I have a folder of articles on the benefits of smoking. It's a thin folder. There are, however, a few noteworthy benefits: relaxation, settling effects for people with nervous disorders, increased concentration, suppression of appetite. You can't say that smoking is all bad. Everything that God created is good and ought not be rejected but received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:4)—even nicotine. And yet, anyone taking up smoking today, in an age where it has been medically and legally demonstrated that smoking causes cancer and is likely to be the major cause of death by 2020, hasn't done much work on the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’. The devastating biological damage which smokers experience outweighs any positive effects of smoking.
_But smoking has come and gone in fashion among Christians. There have been times when, in some denominations, it was common to smoke—even in church. And there have been other times in which smoking has been almost a sign of leaving the faith. Smoking tends to get attached to a culture, but that culture has varied from time to time. For instance, a stereotypical photo of an erudite European theology lecturer from the middle of the 20th century would often feature a pipe or cigarette. Such a photo is today unimaginable on the back cover of a book by, say, an American evangelical scholar. For the European, it was associated with a culture of learning and moral rectitude; for the American it represents a rebellion that ought not be associated with Christian living and thinking.
_The relationship between drugs and Christians is not always as obvious as it seems. The drug questions facing Christians of the mid-20th century seem petty when compared with the drug-related issues confronting Christians in the new millennium. The advances in medical technology have produced a vast range of drugs for ‘treating’ every conceivable human condition from pregnancy to depression to obesity to nausea. The growth of naturopathy and herbal remedies has paralleled the growth in medically-tested treatments. At the same time, use of ‘hard drugs’ such as cocaine, heroin and amphetamines is increasingly common and the consequences of long-term drug use increasingly visible in Western cities. It seems as if the answer to every human ailment, and the cause of many, is found in the form of a pill.
_Is this a good or bad thing? Does the Bible provide guidance on an issue such as this? How do we decide what kinds of drugs we ought to take, and which we ought to avoid? Can we draw such distinctions?
_This article covers a lot of ground very quickly, with the aim of providing some useful basic information for dealing with drug issues in our churches. After differentiating between kinds of drugs and their uses, the article presents some useful facts and figures on drug use in Australia (US readers see www.lec.org/WOD/USA. UK readers see www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds). It then considers what it is that attracts people to drug use and how we can improve our use of the Bible in responding to the issues.
_I began the article referring to smoking, but many people don't even think of nicotine as in the category of ‘drug’. Likewise, with alcohol. Does the grandmother having a glass of sherry in the evening consider herself a drug user? She should.
_A drug is anything that produces an altered chemical balance in the bloodstream and an associated altered mood. To this extent, Coca Cola is a drug; chilli might be considered a drug; coffee is a drug. Drug-taking has been part of human culture for as long as we have records. However, the last 200 years have seen the capacity to generate new chemicals, and the research to establish their modes of action. Today, when we think of drugs, we tend to think in three categories: medicine, recreation, and addiction
_Medicinal uses of drugs are, by and large, considered a positive thing. There are many debates about what drugs should be allowed to which people, but there are few people suggesting that the availability of drugs to treat existing conditions or prevent likely conditions is a bad thing. Among Christians, there is a range of attitudes to medicinal drug use but it is not significantly different from the non-Christian population. Our questions revolve around the safe usage of the drug, understanding of effects and side-effects, and the consequences of drug use for others (e.g. contraceptives).
_Recreational drug use is an area which causes much more anguish among Christians. Should Christians drink or smoke? What kinds of drugs are acceptable for Christians to use to relax? Is it an area of freedom, or an area of ethical distinctiveness? Should Christians mark themselves out from the rest of the community by their attitude to recreational drug use? These are all valuable and difficult questions and we will endeavour to see whether Scripture can shed light on them a little later. One of the key issues for Christians seems to be the level of mood alteration which a drug causes.
