I wonder if I should get involved somehow. I dunno. Maybe. Perhaps it would be unwise. I am just a little surprised to see this exercise in prooftexting back in the fore again.
"[Abstinence from alcohol] is consistent with the ethic of love for believers and unbelievers alike (1 Corinthians 8:13; 9:19-22; 10:32-33)," he wrote. "Because I am an example to others, I will make certain no one ever walks the road of sorrow because they saw me take a drink and assumed, 'If it is all right for Danny Akin, it is all right for me.'"Posted by tripp at July 18, 2006 06:21 PMBased on 1 Corinthians 6:12, Akin said, Christians should "refuse what enslaves."
"Alcohol is a drug that can impair the senses and has a potential addictive element. Like addictive pornography, it should be avoided at all cost," he wrote, noting later that joy should come from God and not alcohol, according to Ephesians 5:18.
For his part, Cole said Scripture supports his position, especially regarding blessings and freedom through salvation. He listed how, in the book of Numbers, God received wine offerings as "a soothing aroma." He also noted Deuteronomy 14 and Isaiah 55, which explicitly allowed God's people to spend money on "wine or strong drink."
"Not only do resolution supporters refuse to acknowledge the entire biblical teaching on the matter, they even read selectively from texts that they do cite," Cole wrote. "For instance, most arguments for teetotaling reference the Nazarite vow of the Old Testament or the example of John the Baptist in the New Testament as evidence that those who abstain from alcohol achieve a greater level of holiness. What is missing from their argument is that the Nazarite abstained from vinegar and raisins, too, and never cut his hair. Moreover, John the Baptist chose locusts as his dietary supplement. I have yet to find a teetotaler who wears a ponytail or prefers bugs and honey with his morning coffee." In the end, attitude determines a lot when trying to be wise with alcohol, according to Akin.