Our consumer world is saturated with prescription drugs, illegal drugs, sports drinks, energy drinks, modified water, and stimulants of every kind. Does the faithful Christian take part in any of these without feeling guilty, and yet abstains from alcoholic wine? Is alcoholic wine mentioned in the Christian writings, namely in the Bible? What does the Bible teach, and how do Bible writers deal with consumption of alcoholic wine throughout the ages past?
Did Jesus drink his own miracle wine? Did He make alcoholic wine or just plain grape juice? After all, it was better than anything else they had drunk at the feast. Did Jesus drink the wine at the Last Supper, or did He only hand it to His disciples to partake?
New wine is a term used for current seasons harvested grapes pressed to make the wine. Was this wine alcoholic or not? Did the Levites receive alcoholic wine from Israelites and store it in the temple, or was it miraculously preserved as sweet grape juice and nonalcoholic?
The author, Jon Paul, examines these and many more questions directly from the Bible. Every verse with the word wine, strong drink, similar drink, new wine, drunk, drunkenness, etc. is examined as well as more colorful events such as Lot and his daughters who made their father drunk on wine, then they slept with him and thus continued his lineage. Did Lot receive criticism or punishment for this encounter?
Pilots observe the rule "twelve hours between the bottle and the throttle." Did this originate from the Bible? These and many more discoveries are all found in the book, To Wine or Not to Whine!
(In addition, a chapter by Dr. Patrick Farrell MD, Master of Wine, contributes non-biblical historic as well as modern uses of alcoholic wine and health benefits associated with use.)
