158 Beer and Updating the Blogroll

This morning I spent some time updating my blogroll for this site, and specifically added some Lutherans. I've been a Lutheran since 1976--almost 30 years--and attended a Lutheran church when I was in elementary school because our town didn't have a Church of the Brethren. I'm a member of one of the largest Lutheran churches in the United States, with 3 campuses.

Even so, I'm still a bit surprised at how "worldly" Lutherans are compared to the Anabaptist tradition in which I was raised. I rejected some sites for inclusion because of "trash talking," and I'm puzzled at their fascination with beer. OK, so maybe you want to glory in our German roots, but in the 21st century, alcohol is still destroying a lot of lives and costing us billions in social and personal damage. Drink beer if you wish, but what does it have to do with a witness for Jesus Christ? (Please, no wineskin stories here--I've heard them all. I'm talking about "glorifying" beer drinking, not proverbs about the Kingdom.)