On Friday March 1st, Chaplain Grant Lowe gave a chapel talk on the subject of not letting temptation cause you to sin. Overall, Lowe’s talk and message were very necessary and in a lot of ways enriching when considered in a vacuum. But when you consider what he had to say with the backdrop of the context of his talk, some of the content caused a lot of people frustrations with this chapel talk in lieu of Spring Break coming up.
In discussions with fellow seniors, I found a common thread: we all felt that the context of the talk, and the story that Chaplain Lowe chose to frame his talk around served two detrimental, albeit likely unintentional, purposes. These two purposes were to first encourage a staunch legalism among some of the students who are already inclined towards avoiding alcohol, and second to alienate those at Covenant who already feel disrespected, or perhaps like they are treated like children because of several of the school’s policies.
Let me now address a few ideas that are necessary for your understanding of this matter. I have never been a supporter of contract, and I am very outspoken in my disdain for some of the stipulations of contract: most notably the school’s alcohol policy that seems to be more readily enforced and punished then their sex policy. The second is that I am in no way trying to diminish Chaplain Lowe’s own struggle with alcohol, he referenced it in the talk so I have no qualms with referencing it here. I have so much respect for Chaplain Lowe and anyone who has overcome an issue with alcohol.
The issue here is not specifically with Chaplain Lowe’s talk, but rather with Covenant’s overall propensity towards legalism in the enforcement of their rules, and in the rules themselves.
For those of us who were diligently taught by our parents or siblings to drink with our faith in mind, as well as with care and moderation, the only time we are ever able to enjoy having a relaxing drink is during an official school break, which are far from frequent (an unfortunate reality that is unavoidable under an academic calendar). The longest break we have to decompress is Spring Break. Yet Covenant for some reason, despite being a Presbyterian institution, tends to push the idea that alcohol is evil and sinful, despite this not being biblically founded, and insinuate that students should avoid alcohol altogether.
If you have ever had a genuine conversation with me about alcohol you would know that I am one of the greatest advocates for knowing your limits and not testing those limits. Drunkenness is a sin, drinking is not. Naturally the juvenile assumption is that because drunkenness is a sin, and drinking leads to drunkenness, clearly you should just avoid drinking. That tactic works for some people, but whenever someone presents an argument similar to this, the obvious response is that you are still letting the idea of drunkenness, or more simply alcohol, rule your life and your decisions.
Beyond this, Covenant continues using this idea that you should completely avoid alcohol using scare tactics rather than faithfully teaching their students to drink in moderation, and enjoy themselves without falling into sin. As such, I think that the overall message of Chaplain Lowe’s talk can be applied to this article as the same moral. Do not let temptation cause you to sin, but that temptation is not simply temptation to a physical sin, but the sin of legalism and judgment as well.
The way that Covenant handles the issue of alcohol, even in preparation for break (example: the board that sat in Carter Lobby the entire week leading up to Spring Break), encourages a legalism among the students who already avoid alcohol, and gives them the impression they are more righteous than those who do enjoy a drink now and then because they don’t touch the stuff.
I have no issue with people who do not drink alcohol, they are no greater or lesser than those who do. But legalism stems from fear, fear of slipping into sin, and that is no longer being above reproach. As long as that fear is ruling your decision and not the Word of God, you are letting temptation lead you to sin.