FULL OF NEW WHINES

“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”  (I Timothy 5:23)

Many American evangelical Protestants have a major problem with the above Bible verse.  Many also have a major problem believing Jesus drank wine and argue that he actually drank grape juice.  In fact, Welch’s Grape Juice was developed in the Nineteenth Century by Mr. Welch who was a very devout Christian and developed Welch’s Grape Juice as an alternative to wine for Communion services.  To this day many churches, including the one I pastor, use Welch’s Grape Juice at Communion!  Up until the 1950s, most “born-again Christians” did not drink alcoholic beverages at all.  That’s changing a bit, although I don’t drink and haven’t had an alcoholic beverage to drink in over thirty years.

The topic of why American evangelicals have shunned drinking is one I may tackle another day, but the above was just an introduction to what I have to say about Question #1 on the ballot in Massachusetts this coming Tuesday.   Question #1 would allow the sale of wine at grocery stores and convenience stores.  The liquor store lobby is conducting a media blitz opposing Question #1.  One of the latest ads is the testimony of the Somerville Police Chief who practically expects anarchy if Question #1 passes.  My late parents would NEVER have voted for Question #1- partly because my father was a “career law enforcement professional” and partly because my late brother was an alcoholic.  That said, I’m probably going to shock some people because I’m voting FOR Question #1!

In 34 states, wine (and in most cases, beer, too) is sold at grocery stores and convenience stores.  In the Bible-belt city of Springfield, Missouri you can find beer and wine prominently displayed (and sold) at virtually all supermarkets.   That’s not only true today; it was true back in the 1970s when I was in school there.  In fact, the supermarkets there were all open on Sundays back in the 1970s when that was taboo in Massachusetts due to the blue laws.  In Missouri, they don’t have anarchy because they sell wine in the supermarkets- far from it!

Again, I don’t drink alcohol at all!  But I don’t see what the big deal is.  I realize the liquor stores are very threatened by this change.  In fact, in the Bible Belt there are FEWER liquor stores than there are here, and it’s probably because beer and wine are regularly purchased at supermarkets.  Let me ask you something, would you like to see FEWER liquor stores around?  Then vote YES on Question #1!  And, do you favor good old American competition and capitalism?  Then vote YES on Question #1.

That’s just my opinion.  But since I don’t drink, I can’t even say something like “I’ll drink to that!”  I guess I’ll have a Coca-Cola to that!