Christians, in all good conscience, need not drink alcohol to be socially relevant. If there is a part for Christians to play in relation to alcohol, it is in showing addicts and their families that there is a new normal beyond alcohol use and abuse, a better set of problems to be found in following Christ, and real hope in surrender to the grace of God.
Love, therefore, is not so much the opposite of fear, hate and indifference as it is the cure for it. People who are properly loved will not be afraid, hateful or naive, and it’s our mission as Christian to love one another, because love comes from God. When we have learned how to be loved properly by God ourselves, through Christ, we will release love’s alternatives, and seek to practice it at every opportunity. Our mission surely then as professors and disciples of Christ is to do what He did. Love people. And do it properly.
