Evangelical attitudes toward alcohol have become considerably more tolerant in recent years, judging by the trend of evangelical educational institutions lifting their long-time bans on drinking, reports Christianity Today magazine (December).
Last summer, Moody Bible Institute, a leading center for training evangelical leaders, lifted its restriction on drinking for its employees, following similar moves by Wheaton College, Huntington University and Asbury Seminary. Some evangelicals have moved beyond toleration to actually advocating alcohol as a gift to be enjoyed.
Reclamation Brewing Co. in Butler, Penn., was founded by evangelicals who see making craft beer as an art. While the climate has changed, a segment of evangelicals are not likely to accept drinking anytime soon. The article cites Paige Patterson, president of Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, who says that the school will not be lifting its alcohol ban — a prohibition still in force among most Southern Baptist pastors.