Lasting Impressions

Recently, a debate began among my friends over an issue that I felt was governed by social construct. Now, I fully believe that the person in dissent is a rational human being, and came to the opposing conclusion based on his convictions, and thus it should not be a contentious issue among believers. However, it did hurt some feelings (not all mine), raise questions about social mores, and the weight they should bear on our convictions.

The topic at hand was alcohol. The debate was not over whether or not one should drink, since all those around the table were in agreement that the moderate consumption of alcohol is no problem at all, in most circumstances. No, the conflict came when the dissenter expressed that he did not feel women should drink beer, and that it was only proper for a lady to consume wine. It was a good thing that the only beverages being had at the time were Frosty’s.

I unsuccessfully attempted to engage this friend in a dialogue about the matter. I argued that drinking habits are often influenced by family, social construct and even social class. I appealed to time and place, affluence and poverty, availability and popularity – all to no avail. Finally, I pleaded with taste. Beer goes with burgers and pizza! Wine does not!

How much of our convictions are shaped by our surroundings? I think about the more liberal-ish and social gospel churches I know and it draws to mind friends with tattoos, piercings, and other ways of living that are “gray areas,” but that my more conservative Christian friends might find distasteful or questionable. I think about interactions between my friends of the opposite sex that would be detrimental to my witness in some contexts but not in others. More so, I think of the passing judgment that we dole out, without thinking of the consequences to the Church as a whole, and wonder if many of these are Romans 14 issues. In that light, I wonder how I am to respond when I know that I should respect someone’s convictions, however much I disagree with them. I’m upset by how much this makes me conscious of my actions around said friend, and irritated that I’ve let it upset me.

More importantly, I’m still struggling to find a wine that goes with burgers. My roommate, thankfully, found one that goes with pizza. Whew.