Slideshow image

This is the final post on C.S. Lewis. Please read this all the way through. 

One of the most engaging seminars on C.S. Lewis was done by Dr. Knox Chamblin (who died in 2012) at Reformed Theological Seminary. This series explored primarily Lewis’ life, his works and his theology. In one of the earlier seminars, Dr. Chamblin shared this historic interaction between the well-known fundamentalist Dr. Bob Jones Jr. and C.S. Lewis. Asked afterwards for an assessment regarding the Oxford Don, Dr. Jones stated,

“That man smokes a pipe….and that man drinks liquor….but I do believe he is a Christian!” 

This quote leads us into the central thesis of this blog post, “What is the Christian’s position regarding alcohol and tobacco?”

***This post will not deal with use and abuse of marijuana specifically. 

I admit grappling with this issue is nothing new in the blogosphere or in pockets of evangelicalism. Furthermore, I will gladly confess that this blog post will not bring anything original to this provocative topic.

Being a Christian is not about abstaining from alcohol or tobacco.

I used to judge the individual who put out his cigarette and headed into his local church. To me, this person was a sinner, a hypocrite and a person who needed to cleanse himself of his addictions before he walked into the house of the Lord. In the judgment of my youthful self-righteousness, this person certainly could not be a Christian. But what does the Scriptures say?

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

It is amusing to me that through the puffy haze of a pipe and a frosty pint, Dr. Jones was convinced he saw a man whose greatest affections were for Jesus Christ, the Savior of drunkards. The above verse reveals what the legendary Fundamentalist saw: Lewis trusted in the alien righteousness of Christ; Lewis enjoyed the peace as one who was reconciled with God; Lewis lived out the joy as one who was given new desires by the Holy Spirit.

Does this mean Lewis was correct in his approach to alcohol and tobacco? Not necessarily. But again, this is not the essence of this point. It is a simple fact that consumption does not make the man, but it is what comes out of man.

Jesus said,“And He called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." (Matt. 15:10-11)

Young men love to invoke Spurgeon to defend their enjoyment of cigars and Lewis to support their taste for beer. Yet I would rather have young men look to emulate their orthodoxy and godly affections; since it is by these standards the God of Goodness will either smile or frown.

Don’t drink or use drugs to numb yourself.

Here are some interesting facts.

General facts:

  • Americans between the age of 18 to 25 are the most likely demographic to use addictive drugs. There are a variety of factors that make this age group particularly vulnerable including peer pressure, developing identity and finding footing as an adult.
  • 9 out of 10 people who have an addiction began drug or alcohol use before they were 18 years old. This is a strong case for intervening on behalf of youth early in life.
  • Alcohol abuse makes up the lion’s share of substance abuse in the U.S. population. It accounts for 73% of substance abuse. 37% of the population struggles with illicit drug use and 12% struggle with both alcohol and drug use.
  • Every year, 16 million Americans abuse prescription drugs. These are either drugs prescribed or obtained illegally from someone else. These 16 million Americans make up 6% of the population!
  • The earlier a person begins using drugs in life, the more likely they are to develop a substance abuse problem.
  • Deaths related to substance abuse seem to be trending upward. Overdose deaths tripled in the decade between 1999 and 2019 (from 6.1 to 21.6 per 100,000). Much of this increase is related to the widespread opioid epidemic that has swept the nation in recent years.

Alcohol abuse statistics

Alcohol abuse is a significant problem worldwide as it accounts for 5% of deaths globally each year. In the United States alone, it accounts for 73% of substance abuse. Alcohol abuse is of particular interest because alcohol is a legally obtained substance that also enjoys a high level of social acceptance. This makes it an especially easy gateway to abusing other substances and is one that is often hidden in plain sight as it is both common, readily available, and legal.

  • Six people die every day in the United States as a result of alcohol poisoning. These individuals are overwhelmingly non-Hispanic Caucasian males between the ages of 35 and 64.
  • Over 30 Americans die every day from alcohol-related car accidents.
  • 38 million Americans freely admit to binge drinking at least four times a month. During these binges, they admit to consuming at least 8 drinks in each binge.
  • Alcohol has a serious impact on the central nervous system and is linked to over 200 different medical conditions and diseases. Brain function is specifically impacted by excessive alcohol use.
  • Alcohol abuse has many short-term effects such as lack of coordination, slurred speech, memory loss, and impaired judgement. There are also serious long-term consequences such as liver damage, high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, depression, and anxiety.
  • Men aged between 18 and 25 are the most likely demographic to binge drink and develop an alcohol abuse problem.It is estimated that 15 million Americans struggle with alcohol abuse disorder each year while only 8% of those individuals receive treatment.
  • Alcohol is responsible for killing over 95,000 Americans each year.

Opioid Abuse Statistics

There is perhaps no more pressing issue related to substance abuse disorders over the past decade than the epidemic of opioid use. The number of lives that it has impacted in just a short time is nothing short of astronomical. While the tides are beginning to turn on opioid use with statistics pointing to a small downward trend in use amongst some demographics, much damage persists.