_Addiction occurs when a person becomes physically, emotionally and psychologically dependent on a substance for daily living. Addictive drugs are often illegal or restricted in availability. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and amphetamines have addictive qualities which seriously compromise the ability of users to give them up. They also have broader, more overwhelming effects than other drugs. Some involve dream-like ‘trips’, but the individual is usually immobile during such experiences (in other words, they have no physical impact upon other people). Cocaine is the most addictive; heroin is the most organically damaging. Ecstasy and marijuana seem to cause less problems but still generate overwhelming sensations. The Christian attitude to such substances is clear so long as they are illegal (we shall discuss this later). But it is important that we consider now what attitudes we might have to them if they become legally available.
_A great deal of research is becoming available on the medical, social and cultural consequences of drug use. Inevitably, it is used by politicians to push their particular agenda, and the statistics are ‘angled’ to support the kind of social policy that is being promoted. Below are some facts and figures which seem relevant to a Christian discussion of the issue. Most of this information is available in The National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 1995.
_These facts and figures tell us something about drug use in our society, but they only begin to hint at the wider factors involved. It is not just that a certain percentage of individuals use particular drugs; it is just as important to note that they do so as part of a particular sub-culture.
_For example, it is increasingly common for young people to dabble with illicit drugs. Why do they do that? The followingreasons seem to be most significant:
_For these and other reasons, a large percentage of young people dabble in illicit drugs. Most pass through the phase. What is so damaging for those who do not is that ongoing drug use not only becomes physically destructive, but sweeps the user into the destructive sub-culture of ‘users’, with all its attendant problems. This dysfunctional sub-culture is as much the problem as the effects of the drugs themselves.
_This is compounded by the affects of addiction. The addiction can be physical, but it is often emotional and psychological. It may amount to an insurmountable desire to recover the feeling of the last ‘trip’, regardless of the consequences. Addiction is almost always an unwanted consequence of drug use. Very few people begin taking drugs with the intention of becoming addicted; everyone thinks they will be able to ‘control’ their use. Addiction is usually a gradual process, and one which is hard to track. In other words, it can be very difficult for a drug user to ascertain when they are becoming addicted.
_As a physical and psychological condition, addiction requires proper treatment. Whilst it is likely the outcome of sinful behaviour on the part of the addict, it is not a state which the addict can necessarily recover from on his or her own. Help is required (see ‘Tips For Helping Friends’ below). We have to recognise addictive behaviours of all sorts (pornography, physical/sexual abuse, gambling) and get proper counselling for addicted people.
_An addict has surrendered his or her free will to the control of an external force. It's not the same as idolatry (which involves elevating creation to the level of God), but has some similarities. Addicts are often seeking peace and comfort from sources other than God and his provision. If the addict is a Christian, they have returned to a kind of slavery which most likely makes it impossible to serve Jesus Christ. “Live as free men,” Peter writes, “but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God” (1 Pet 2:16).
_We come now to consider some Christian approaches to the issues surrounding drug use. Our use of the Bible in responding to the issues has been inadequate thus far, and the usual arguments for why people should not use illicit drugs are founded more in conservative culture than in Scripture. By looking more closely at the gospel of Jesus, we can find stronger foundation for dealing with this issue, perhaps with some surprising outcomes.
_There are three common Christian responses to this issue. Each has some value, but two of the three are also flawed.
_This is the watertight answer to the drug question. As long as they are illegal, and as long as their illegal status is not jeopardising the gospel of Jesus and our allegiance to it, then there is no excuse for Christians using illegal substances. The Bible is clear: “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established ... Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves” (Rom 13:1-2).
_The command of Scripture is clear: “Honour God with your body” (1 Cor 6:20). However, the meaning of this phrase is not quite so clear. How do we honour God with our bodies? We know that we ought not be sexually immoral, but it is less clear how drugs are implicated in this command. Alcohol, for instance, is explicitly commended in Scripture, given by God to “gladden the heart of man” (Ps 104:15). So, drugs per se are not the problem. The fact that we are filled by the Holy Spirit rather than alcohol emphasizes the way in which our lives ought to be totally ruled by God's will rather than anything else. Inasmuch as drug use is similar to drunkenness, this is a prohibition against overuse and intoxication. But it does not say that any drug use is wrong.
