No. This post is not a true confession about me purchasing a scotch on the rocks or a case of beer. It's not a post trying to persuade you to think like me, either. It is simply a post on why, after receiving a free autographed copy of Peter Lumpkins' first book, ALCOHOL TODAY, Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence, it was worth forking out the money to purchase five more copies of the book.
Apart from the fact that I personally know the author and can, with great privilege, call him a loyal friend of thirty years, I am persuaded that this book is worth giving as a gift to some folks I know.
One copy is going to my daughter. I'm trying to keep her from sinning. No, she isn't a drunkard. In fact, she agrees with the entire premise of the book's content. So why would she want to read something she already agrees with when she is such a busy wife/mother/deacon's wife? As it happened she saw my copy and was green with envy. As she poured over the back cover, she got greener. She said, "You need to give this to Bro. Doug." She recalled multiple conversations with Peter that she'd had as a child, a teenager, a young adult when he would visit with us and preach revivals. She knew his passion for young people and the concern he had for their well-being. So that is why I bought the first copy of ALCOHOL TODAY--for her--I simply couldn't have her coveting mine. She needed her own. It provides more logical reasoning and vital information to help her as she deals with her teenage sons and guides teens at church. It cites statistics that show "an estimated 46 MILLION persons 12 and older are binge drinkers...an estimated 300 drinking "binges" per day by 12 to 13 year olds alone." It makes the argument that if it is morally acceptable for one to indulge in a mind-altering drug such as alcohol, it only lends credence to posit for any other mind-altering drug as morally acceptable. Such should not be.
Peter Lumpkins' passion for abstinence is superceded only by his passion for living for Christ and surrendering to Him every portion of his life. Writing this book stems in part from Peter's call as a young man to preach the Gospel. He knows firsthand how one taste of fermented, adulturated grain or fruit places children, teenagers and young people at dangerous risk. He knows how the negative example of a parent or respected leader sets a trap for these young people. In ALCOHOL TODAY, Peter shares scientific and historical evidence that speaks to the issue of indulgence and the cost and toll it takes upon society. But greater still is his clear, succinct Biblical case for abstinence.
Another reason I bought 5 copies of ALCOHOL TODAY is because I wanted to give one to my pastor as my daughter suggested. I dearly love our pastor and his expository preaching. I love the messages he preaches on the grace of God, the joy of Christ, and the sovereignty of God in Job's life. I love the fact that he never preaches on politics but preaches the Word of God and how our relationship with God should be reflected in our life choices and actions. I love that he leads our church to support the Pregnancy Resource Center in our town which helps young women who are considering abortion to decide to keep their babies instead of killing them. I love that he does not see color when he looks at the shade of someone's skin. And I knew my pastor didn't need a book that offered the same old arguments and worn-out phrases he'd heard for years on the subject of alcohol abstinence, and would appreciate a fresh approach to the position. So, I believed it would be a great resource for his library. When my pastor looked at the cover and read the title, he nodded affirmatively, and said, "We need this." And now he has it.
So why else would I buy 5 copies of ALCOHOL TODAY? I was reading mine while waiting for my Christian counselor. When I went in for my appointment, she saw it. She took my copy and scanned the contents. The chapter on Prohibition captured her eye. "I just heard a discussion on the Christian radio today about Prohibition. This is great! I need a copy." I told her I had one on the way. I wanted to give it to her for all she has done for me in processing the death of my son who was killed as a result of his tolerance with another's drunkenness.
My counselor insisted on paying me right then and there. She was thrilled when I delivered her copy. She did not need to read a book on all the woes of alcohol. She counseled families, abused women, and children--every day--who were living examples of the consequences of the alcohol industry. She didn't need more conviction for her own position of abstinence as a pastor's wife or therapist. No. She wanted the book for the same reason most people ought to read this book. She thumbed through the impressive 6-page bibliography. She knew immediately that this little 166-page volume was far more than one man's experience and dogmatic viewpoint. She knew it was a piece of scholarly apologetics on the abstinence of alcohol in a culture ignited by passion, desire and myopic pleasure-seeking. She wanted to see the first book published in over 50 years that addressed this issue from a Biblical perspective. And now she has it.
Another reason I bought 5 copies of ALCOHOL TODAY is because I knew God wanted me to place two volumes in the Cameron University Library here in Lawton, Oklahoma. I wanted them to have a book on their shelves that spoke with solid Biblical reason and academic evidence for the position of abstinence. I wanted a university to have Peter's first book because of his love for education and the hunger for learning truth and dividing it from falsehoods and presumptions. It's in honor of that respect for academia that I will donate these to them. Who knows what God will do with this little volume? I don't. But I do know one thing.
I know what God has done with the young boy whose most vivid memory of his father is that he always had a beer in his hand. I know how God took that young man from a life filled with his own life-threatening alcohol abuse to become an educated man, pastor and writer. And I know that if anyone reads this book they will not be disappointed for having spent the money. For even opponents to his position will have to think hard and long about the arguments he presents. Even they will appreciate the "riveting manner" in which he builds his argument and makes his point. Even they will judge ALCOHOL TODAY with a critical eye that will challenge more thought and provoke a response and engage others in conversation. And all because a man led by God, saved by grace and living by faith, answered the call to address one of the most controversial issues of his era--alcohol in an age of indulgence. selahV
[At the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, KY, Peter Lumpkins and Dr. Jerry Vines will be present for a Book Signing Monday, June 22, 2009 from 11 am - 12 noon. The Book Signing will take place in the LifeWay Bookstore part of the SBC Display area.]
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