Alcohol and Tobacco

The Korean Church's Tradition of Abstinence

Most of the Presbyterian and Methodist missionaries who came to Korea in the late nineteenth century had been influenced by the temperance movement. Drinking and opium use were also serious problems in Korean society at the time. The church taught that giving up alcohol and tobacco was a sign of new life, and abstinence from both became a distinctive characteristic of Korean Protestants. Many denominations still include it among the qualifications or vows required of church officers. The practice of using grape juice instead of wine in Holy Communion also arose from this tradition.

The Case for Abstinence

• "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess" (Ephesians 5:18), along with the warning in Proverbs not even to look upon wine (Proverbs 23:31).
• The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
• Even if one is personally free to drink, one may cause a person who is weak in faith to stumble (Romans 14:21).
• The harm that drinking causes in Korean society, and the value of abstinence for evangelism and as a mark of separation from the world.

The Case Against Prohibition

• What the Bible forbids is drunkenness, not drinking itself. Jesus turned water into wine at Cana (John 2), and Paul told Timothy to use a little wine (1 Timothy 5:23).
• Making a rule not found in Scripture into a standard of faith amounts to legalism.
• Within the worldwide church, Anglicans, Lutherans, the Reformed churches of Europe, and others teach moderation but do not prohibit drinking itself.

Because the Bible does not mention tobacco directly, those who favor abstinence argue on the grounds of health, addiction, and the edification of others.

The Present Situation

Surveys indicate that a growing number of church members drink, particularly in the context of after-work company dinners, and views within the church differ by generation. Some churches maintain the tradition of abstinence, while others leave the matter to individual conscience. Both sides agree that drunkenness and addiction are sinful.