God and Beer

(My best unnamed critic here informed me that I took the blog title a little too seriously with my last post. It was a bit too meandering. Therefore, I do endeavor to keep this post to a reasonable length.)

Our church sponsored this event last week as an outreach tool. This is one thing we like about our Adelaide church, Holy Trinity Anglican; it is serious about the spread of the gospel, not just in word but in deed as well. David attended the event and had a nice time. He got to try 5 different kinds of Cooper beer and chatted with men from our small group as well as a couple of workmates one had brought with him. We liked the event because it was upfront about its spiritual content yet also socially palatable to non-believers. David's co-worker wanted to go, but unfortunately had a prior commitment. The brewer himself shared about why he loves God and beer - or was it beer and God? He is a committed Christian brewer of beer. That's not an oxymoron - cultural norms need to be taken into consideration here.

In an odd way, it is refreshing to be in a more post-Christian culture. Christians here seem to be free of some of the "Christian culture" baggage we've sensed in the USA. There doesn't seem to be as much worry about sending inadvertent messages about Christianity here, likely because (1) the Christian culture is not in the spotlight as much as in the US and (2) it is overshadowed by a huge and clearly secular culture. Thus, the church is not as worried about making a statement about the value of drinking beer when it combines a Christian talk with a beer tasting event. Instead, the tack is that people drink beer at the pubs. That's what they do. So, lets come alongside them, responsibly enjoying the good food and drink God has given us, and bring the good news to those who need it.

However, "the Christian brewer" is a concept I need to chew on in light of the negative impact beer can have on people's lives regardless of which society they live in. I do find a tension here that brings up many questions, but I'll save them for another blog.