Jesus Christ - King of the Brews

"Do you suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused? Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we then prohibit and abolish women?” -Martin Luther

* Historically, God’s people have greatly enjoyed alcohol. In the European world one of the most Christian drinks was beer. * Saint Gall was a missionary to the Celts and renowned brewer. * After Charlemagne’s reign, the church became Europe’s exclusive brewer. * When a young woman was to marry, her church made a special bride ale for her, from which we derive our word bridal. * Pastor John Calvin’s annual salary package included upwards of 250 gallons of wine. * Martin Luther explained the entire reformation as “..while I sat still and drank beer with Phillip and Amsdorf, God dealt the papacy a mighty blow.” * Luther’s wife Catherine was a skilled brewer and his love letters to her when they were apart lamented his inability to drink her beer. * When the Puritans landed on Plymouth Rock the first permanent building they erected was the brewery.

So what happened?