_Again, this is true, but there needs to be more attention to what self-control involves. For example, if someone is highly anxious but becomes calm by smoking cigarettes, are they or are they not pursuing self-control? If a tired, listless editor (for argument's sake) has a strong cup of coffee to help him through the morning, is that or is that not self-control? Does self-control mean not taking any medication because this would mean surrendering control to the medication? It seems unlikely. Speaking about food and sex, Paul writes “I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor 6:12). Does this apply to drug use?
_The idea of self-control in Scripture seems to revolve around restraining the sinful nature and patiently waiting for the time of salvation (Gal 5:23; 1 Thess 5:6-8; 1 Pet 4:7, 5:8; 2 Pet 1:3-9). Self-control seems to involve maintaining perspective on yourself, your standing before God, and your future as a part of the body of Christ. It is often mistakenly thought of as ‘saying no to everything’, and this may prove to be counter-productive.
_Whilst valuable and important, these three standard Christian arguments have at times been misused to support either a conservative or a liberal approach to drug use. Stepping back just a little, there are two larger theological truths which can help our thinking about drugs.
_The first is that God has made the world for mankind to inhabit, rule and enjoy according to the structures and laws that are built into the fabric of the creation. In other words, there is a right way to live in the creation; a God-given way to participate in it and rule it (often referred to in the Old Testament as ‘wisdom’). Now insofar as a drug (or any substance) assists us to participate fully in the reality of the world (to live well and rightly) then it should be received with thanksgiving. The wine that gladdens man's heart, the medicine that restores our health, the cup of coffee that lifts and energises us—these are good things. Conversely, insofar as a drug hinders or subverts our participation in the reality of God's world, it is harmful. This is why drunkenness and intoxication of all kinds are fundamentally wrong— they are ‘anti-reality’. They prevent us from thinking and acting rightly, or in accordance with reality.
_The second important truth that should inform our thinking is that God has a future for our world. The death and resurrection of Jesus have brought about the fulfilment of God's plan of salvation. We live in the end times, when we expect Christ to return to judge the world, and to usher in the new age of eternity. We long for his arrival, and we trust that it will come in God's good timing. Until then, we recognise that this is the hour of salvation, when God is gathering more and more people into his church.
_Everything we do in this shadow-world, this vale of tears, needs to be seen in the light of this future. The New Testament reiterates this perspective over and over again: to live is Christ, to die is gain (Phil 1:21); our present sufferings are nothing compared with the glory that awaits us (Rom 8:18); we are to set our hope fully on the grace that is to be given us when Christ is revealed (1 Pet 1:13).
_Such language may seem too broad and impractical in the face of earthly issues such as drug use, but it is surprisingly practical when it becomes a means of directing one's thinking. It gives us an angle from which to view all of our decisions: do they take us towards the risen Christ, or away from him?
_It even gives you a way of approaching the question of smoking. If you want to rush yourself into an early grave and meet the saviour, take up smoking. If you want to serve him here on earth for as long as possible, give it a miss. Then again, for argument's sake, if smoking helps you to serve him by calming your nerves, and that outweighs any responsibility to (say) family that means you need to prolong your life, might you smoke for the sake of your ministry? An aspirin and a good lie down, some counselling, or properly prescribed relaxants might all be better options, but the point is that all decisions, even those concerning drug use, take place within our attempts to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
_Rob and Claire Smith, who minister at St Clement's, Mosman in Sydney, have come up with 10 brief suggestions for dealing with alcohol and illicit drug use amongst one's Christian friends. Their tips are:
_It is the year 2020. Marijuana and many other currently illicit drugs are legally available under certain guidelines. At a dinner party of Christian and non-Christian friends, you are offered a chardonnay with your nibblies, a nice red with the main course, followed by coffee and a stick of marijuana.
_How do you decide whether or not to take each drug?
_The National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 1995, 1998 (not available at time of writing). (The 2001 Survey is now available at http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/ndshs01)
_‘Towards a Diocesan Policy on Drugs’, Sydney Diocese Social Issues Committee, www.anglicanmediasydney.asn.au/socialissues/publications/drugs.htm.
_Thanks to Rob and Claire Smith for providing some of the data which appears in this article.
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