Industrial Revolution spurred alcohol anxiety in Christians
A great many people like to relax after a long day. Yet when one takes a sip of the modern glass, one follows in the footsteps of prophets, apostles and religious leaders of the past who drank wine even in religious ceremonies.
The Bible mentions wine 33 times in the New Testament alone. On many occasions it warns against intoxication.
The book of Proverbs is one of the older sections of the Hebrew Bible, and it warns, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Prov. 20:1) The prophets likewise warned of its dangers: “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!” (Isaiah 5:11).
On the other hand, wine is nowhere forbidden in the Bible and it is many times referred to in a kinder manner. In the Book of Ecclesiastes we read, “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.” Interestingly, parts of the New Testament considered wine a medicinal way, as when the Apostle warns young Bishop Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” (1 Tim 5:23) Obviously, wine was part of religious rituals in antiquity and today, and certainly used in the Passover
meal and in the Last Supper.
Wine in the ancient world was made with weaker yeast cultures than today, and it was probably about the strength of modern beer. Further, wine in antiquity was almost always diluted with water. To drink unmixed wine was considered barbaric. It was not made with specific grapes, such as modern cabernets or merlot. Some historians suggest it’s most likely many ancient wines were made from raisins, which were easier to store. There are still wines in Italy made from raisins, called “appassimento,” which have been produced in the same regions since Roman times.
Given the fact that Jesus drank wine, why do some Christian leaders disapprove of it? The answer does not come from the age of Reform in the 16th century. Martin Luther liked a beer after preaching, “while the Holy Spirit finishes my work.” Colonial Americans such as the Puritans would drink small amounts of beer.
Some writers have tried to argue that Jesus and others really drank grape juice and not wine, arguing the Greek word “oinos” can mean either grape juice or wine. This author respectfully disagrees. In classical literature “oinos” does not mean mere grape juice, but fermented wine. What is more, in the days before refrigeration, grape juice left in the sun turned into wine quickly and then vinegar. Anyone storing juice for more than a day or so would have a cask of wine whether they wanted it or not.
The answer to Christian concern about alcohol lies in the Industrial Revolution,
when new mechanical devices made it possible to produce stronger drinks cheaply and in large amounts. Distillation was known in ancient China and among the Romans, but was expensive. Industrial steam power, however, made it possible to create a large amount of cheap liquor because it could allow an enormous vat of sugary material to ferment, then pump it through a factory, and at the same time temperature control could ensure that the liquid was warm enough to allow the alcohol to escape but not to boil. By the early 19th century the process of continual distillation made it possible to produce spirits 24 hours a day.
Cheap gin and whiskey became the destroyers of lives and families in the horrible conditions of the new factories and mills. In the 18th and 19th centuries evangelical preachers widely condemned alcohol in all its forms as a danger to good health and Christian values. The first American temperance society was founded in Saratoga, N.Y., in 1808 at the very time when American factories were on the rise. “Mother’s ruin” became the doom of the urban workers. Some factory owners actually made it almost compulsory for the workers to take a short break for a free cup of cheap gin. Free gin was cheaper than the cost of heating the factories in the winter. The development of Protestant objections to the consumption of alcohol came out of bitter experience.
The age of the gin palace, hard liquor, and its devastating effects was a long way from the wine of the Bible. And both the Bible and alcohol abuse are still with us.