Guinness uses "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" in "Empty Chair" commercial

[Shaynus] I find the beer aspect to be less interesting than the simple fact that hymns are used in advertising and movies at all.

Not too surprising in True Grit, at least. In the book, Mattie is a Bible-referencing Presbyterian who takes time out of her thrilling narrative to try to persuade the reader to adopt the doctrine of election.

I too am now a member of the Southern Church. I say nothing against the Cumberlands. They broke with the Presbyterian Church because they did not believe a preacher needed a lot of formal education. That is all right but they are not sound on Election. They do not fully accept it. I confess it is a hard doctrine, running contrary to our earthly ideas of fair play, but I can see no way around it. Read I Corinthians 6:13 and II Timothy 1:9, 10. Also I Peter 1:2, 19, 20 and Romans 11:7. There you have it. It was good enough for Paul and Silas and it is good enough for me. It is good enough for you too.

Regarding how beer is made, the actual “brewing” process is when the malt (germinated barley seeds and other sugars) is boiled with the water. So yes, the alcohol purifies it, but before that, it’s purified by the brewing process. It can be contaminated by pathogens from the air if the brewer is not careful, but today’s beer is also generally pasteurized to prevent this and other sources of spoilage. For this reason, and because the hops (bitterness) also preserve it a bit, it was judged to be a safer drink than water. Along the same lines, whiskey was also used to kill pathogens in water (the old sailor’s drink of “grog”, hence “groggy”, was made with whiskey or rum and water), and was generally not drunk straight as today. The Pilgrims landed in MA instead of VA in part because they were low on beer, and the first Indians to greet them surprised them by asking, in English, if they had any.

Interestingly, regular Guinness “stout” is actually a fairly light beer with a similar alcohol % to Bug Light or PBR. Just a lot more taste, and most of what you can buy over here is actually brewed in Canada.

And the company? Well, this is interesting, and the family/company does have a great history this way, but they’ve also been commended recently for supporting homosexual rights.

to a returning vet is to give them a Guiness or a Pabst Blue Ribbon?

My problem is the beer is being used as a symbol of American culture, as well as going to bars. It is the new “apple pie”. That alone should give Christians pause that alcohol is a cultural idol in America.

[Mark_Smith]

to a returning vet is to give them a Guiness or a Pabst Blue Ribbon?

If they have no problems with alcohol and would appreciate it, I can’t see why not. What was our Lord’s first miracle, after all?

The only quibble I’d have with PBR is, well, Jesus made good wine, and from all accounts I’ve heard, the fine folks at Pabst leave a little bit to be desired in that department. But if my son had just dodged death in Afghanistan and that was the first thing he wanted, sure.

[Bert Perry]

But if my son had just dodged death in Afghanistan and that was the first thing he wanted, sure.

Well his buddies made fun of him for wanting PBR. But it was at his house and he bought the beer. I suspect he bought the cheapest for some reason

Culture leads you to think “dodging death” earns you a beer! And you think that’s ok?

[Mark_Smith]

My problem is the beer is being used as a symbol of American culture, as well as going to bars. It is the new “apple pie”. That alone should give Christians pause that alcohol is a cultural idol in America.

[Mark_Smith] Culture leads you to think “dodging death” earns you a beer! And you think that’s ok?

I’ve said this scores of times on Sharper Iron … publicly from the pulpit and in SS class: “Moderate drinking is a fringe issue. Total abstinence is a recent American phenomenon. Who drinks in the privacy of their homes is their business not mine. I commend Christians who totally abstain. It’s a safe choice. Christians who drink … if you can’t drink in moderation, it’s sinful”

––— On True Grit (the 2010 version): A great movie. We might go to the movie theater 2-3 times a year (so far this year = none). It was a great date movie with my wife and the scene where “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was used (as I recall the all-night ride under the stars where Rooster carries the stricken Mattie to safety) was a real tear jerker!

[Mark_Smith]

Culture leads you to think “dodging death” earns you a beer! And you think that’s ok?

Mark, the Bible contains any number of accounts of Godly celebration where wine was served, from the miracle at Cana to the return of the prodigal son to the Last Supper—you couldn’t drink the “fruit of the vine” nine months after grape harvest if it wasn’t fermented in those days. So yes, if I am to believe that the Bible is without error in its autographs, and that modern translators can translate “yayin” and “oinon” correctly, that the Bible clears a place for the use of alcoholic beverages during celebrations.

Not drunkenness, not pagan revelry, not making a brother stumble, but yes, definitely a glass or two for celebration. And nothing against those who do abstain for various reasons; let’s just remember that it’s not a Biblical requirement.

is a little reflection before thinking that alcohol is a safe choice for a Christian in the America of 2014. Also, this thread is about honoring veterans given a Guiness commercial using a Christian hymn. Is that not mixing together the sacred and the world? Should we be ok with that as Christians?

As for apple pie…has anyone who ate 3 pieces of pie ever killed a family on the highway from driving drunk?

[Mark_Smith]

is a little reflection before thinking that alcohol is a safe choice….

As for apple pie…has anyone who ate 3 pieces of pie ever killed a family on the highway from driving drunk?

You’re mixing drinking with drunkenness, Mark. The Bible makes clear that there is a difference.

Besides, while it’s not just three pieces of pie, heart disease does kill 600,000 Americans annually, according to the CDC, including many who die when a man has a heart attack while driving. Alcohol only kills 88,000 (same source). Diabetes kills about 70,000 annually and is implicated in about 210,000 deaths.

So if the death toll from alcohol is a reason to proscribe wine, then a death toll nearly ten times higher ought to be a reason to ban the church potluck, no?

and you are mixing me eating myself to death with killing someone else with my behavior!

I am wanting to talk about the thread issue of if the hymn “Leaning” is appropriate for a commercial and what that means about the connection of alcohol with American culture.

is that even if you think the Bible allows Christians to imbibe responsibly, or even perhaps drinking to the point of getting a buzz to reap the joys of alcohol that God gave, that American culture so idolizes alcohol that it is best for a Christian to abstain to keep a good witness for all.

But I really want to keep this discussion to the thread topic about using the hymn in a beer commercial. Kapeesh?

I am not a Christian (or I am) and I drink cuz its fun and I want to do and you can’t stop me. Besides, didn’t Jesus make wine?