Drinking With Calvin and Luther!: A History of Alcohol in the Church (Paperback)

~ Jim West (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Oakdown; Rev Exp edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970032609
• ISBN-13: 978-0970032607
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #375,694 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joy, March 28, 2004

By	Raymond Cannata "Rev. R. Cannata" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Biblical Christians tend to overcorrect. We see the significant destruction abuse of alcohol has wrought, and we want to ban it all. But to do that is to cast aside a good gift of God. Its like forbidding all eating just because so many abuse food and overeat. The Bible is clear -- drunkenness and/or addiction: bad, drinking (in moderation): good.

Rev. Jim West makes an airtight case that the Reformers had a far different view than post-Temperance Movement pietists. And he does it with sly humor and real style. This is a truly wonderful book on a lot of levels -- history, Christian living, arts and culture, Biblcial studies, humor. Its even got chapters on how to select a good drink. Really loved this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOL!, October 15, 2003

By	Mark Nenadov "arm-chair reader" (Lasalle, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a funny yet serious look at the history of alcohol in Protestant Christianity. It is very enlightening and shares a lot of history and scripture about alcohol.

In all of that, it still manages to be very tounge-in-cheek. It almost had me rolling on the floor a couple of times.

This book proves, that contrary to what Prohobitionists might like to tell you, godly men of ages past enjoyed fermented beverages in moderation. It will make you want to abstain from alcohol in moderation.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweeter Than Wine..., April 9, 2006

By	steve nobelli "steve" (Nashville, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Jim West proved to be an insighful, knowledgeable, and humorous writer. His mix of history, theology, and science integrate to form a modern textbook on the subject of alcohol in the church. It's sad that although Jesus drank, and the Church accepted alcohol use for over 1900 years, many Protestants have upheld abstinence and demonized alcohol within the last century of so. West shows that an overwhelming array of Godly men over the centuries drank in moderation and proved once for all that alcohol is not evil and there is no way under heaven that it can be shown that the Bible condemns it. I especially recommend this book to my fellow Baptists.