I love the “Church Marketing Sucks” website by Kevin Hendricks – I also really appreciated his commentary on the article linked below – it’s easy to scoff at the idea of a church getting a liquor license, yet the potentially positive results that Hendricks brings up gave me cause to reflect.
scoey's conundrum
just a boy trying to figure it out on the fly…
Jesus would not really change water into wine. He made glorified grape juice.
This was interesting and I enjoyed the points the author makes. I think they are good.
I see a cultural challenge in that America has a big problem with alcoholism. Alcohol is the number one drug of abuse and the number two killer after cancer in our country. It is ironic that because of that stigma it would take a lot of “marketing” to sell the public on the benefit of allowing churches to model the appropriate use of alcohol. Probably best done on an individual basis.
Then there is the issue of Paul’s warnings to be considerate of those with “weaker” faith and not be a stumbling block to them.
Intriguing article.
Love, and agree with, the gist. Times are not right for alcohol to be a good, let alone optimal medium / means. Gets me to thinking: If not alcohol, what?
i am honestly fairly tired of non-christians telling christians what is christian and what isn’t. i’m sorry, but i can’t get behind the idea that alcohol is at all inappropriate for a church banquet hall. the reason alcohol is such a problem in america is that we treat it like some kind of “evil”. we get in the mindset that if we’re doing something wrong by touching it, might as well just get drunk and stupid. our country’s (and our country’s church’s) views on alcohol are more damaging than alcohol itself.
wow, got a little worked up there. i need a beer.
I agree w/ you, Dig — or at least what I conclude are the underpinnings of your point.
There is nothing inherently evil about alcohol. And how we approach it as a country and culture is atrocious and ridiculous.
That so many lives are ravaged — including an obscene number in my own family — by its misuse and abuse is not a result of the chemical compound, or the solution it’s within. In fact, used appropriately, alcohol can be a beneficial chemical.
Trouble is the discourse (message) of whatever the church in MD, or us, would be trying to do would undoubtedly be derailed and perverted due to the inflammatory and distractive label of “alcohol”, “ic” and “ism”.
That’s not a result of smart or dumb stuff — more of where we’re at on the timeline of culture shift.
In short, may not be the wrong thing, probably isn’t the wrong place — just the wrong time. My 2 cents, for what it’s worth…