Bob Allen & the Associated Baptist Press on "Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence" by Peter Lumpkins

    Senior writer for the Associated Baptist Press, Bob Allen, profiles my book in his present piece entitled, "Baptists Debate Social Drinking." Offering commentary on the recent action of the North Carolina Baptist Convention to pursue a policy for social drink (North Carolina Pastor, Tim Rogers, presented a motion which prompted such action), Allen follows it up with a brief analysis including several quotes from my book, Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence. In addition, he records, in part, a few of my responses to his follow-up questions raised in light of his reading my book.

Granted, I may not be in touch with reality and what may be inevitable--that is, the ultimate acceptance from the Southern Baptist Convention at large toward imbibing intoxicating substances for pleasurable purposes.  So be it.  Nonetheless, I remain confident that once Southern Baptists become fully informed as to the magnitude of the problem before us concerning the lackadaisical attitude many SBC leaders possess on social drink acceptance among the rising elite within Southern Baptist sub-culture, an overwhelming ground-swell of resistance will become public. It is to that end I pray.

Thanks to Bob Allen for a fair and judicious handling of this issue. The entire piece is definitely worth your time--"Baptists Debate Social Drinking."

Expecting a wonderful and prosperous New Year.

With that, I am...

Peter

Comments

[Ron Hale]

Peter,
I enjoyed reading the article and I enjoyed reading your book.

I attended a church in Dallas at Christmas many years ago. I was a new believer at the age of 23. After the Christmas Eve service, the pastor prissed into the fellowship area smoking a cig and shared with my In-laws and me ... "that we should all go out for cocktails after the little after-church fellowship." Everyone seemed happy to go drinking with the pastor. I declined. No, it wasn't a SBC congregation, but with the growing desire for many of our guys to seem "cool" ... it may not be too far away.

[peter]

Ron,

Thanks, brother. I think Bob Allen did a superb job in quoting me fairly and accurately.

Even so, I gained slight amusement from what can only be dubbed uninformed comments in the thread of Allen's article. What remains disheartening is the low level of engagement on this issue. Rarely, if ever, is a single slither from the large body of scholarly literature on biblical abstinence acknowledged much less engaged. Persons seem content with perpetuating surface slush gleaned from a simplistic "concordance" run on texts rather than serious interaction.

Grace, brother.

With that, I am...
Peter

[Tim Rogers]

Brother Peter,

I believe Brother Allen did a great job on this article. It does seem he pushes a bias with his statement "His final hurdle." However, other than that he does seem fair in his report.

Blessings,
Tim

[Chris Gilliam]

This quote is priceless and transcends to more issues than the one at hand.

Persons seem content with perpetuating surface slush gleaned from a simplistic "concordance" run on texts rather than serious interaction.

Pray that the CR really does get people to look at the God's word as the rule of life and quite attempting to superimpose their/our own fleshly likings on it.

[Ron Hale]

Peter,
I would hope that you will be invited to speak in the chapels of our SBC colleges and seminaries concerning this topic. And, Baptist Private Schools ... I'm going to pray that invitations will come your way.

[peter]

Ron,

Thanks.  Someone also called my attention to Christian Century who picked the story up.

Grace to all…

With that, I am…

Peter