earthly pleasure is a gift that we are to enjoy, not abuse.

Comments?

UPDATE: Thanks to those who commented already. I was just thinking that it would be especially good to hear from people who have been out of college for a bit and had similiar experiences. Anyone from MUC reading?