Bible Discussion Thread

I am a Southern Baptist but I don t abstain from drinking wine Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding he drank wine with disciples at the Last Supper and Paul suggested to Timothy that he drink some wine to settle his stomach Paul also said that overseers should not be given to drunkenness and elders should not indulge in much wine I can understand the Baptists preaching abstinence to prevent addiction to alcohol but don t feel guilty about having a glass of wine at dinner at home or at a restaurant But it keeps me from accepting nomination to become an elder

Charles, I have a question. I hope this doesn't offend as I too am from the South, but exactly why do Southern Baptists call themselves, Southern Baptists? I've never heard a Yankee say I'm a Northern Baptist? Are the Yankees ashamed to call themselves Northern Baptists? Or is there no such thing as a Northern Baptist? Are there Eastern and Western Baptists?

I am also from the South. I was born in Ky. There were indeed Northern Baptists, they just do not seem to refer to themselves that way. So good question. They were a distinct group not affiliated with the southern baptists. I am not sure where or if the group exists today, but they existed in history. We studied a bit about them in Church history class around the time of the civil war.

It's not about what we feel guilty or not about. God's word is full of bad examples of what alcohol does to a person or their situation.