Some are even arguing for abstinence. The above-quoted Nigerian clergyman claims: “Proverbs 20:1 says specifically that those who drink wine are not wise.” And asserts yet another preacher: “The Holy Scriptures condemn alcohol in the Book of Isaiah,” referring to the texts at Isaiah 5:11, 12, and Isa 5:22.

“Not Wise”​—For Whom?

Does this mean that alcohol is absolutely forbidden to Christians? What of the clergyman’s claim, mentioned in the preceding article, supposedly based on Proverbs 20:1, that “wise men do not drink wine at all.” The King James Version renders this verse: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Again, the Bible does not chastise those who drink wine but, rather, those who are deceived by it! “Those staying a long time with the wine” and “heavy drinkers of wine”​—these are the ones who are “not wise.”