  • 50,000 people die each year from opioid misuse.
  • 3.4% of the American population over the age of 12 years old will misuse opioids at least once over a 12-month span.
  • At least 1% of the population, over 2.7 million Americans, qualify as having an opioid use disorder.
  • 38% of all drug overdose deaths in the United States can be attributed to the abuse of opioid painkillers. Many of these are drugs obtained legally through a prescription with Hydrocodone being the most prominent.
  • Over 16,000 people died as a result of an opioid overdose in 2020.
  • There was an 8.1% decline in opioid use in Americans over the age of 12 between 2019 and 2020. This is a positive trend!
  • More than 75% of worldwide opium production takes place in Afghanistan. Between 2016 and 2017, production in Afghanistan increased by a staggering 87% yielding 9000 tons annually.
  • $78.5 billion. That is the cost of opioid abuse annually in healthcare, legal costs, and lost productivity in America.
  • Pharmacies fill a mind-boggling 153 million prescriptions for opioids each year. This would be enough for almost half of Americans to be prescribed opioids.

Prescription drug use in the United States

  • The United States overwhelmingly spends more on prescription drugs than any other nation in the world due in large part to the out-of-pocket expense Americans are subject to for medication.
  • 66% of all Americans are actively taking some type of prescription drug. This amounts to 131 million Americans.
  • Prescription drug misuse is rampant in American society including 16.1 million individuals who admit to missing psychotherapeutic drugs and 9.3 million admiring missing prescription painkillers.

Who is abusing drugs in the United States?

Now that we know about what types of drugs are abused and how, the next question is, what population demographic groups are most likely the experience substance abuse disorder?

  • 22% of males and 17% of females have used drugs in the past year.
  • Younger individuals are more likely to use drugs, however, use amongst those over 40 years of age is on a steady increase. In fact, drug-related deaths amongst those over 50 years of age increase almost 3% annually.
  • Those who have previously used drugs and those who were recently released from prison are the demographics most at risk for substance abuse disorder.
  • 80% of veterans struggle with alcohol abuse. 7% of veterans suffer from illegal drug abuse as compared to 5% of the general population.
  • West Virginia has the nation’s highest rate of overdose deaths with 51.5 per 100,000.

The point: People regularly use prescription drugs and alcohol to numb themselves from the aches of their inner soul.

Is this why you drink alcohol–to forget? To find relief? Is your union in Christ not enough? Are the Scriptures not sufficient to give hope to a hurting heart?

Pink Floyd’s legendary song Comfortably Numb, says it all:

Come on

Now…I hear you're feeling down

I can ease your pain

Get you on your feet again

O.K….Just a little pinprick.

There'll be no more, ah!

But you may feel a little sick.

Can you stand up?

I do believe it's working, good.

That'll keep you going through the show

Come on it's time to go.

Though the lyrics are likely referring to cocaine or heroin, either way, the desire was to become numb to the pain of this existence.

What is the answer to the hurting Christian? A big view of God.

A proper (i.e. big) view of God attacks our anxious thoughts and replaces them with a peaceful confidence in Him.

Addiction is sin.

Why? Because addiction reveals that something or someone is controlling you other than the Lordship of Christ. Another way to put it is that addiction is not acting in faith and whatever is not done in faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).

Was Lewis addicted to nicotine? Probably. Testimonials reveal that Lewis’ doctors advised him to stop smoking and apparently he declined to submit to this encouragement.

And yet I would caution the reader in their judgment on Lewis or others. Is the sin of pride such an addiction? Does the evil lure of lust ever completely resolved in this life? Is there much difference between these types of addiction? If you were being honest, which addiction does the most damage to a person’s soul (and often the souls of others)? Is it not the addiction of pride?

To be clear, I am NOT saying that we should therefore be indifferent to addictions. By no means! Rather, we must fight for holiness, whether the snare of pride or any other physiological addiction, since all addictions are rooted in the individual’s replacement of true worship for false worship (Rom. 1:24-25).

Drinking can be a hindrance to “personal holiness”.

Notice I wrote CAN and not IS. In other words, drinking has the ability to be a hindrance. I am referring to drinking to excess? No, drunkenness is clearly forbidden in scripture and therefore, is not relevant to this discussion.

So when is drinking a hindrance to holiness?

If you have a propensity to drink to excess, maybe it is time for some biblical amputation (Matt. 5:29-30; Romans 13:14).

If you are still torn in your conscience, you shouldn’t drink (I Cor. 8:11). Furthermore, why spend so much energy fretting over something like drinking anyways? Again, it is not that important.

If you are in a cultural environment where drinking is viewed as sinful, immoral or irresponsible, you should be prepared to abstain for the sake of the gospel. Some of you will say, “Why do I have to curb or limit my freedoms for a legalistic Christian or church or culture?”Because God said so.

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. (1 Corinthians 9:15)

In other words, the liberty which we have attained through the gospel, frees us to lay aside our rights for the sake of the gospel.

Period.

One more thing, if this statement bristles you—YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED THAT YOU CARE MORE ABOUT YOUR LIBERTIES THAN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Conclusion

Jesus offers an abundant life to those who trust in Him. Jesus died to provide us rest and freedom. If you are looking to alcohol, recreational or prescription drugs to bring you rest (i.e. numb your pain) you will be disappointed. Jesus is big enough and powerful enough to heal your hurting soul. Go to Him.