Dr. Jim Denison of the Denison Forum wrote a current events article about U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy’s advisory on Friday (1/3/2025) warning that “consuming alcohol increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer” including mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, breast (in women), liver, and colon and rectum. The advisory explains four ways alcohol causes an increased risk of cancer.
Dr. Denison remembers a statement by one of his seminary professors who said there was “no case for total abstention in the Bible,” pointing (in part) to Apostle Paul’s admonition to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23, “[n]o longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” and Luke 22:18, when at the Last Supper, Jesus used “the fruit of the vine” to represent “the new covenant in My blood.”
On the other hand, Dr. Denison reminds us that the Bible often warns against drunkenness, pointing (in part) to Ephesians 5:18, “[d]o not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery” and Proverbs 20:1, “[w]ine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
Do we know more today than those who wrote the Bible and even the One who inspired it? This is a much larger question than the issue of alcohol consumption!
The Denison Forum current events article may be read in full HERE.
