Facebook: Friend or Foe?

The latest craze of our information age is the emergence of social networking sites. Several are notable, but Facebook is particularly popular and has caught on even with folks who are otherwise adverse to technology. I succumbed to the pressure to join a long time ago. In all honesty I was dragged to it kicking and screaming, but signed up for the sake of becoming all things to all men that by ALL MEANS I might save some. I’m sure some will think I am trying to sound super-spiritual, but it is the truth. I think it is important for Christians—especially pastors—to be on the front end of effective new ways to communicate to and influence others.

It is crazy to me how many people I have “reconnected” with on Facebook. People from every school I attended (Elementary to Seminary); people from every church of which I was a part as a member, on staff, or as pastor; family members; people I played or coached with—over 800 of them and growing! It is crazy! But I’ve got to get some things off my chest:

Like any other form of communication, there is the potential for both good and bad on Facebook. It’s cool to see how folks are doing and to have another way to encourage people. It’s cool to be able to keep up with my high school son’s friends and interests. There is much potential for creating virtual community and informing/uniting people for/against certain causes. That’s all cool. But wow, there are some things that are really hard for me. Like, I can’t spend much time on it without seeing pictures of people who claim to be Christians in all kinds of potentially compromising positions. You know what I’m saying. There’s the skimpy clothing and the “aren’t I cool” poses, and, perhaps more conspicuous than anything, the pics of folks drinking alcohol. I don’t know what it is. Does everyone take pictures when they go to a drinking party or a bar? What is it about the “look at me, I drink” pictures of themselves that people like—and publish for the world to see? Is that really what you want people to know about you? Really? Forget for a moment the very real biblical issues. What about the message being sent to the many kids who are on Facebook? Kids who are impressionable, who could see someone they know or who attend their church drinking as a justifying factor to try drinking for themselves. Do we just ignore the damage alcohol does to people’s lives? I know it first hand. Call me an old fogy (I’ve blogged before on Christians and drinking so I’ll resist).

One of the hardest things for me is the way people gossip and spread falsehood for all the world to see. Or maybe not gossip, maybe just saying things that are hurtful about their church. One couple that had been a part of our church for about a year and then disappeared posted how our church was the coldest place they had ever been and how they were never talked to and nobody wanted to be their friend, etc. The bad thing is that many of us know this couple and had made MANY attempts to befriend them—some felt that they had BECOME friends (ouch!). But what are we to do? Get into an argument on someone’s “wall,” calling out the wrongness of their perception? Of course not. People sometimes get hurt and lash out. People make mistakes. Once I heard Bill O’Reilly say that with the Internet, if you make a mistake, you do it for the entire world to see. I’m afraid that’s true.

I think Facebook attracts a lot of people who just like to know what people are doing. Is this the definition of a busybody? A nosey person? Or just someone who enjoys socializing with others? Maybe some of each, I don’t know. Truth is, I simply don’t have time for it. That sounds kind of heartless doesn’t it? I rarely get to check up on others or update my “status” because I’ve rarely got time to just mess around by myself on the internet, and I’m not sure I really want people knowing what I’m doing all the time. Life is too busy. I’m a dad of three busy kids who have to be places and who need me in their lives. I’m a husband (not that Darla always NEEDS me, but she does have honey-do lists for me!). I’m also a pastor. I don’t think I need to describe the busyness of THAT job. I barely find the time to blog. What makes blogging hard is I feel I need to cover something with some degree of conclusive thoroughness and I write way too much. Sounds like my sermons!! When I do have extra time, the last thing I want to do is to be disappointed by seeing someone I care about glorying over a beer! Ahhh...Facebook. It’s a love-hate thing for me.

Ok, I’m quitting. Not facebook, just this blog post. I do feel a little better having vented!

Permitted. But Profitable? Christians and Drinking

I'm surprised to see how many Christians I know who proudly tell the world that they are drinkers. Don't get me wrong. It doesn't make me think less of them (not that it matters what I think). I'm not a legalist.

I was watching the news tonight when I heard this statistic:

"A new government report finding nearly 1/3 of American adults have abused alcohol or suffered from alcoholism at some point. And most of them never received treatment."

Fox News July 2, 2007 11:34 pm. This is a direct quote.

This report is yet another reminder for those of us who want to make a positive impact with our lives about the incredible insanity that so many Christians seem to believe: that alcohol is harmless. 1/3 of all adult Americans! Think about that.

