Church in the 21st Century… Beer Please!
March 2019: Welcome to Castle Church Brewing Community in Orlando, Florida.
https://www.castlechurchbrewing.com
We are a community that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. This faith comes through the good news of Jesus Christ and gives us the freedom and the courage to wonder, discover and boldly participate in what God is up to in the world. We welcome you to participate in this community of faith –regardless of your age, race, gender, life experience, complexities and questions. You have a unique story that can only add to the richness of the larger story that makes up Castle Church. There is a place for you here!
The point of this post is not to bash and shame this local church. It is not all bad. It is not all right by Christ either.
I am not opposed to drinking. I have been known to drink an adult beverage or two. Can a person come to know the saving power of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ over an alcoholic beverage? Sure they can.
John 2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
For all the teetotalers out there, Jesus is throwing one hell of a party. Jesus subjected a wedding party to 120-180 gallons of wine. And He kept the good stuff (120-180 gallons) for the end of the party after the people have drunk freely. See John 2 for the complete story.
Colossians 3:9-11 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
The church claims to be a “Reconciling in Christ” congregation. By their definition… Castle Church openly and unambiguously affirms persons and couples of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
It is one thing to welcome people from all social, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender identification, and diverse backgrounds. It is another to condone sinful behavior. The culture has it wrong when they equate sexual behavior (regardless of the age, orientation, and context) apart from Biblical marriage as “love”.
Matthew 19:4-5 He (Jesus) answered, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?…
God loves the sinner; but He does not condone or love the sinful behavior. Do not kid yourself. We are called to change our behavior as a new creation in Jesus Christ. He died and paid the fine for all deviant sin. Yes, any sin is deviant regardless of how small we humans view it. His resurrection demonstrates He has power over sin and death. Christ’s efforts for sin are not to be twisted or mocked.
Would it be a good idea to bring a non believer or a brother or sister in Christ who struggles with alcohol or chemical addiction to this local body? One can study the Bible over a beer. Will anyone be accountable to another if somebody is drinking too much? They have “connect groups”. They have a great selection of draughts. How much is too much? And who decides? Look forward to deep theological discussions over a beer(s).
Is this group building up the body of Christ? One can participate in yoga and share a beer later. They have volunteer groups participating in the community. Wear trendy “swag” while representing the church. A calendar of events is on display for all to join.
https://www.castlechurchbrewing.com/
Everyone is encouraged to check out their website. Read and discern very carefully for yourself.
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