Bethlehem had no church Constitution or Covenant. From 1945 to 1965 Bethlehem lived under a Covenant identical to the one we have today except that for those 20 years there was no clause about abstaining from alcoholic beverages. The Constitutional effect of this amendment in 1965 was to make total abstinence from the use and sale of alcoholic beverages a prerequisite for church membership. The amendment before the church this Thursday is to replace the sentence about total abstinence from alcohol with a such broader commitment that would require a good deal of heart searching and Biblical self-examination. I wish I could help everyone see that the reason I support this amendment so strongly is not to encourage, but to avoid a great evil.
Alcohol abuse is a great evil in our land.
And no one can reasonably construe the proposed amendment to countenance such abuse. Not only that, I regard total abstinence generally as a wise and preferable way to live in our land today. It's the way I live, and the way I will teach my sons to live. The proposed amendment is not designed to encourage anyone to drink alcoholic beverages. It is designed to drive us to Biblical, spiritual self-examination in view of the stupendous fact that we are God's dwelling and are called to love one another and to build up faith wherever we can.