Why Not Beer for Communion?
Most people know that wine is at the very heart of Christian communion (except for Methodists and a few other denominations that use grape juice... definitely a poor substitution). But why not beer? An award winning brewery in Jerusalem did some research and, with the help of geneticists from Tel Aviv University, were able to brew some beer using a strain of wheat that was available about the time Jesus was supposedly walking around there. Just one sip and it was clear why wine was the preferred sacred drink of the Bible.
But beer brewing has come a long way since Biblical times. Just look at how frequently brew pubs are popping up. Perhaps a solution to so many people leaving religion (22.8 % unaffiliated in 2014 and rising according to the Pew Research Center) could be reversed by serving beer at communion. And, not just a sip, the whole chalice!
Surely organized religion needs new ideas...
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DeleteAgreed. But, a lot more than just beer.
DeleteWine has come a long way as well (from what I've read, ancient wine left a lot to be desired). The ancient Geeks even blended it with salty sea water.
ReplyDeleteMy best guess as to why wine is used in communion rather than beer, would be the visual connection between red wine and blood.
But the question remains: Why is it called "red" wine when it is maroon or purple?
DeleteI imagine it's because "red" is the basic color term that rules that part of the spectrum. When it comes to purple foods, I don't think many European languages would use "purple" most of the time--they tend to swing "red" or "blue" depending on language or region (think of blueberries and red cabbage). Another example would be "red" hair--although that most likely has a historical explanation (before borrowing the idea of orange as a separate color from Arabic, European languages considered the spectrum stretching from "red" to "orange" to be one color "red"; some languages, like Hindi or Farsi, still do this.).
ReplyDeleteWhew! Pretty complete explanation. Would you happen to know what kind of "red" wine, e.g.,merlot, cabernet, etc. communion wine is?
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