Let me be clear. A Christ-follower is free to drink! Even though the Bible strongly warns of alcohol abuse (e.g. Proverbs 20:1, 23:29-35) and clearly describes being drunk as sin (e.g. Ephesians 5:18), there is no biblical prohibition against drinking in moderation (even Jesus drank wine). It’s really not about whether drinking is inherently evil. It’s not. It’s about whether it is BEST. As we have seen in 1 Corinthians, it might be permissible, but is it beneficial?

As we saw, Paul was clear that if you do anything that violates your conscience or causes someone to stumble you are committing a wrong.

And there are other reasons:

Alcoholic beverages are different today. Distillation was not invented until the Middle Ages. Before distillation, alcohol content in drinks was lower, and additionally, was usually diluted with water. A guy from Harvard Law School (Jeffrey A. Munsie) who wrote A Brief History of the International Regulation of Wine Production makes the point and quotes Pliny the Elder’s (23-79 AD) Natural History in which Pliny talked much about wine.

“Pliny noted that seawater could be added ‘to enliven the wine’s smoothness,’ snow could be added to cool the wine, or that spices and herbs could be added to mask the fact that the wine had turned to vinegar. In fact, drinking wine straight was considered to be barbaric. Wine was usually heavily diluted with water, which served the dual purpose of allowing it to be more thirst quenching and allowing the alcohol to make the water safer to drink.”

You can read it here: http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/310/Munsie.rtf.

There are lots of references that attest to the fact that the whole Greco-Roman world had this practice during ancient times. Palestine was completely Hellenized and practiced the same custom. This is why Peter, after the Holy Spirit baptized the church resulting in their preaching to visitors to Jerusalem in languages other than their own, could say, “These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!” (Acts 2:15). Everyone understood that it took a lot of wine and a pretty long time to be “under the influence.”

In addition, we have many other safe drink choices, unlike people in biblical times who had basically three choices: water (that had to be boiled to purify), milk (that spoiled in hours) and wine that was purified and stayed so due to the God-given gift of fermentation.

There is a real possibility of addiction. That’s what I was struck with again when I heard this new study (above). “But I can handle it without becoming addicted or getting drunk” some say. What about those who read you are a drinker on your MySpace page? If you drink, why can’t they? Especially when the whole world seems to glamorize drinking, making abstainers (like me) seem like out-of-touch puritans (most of whom drank temperately, by the way). This possibility of leading others astray is a big deal in a world where 1/3 of all Americans admit alcohol abuse/addiction.

If I’m a Christian and I drink, it impedes my ability to point out a SERIOUS social problem. If, like me, you have seen lives destroyed and people killed because of alcohol, you can’t deny the problem. Sorry, I choose to take a stand. Call me “no fun.” You’re right. I don’t think it’s fun to tell a mom that her child has died due to a drinking driver. I don’t think it’s fun to hold a sobbing woman whose husband abused her and his kids and lost his job over a drink. It’s not fun to see a loved-one ruin their lives because they’re an alcoholic. I’ve experienced all that and much more. Want more Facts?
• The economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse estimated at $246 Billion annually. Out of that number, alcohol abuse accounts for 60% while all other drug abuses combined for only 40%. (National Institute Health)
• An average of one alcohol related motor vehicle fatality happens every 33 minutes in the US. (US Department of Transportation)
• 11 Million children grow up with at least 1 alcoholic parent.
• Having as few as 2 drinks a day if you are pregnant can cause fetal alcohol syndrome—in which the newborn has multiple severe handicaps.
• Alcohol contributes to 205,000 deaths each year.
• Life expectancy for an alcoholic is reduced by at least a decade.
• Alcohol is connected to one-half of homicides and one-third of suicides.
• One out of twelve marriages come apart over drinking.
• Not to mention liver disease, contributions to spousal abuse and child abuse, and I could go on…

I’ve got to mention one more. If you live in the “Bible belt” there is a real potential harm to a Christian’s witness if you choose to drink. Sorry. It’s true. Even lost southerners link drinking with not living for Christ. Ask around.

So, should a Christian drink? Yeah, you’re free. But, you see, it’s not so easy to just justify it. It’s not just about your liberty. It is about God’s glory.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1Cor. 10:31)

What am I missing?