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iQuestions Faculty, Dr. Tim Kimmel 
 
 
Question: 
 
My husband and I think it's okay to drink alcohol if done in moderation 
but we don't want it to adversely affect our kids. Is this okay? 
 
Answer: 
 
You know, the whole question of what role alcohol plays in a family is 
a crucial question when it comes to our role as parents. 
 
Let me back up from this one, and kind of take in a bigger picture.  
 
First of all, for some parents, the better thing for them is not to have 
any alcohol in their home and not consume any, because they were 
brought up in a home with alcoholism, they might have a propensity 
towards it, they have struggled with it in the past, maybe they 
struggled as a teenager, and you’re better off for your own sake not to 
have it part of your life. 
 
But when you look at it from a biblical point of view, what does the 
Bible say? Well, the Bible doesn’t forbid people from consuming 
alcohol. If you take the whole counsel of God, you can take some 
isolated verses and prove your point, but you have got to take the 
whole Bible. It doesn’t forbid them. What it says is, we are not 
supposed to be intoxicated. 
 
So, if you don’t have a background or something that you are worried 
about, a balanced way to do this thing is, you say, “OK. If we’re going 
to have alcohol in our home, we want to show our kids how to handle 
it properly and respectfully.” And the Bible gives you that freedom, as 
long as you take these other contingencies there.  
 
 
 
If there are weaker people in your life—and there could be relatives, 
friends, a neighbor—then you don’t drink alcohol there. And you have 
got to keep in mind that there is an example to the kids.  
 
You know, alcohol is one of the biggest problems among teenagers 
today. So, you have got to study your kids, and for their sake, you 
make the choice that is best for them. 
 
Now, in our home, because of the struggles that kids have with 
alcohol, we chose that we’re not going to have any beer in our home. 
Why? Because this is a big problem. Plus, I worked with young people, 
and I didn’t want to misrepresent it. Did I feel like that meant I could 
never have any of it? No. That’s not what the Bible says. I just did it in 
deference to them. 
 
But God does give us freedom if we want to, as long as we make sure 
we’re not using this thing just for our own indulgence and not taking 
into consideration the impact it has on others. 
 
Listen, the best thing you can do is show your kids how to handle 
these things properly, rather than just forbid them and do a broad-
brush condemnation of it.  
 
The Bible puts the bubble in the middle, and the more you can do that 
with yourself as well as your kids, the more you set them up to play 
out a life filled with grace and for God’s glory in the future.  
 
To download a printable version of this transcript, click here.