It depends on the church denomination. Some allow alcohol consumption while others do not.
There are three different categories of Christian denominations with regards to their position on alcohol: Moderationism, Abstentionism, Prohibitionism
Moderationism
This category of denominations believe that alcohol is a blessing of God that may be used in moderation rather than being shunned as a sin or unrighteous indulgence. They believe that drunkenness is destructive and that God calls us to avoid drunkenness.
Denominations that are generally Moderationist include:
- Lutherans [1]
- Reformed Churches: Presbyterian[2a], Christian Reformed [2b]
- Roman Catholics [3]
- Eastern Orthodox [4]
- Anglicans (The Church of England) [5]
- Jehovah’s Witnesses (not a mainline, fundamental Christian denomination) [6]
Abstentionism
This category of denominations don’t believe that alcohol is inherently sinful but believe it is wise to avoid alcohol due to personal temptation of drunkenness, and the possibility that you may tempt another person to not drink responsibly. They believe that drunkenness is destructive and that God calls us to avoid drunkenness.
Denominations that are generally Abstentionists include:
- Baptist [7]
- Pentecostals [8]
- Methodists [9]
- Salvation Army [10]
Prohibitionism
This category of denominations believe that alcohol consumption is inherently sinful and therefore must be avoided on a moral basis. They believe that all Biblical references to moral drinking refer to unfermented grape juice. As time distances itself from the prohibition, many of these churches lean more towards Abstentionism, but still believe people should abstain from alcohol, and perhaps more strictly than historically Abstentionist denominations.
Denominations that are generally Prohibitionists include:
- Southern Baptist Convention [11]
- Seventh-Day Adventists (not a mainline, fundamental Christian denomination) [12]
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (not a mainline, fundamental Christian denomination) [13]
References
[1] Lutherans: Luthern Church – Missouri Synod. “LCMS Frequently Asked Questions: Contemporary Issues” Retrieved 2014-06-09. http://www.lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=576. “The Bible nowhere condemns the proper and responsible use (consumption) of alcoholic beverages, and neither does The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Scripture does warn strongly and repeatedly against the abuse, misuse or excessive use of alcoholic beverages, and the Missouri Synod has also repeatedly warned against such dangers.”
[2a] Reformed Churches (Presbyterian): Presbyterian Church in America, 8th General Assembly, (1980), 8-69, III, p. 98. “Position Paper: Alcohol, the use thereof.” Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/2-051.html. “4a: That Overture 11 [calling for the Assembly to adopt a position advocating total abstinence from Beverage use of alcohol] be answered in the negative. Grounds: The grounds for answering this Overture in the negative are that to adopt position of total abstinence would go beyond the requirements of scripture, (Deut. 5:32,33; Col. 2:20-23) and is contrary to the Westminster Confession of Faith, (Chapter 20, subparagraph 2), which forbid the binding of the conscience by the commands of men.”
[2b] Reformed Churches (Christian Reformed): “Alcohol”. Christian Reformed Church in North America. 1996–2007. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/position-statements/alcohol. “Scripture teaches that beverages containing alcohol can be a blessing or a source of evil. Those who drink alcohol must consider its effects on themselves and on others. Abstinence from alcohol may be an appropriate moral response in particular situations, but it is not demanded by Scripture and therefore should not be demanded by the church.”
[3] Roman Catholics: Jim Blackburn. “Got Wine?”. Catholic Answers Magazine. Vol 19 (2). Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/got-wine. “Drinking wine—or other alcoholic beverages for that matter—is not, in itself, sinful…We can see, then, that if we take Scripture as our guide, then drinking, in itself, is not a sin, but we should not drink excessively. Cheers!”
[4] Eastern Orthodox: Paul O’Callaghan (March 1992). “The Spirit of True Christianity”. Word Magazine (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America): 8–9. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/misc/ocallaghan_true_christianity.htm. “So alcohol, sex, the body, money, television, and music are all good things. It is only the abuse of these things that is bad—drunkenness, pornography, compulsive gambling, etc. Even drugs marijuana, cocaine, heroin—all have good uses for medical and other reasons. It’s only the abuse of them for pleasure that is wrong.”
[5] Anglicans: Chris Cook, on behalf of the General Synod Board for Social Responsibility, Church of England (1998). “Alcohol Misuse: A briefing paper”. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.churchofengland.org/media/45425/alcohol.doc. “The drinking of alcohol, but not drunkenness, is affirmed in scripture…The Church of England encourages individual Christians to be informed about the arguments for each position, to make up their own mind about these matters, and to respect the views of others.”
[6] Jehovah’s Witness: “Maintain a Balanced View Of Alcohol”. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2004. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2004884. “A key to avoiding the dangers of alcohol abuse is knowing where to draw the line, not between overindulgence and drunkenness, but between moderation and overindulgence.”
[7] Baptist: “The Bible Speaks on Alcohol”. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://erlc.com/article/the-bible-speaks-on-alcohol/. “The Bible identifies total abstinence from alcohol as an expression of devotion to God…while total abstinence from wine with its relatively low alcohol content was not demanded in Bible times, both general Bible principles and specific Bible teachings encourage today’s Christians to abstain from this dangerous drug.”
[8] Pentecostal (Assemblies of God): “Position Paper: Abstinence from Alcohol”. Assemblies of God. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_downloads/pp_4187_abstinence.pdf. “The General Council of the Assemblies of God has historically opposed the consumption of alcohol in any form. Early documents of the church declare, without reservation or compromise, a position of total abstinence.”
[9] Methodist: “Alcohol and Other Drugs”. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Publishing House. 2004. Retrieved 2014-06-09
. http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=1755. “We affirm our long-standing support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God’s liberating and redeeming love for persons.”
[10] Salvation Army: “Salvation Army’s Position Statements: Alcohol and Drugs”. 1982. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.use-salvationarmy.org/swf/PosStmentsNational09.swf. “The Salvation Army, recognizing both spiritual and temporal dangers inherent in the use of alcoholic beverages, has historically required total abstinence of its soldiers and officers. While not condemning those outside its ranks who choose to indulge, it nevertheless believes total abstinence to be the only certain guarantee against overindulgence and the evils attendant on addiction.”
[11] Southern Baptist: “On alcohol use in America”. Southern Baptist Convention. 2006. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/1156. “RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, express our total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages.”
[12] Seventh-Day Adventist: “Historic Stand for Temperance Principles and Acceptance of Donations Statement Impacts Social Change”. General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. 1992. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
http://web.archive.org/web/20061206110804/http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat26.html. “While some Christian denominations have lessened their emphasis on temperance, Seventh-day Adventists have continued to vigorously oppose the use of alcohol, tobacco, and improper drugs. The stand of the Church advocating abstinence from harmful substances is well established in the Church’s fundamental beliefs.”
[13] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Doctrine and Covenants, section 89: Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, February 27, 1833. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng. “That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.”
