"Drink is the enemy. Love thy enemy!" - A Missionary Position on Alcohol

"Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable. Never drink when you are wretched without it, or you will be like the grey-faced gin-drinker in the slum; but drink when you would be happy without it, and you will be like the laughing peasant of Italy. Never drink because you need it, for this is rational drinking, and the way to death and hell. But drink because you do not need it, for this is irrational drinking, and the ancient health of the world." - G.K. Chesterton

We keep a spreadsheet with the names of our fellow missionaries. It has two columns, "Lushes" and "Prudes".

Occasionally we share this fact with friends here (generally those we've already determined are in the "Lushes" column). They usually laugh, then think for a moment and ask if we can share the spreadsheet with them.

Alcohol is a sensitive issue. Nearly everyone knows someone whose life has been impacted by it. I hear many organizations say that, in light of that, we who are called to a higher moral standard should refrain from alcohol altogether.

Despite the apparent flippancy of our spreadsheet, my wife and I absolutely respect the opinion and the resolve of those who believe this and we wish to be sensitive to them. In fact, sensitivity is the whole reason behind the spreadsheet. We are entirely comfortable with our own position but do not wish to offend anyone else. Offering someone a glass of wine should be an extension of friendship, an invitation to relax and to be comfortable. For some people, however, it might easily have the opposite effect.

When we first accepted that we were being called to this life, we knew that we may end up working with an organization that proscribed alcohol entirely. That was okay, we knew we could live with that. If we couldn't, that's when I would have been worried - the harder it would be to live without alcohol, the more imperative it is that you do so. In the end, though, this was not a choice we had to make as our organization doesn't prohibit the odd drink.

I recently followed a heated online debate which preceded an upcoming vote in a different organization concerning whether to prohibit all "credential holders" from drinking. For the most part it was a fairly good discussion from both sides of the issue. One thing that surprised me was the vehement opinion one individual held that he had never seen anything good come of alcohol use. "Anything" was in all caps.

I see positive things regularly from responsible, moderate alcohol usage. I see a level of relaxation and intimacy among friends that wouldn't be there if we had just cracked open a 2L of Coke. I have had deep, meaningful discussions over single malt scotch that have gone late into the night and had far reaching effects long after that. I have shared meals which were far more than just the calories consumed.

I cannot claim that alcohol content plays no factor - like caffeine or sugar, alcohol does affect how we feel. Our bodies react to everything we put into them. I also will not claim that others could not have similar experiences without alcohol. I can only tell you that the wine, the scotch, the rum we have enjoyed with friends has frequently helped to create an atmosphere where our relationships can grow.

For missionaries, relationships are critical. We need relationships with the local people we work with. We need relationships with each other, to survive in a foreign land doing work which is frequently very draining. What we fear (or ought to fear) are those things which threaten relationship.

I remember how immediately the atmosphere changed and the tension dissipated when I ordered a beer in front of Eastern European friends while visiting there some years back. While beer is a common sight even at church picnics there, they are sensitive to the opinions of North Americans who are somewhat more hung up on the issue than they are.

I fear the damage that unnecessary restrictions can do to our relationships with people. I fear what happens when our call to be "above reproach" makes us instead unapproachable. How can we have relationships with people when they are always in fear of our judgment?

There are many good reasons not to drink and I will always respect the person who politely says to me, "No, thank you, I don't drink." At the same time I hope for a world where the same respect and understanding is offered to those who politely say, "Yes, please, I'd love a glass."


Theo