blhowes
Puritan Board Professor
I've been a member here at the PB for quite some time now, and have learned a lot. I don't mean to blame the people on the PB, but I've seen a change in my life, it may be a good change.
I've lived many years believing some things that a lot of independent fundamental baptists believe. One of them is that its a sin to drink alcohol. That kind of thinking can get ingrained in a person, and it takes time to change.
A few weeks ago, I heard an interesting sermon at church about when Jesus turned the water into wine. The associate pastor made it clear during the sermon that on the one hand drunkenness was in no way being condoned in the passage, and on the other hand the OT does speak of blessings associated with wine.
At the base of the pulpit, there was a bottle of wine and a wine glass. At the end of the sermon, he in affect said, "Let us all taste of the goodness of God", and he stepped down from the pulpit, poured some wine into the glass, then he drank some of the wine. He then put the glass down, and closed in prayer.
It seemed such an appropriate "object lesson" to use as a close for the sermon. Rarely at the church are object lessons used, this one just seemed to be so appropriate.
These last few weeks since the sermon, whenever it would come to mind, it amazed me how I reacted to him drinking wine in church. If any of you once had fundamentalist leanings (and please forgive me, I don't mean to paint all fundamentalists with such a big brush), you can probably relate to what I'm saying. A preacher drinking wine in church - unheard of! At one time, I could not have imagined such a thing being done in the church of God. Yet, now I'm perfectly ok with it. What a change!
For this change, I think its proper to put the blame where it belongs, the PB. You've influenced my life in this area. For better or worse, I'll let you be the judge.
BTW, thank-you.
I've lived many years believing some things that a lot of independent fundamental baptists believe. One of them is that its a sin to drink alcohol. That kind of thinking can get ingrained in a person, and it takes time to change.
A few weeks ago, I heard an interesting sermon at church about when Jesus turned the water into wine. The associate pastor made it clear during the sermon that on the one hand drunkenness was in no way being condoned in the passage, and on the other hand the OT does speak of blessings associated with wine.
At the base of the pulpit, there was a bottle of wine and a wine glass. At the end of the sermon, he in affect said, "Let us all taste of the goodness of God", and he stepped down from the pulpit, poured some wine into the glass, then he drank some of the wine. He then put the glass down, and closed in prayer.
It seemed such an appropriate "object lesson" to use as a close for the sermon. Rarely at the church are object lessons used, this one just seemed to be so appropriate.
These last few weeks since the sermon, whenever it would come to mind, it amazed me how I reacted to him drinking wine in church. If any of you once had fundamentalist leanings (and please forgive me, I don't mean to paint all fundamentalists with such a big brush), you can probably relate to what I'm saying. A preacher drinking wine in church - unheard of! At one time, I could not have imagined such a thing being done in the church of God. Yet, now I'm perfectly ok with it. What a change!
For this change, I think its proper to put the blame where it belongs, the PB. You've influenced my life in this area. For better or worse, I'll let you be the judge.
BTW, thank-you.