Growing up in south St. Louis only a few miles from the Anheuser-Busch brewery, the moral implications of drinking, and alcohol in general, have always been of particular interest to me. The brewery is one of St. Louis’ most loved landmarks (next to the Gateway Arch) and one of particular pride to St. Louisians. That’s why I don’t often admit that I have never owned any Anheuser-Busch stock. You may ask what the big deal is; a lot of people don’t own stock in companies just because they are local. Well then, you didn’t grow up in St. Louis. In 2008, when Inbev, a foreign brewery company, started its takeover of Anheuser-Busch, around here, it almost became less of an issue of municipal pride and more an act of patriotism to buy stock in Busch to try to stop the buyout. Unfortunately, the buyout moved forward, unhindered by the attempts of angry St. Louisians to save the brewery from the evil clutches of a faceless foreign corporation.

So why would I avoid owning stock in a local landmark that provides thousands of jobs across the country just because it manufactures alcohol? Surly the Bible doesn’t condemn making, or drinking alcoholic beverages. Why then would Christians need to worry about the morality of investing in a brewery or distillery? This is a conversation that I have had many times, and argued on both sides of in the past with varying outcomes. Before I begin, I would like to mention that in this post, I am only concerned with the moral implications of owning stock in these companies. Whether it is financially wise to invest in any of these particular companies is a topic for another blog or for your financial advisor.

One of the first questions that need be asked is “would profiting from this company bring glory to God, or would it negatively impact my relationship with him”. I can find no scripture in the bible that indicated that moderate drinking in itself is a sin or in any way immoral, but I can find plenty of examples that show the disciples and even Jesus partaking in drinking alcohol both as a beverage for their meal, and to celebrate. In fact, Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine and ordering it to be taken to the master of the banquet for tasting. (John 2:6-8) If Jesus participated in not only drinking wine, but making it for others to drink, then is this really an industry that as Christians we should be concerned about investing in.

Before we go any further, I would like to show a quote from Moral Money’s “What We Screen for and Why” article that lists alcohol as one of the criteria that is avoided.

“Like tobacco and gambling, we do not believe that Alcohol in itself is a sin. The bible teaches moderation in this aspect. However, alcohol is a substance that has enslaved many people and has a greater potential for abuse then most other legal substances that are easily attainable. Due to this, and the fact that alcohol producing companies promote their products by glamorizing immoral behavior and anti-Christian lifestyles, we choose not to support these companies.”

It doesn’t take much investigating to understand that the reason most breweries and distilleries are screened out by Moral Money isn’t because of the alcoholic content of their products but by other more general categorizations. Alcohol is an easily addictive substance that is easily accessible. Alcohol abuse is linked to roughly 75,000 Americans each year and is the third leading cause of preventable death according to a U.S. Government study. While most of these deaths were caused by mishaps, such as car accidents, due to excessive alcohol use, 34,833 of those people in 2001 died of Cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and other diseases linked to drinking too much. While personal responsibility plays heavily into this, the fact is that alcohol is addictive and can lead to many different fatal diseases. Not a healthy combination in a society that is prone to excess.

Another aspect to consider is that many companies that produce alcoholic beverages also promote and glamorize immoral lifestyles through their advertising. While there are many beer commercials that I approve of, and actually enjoy, we have to consider the ads that these companies are placing in magazines and at live events. What are their advertising dollars supporting and what kind of lifestyle are they trying to equate with their product? Most of us don’t see (and don’t need to see) the ads that are placed in the crudest magazines or at the Marti Gras festivals but they still need to be considered.

So alcohol in itself is not necessarily the criterion that causes these companies to be screened as immoral investments. In fact, it may be true that there are alcohol producing companies that do not pour their advertising dollars into suggestive advertising or contributing to irresponsible or immoral behaviors. Many have even set up rehab facilities to help addicted patrons. Unfortunately, because of the overwhelming tendency for the alcoholic beverage industry to lean heavily toward the immoral, the health considerations, as well as the desire of much of the Christian community to avoid these issues in their investments, we felt that it was called for to include this industry in our screenings.

If you are still interested in investing in companies that produce alcohol, then I would recommend doing your research. Call and find out what magazines they advertise in and how they promote at live events. If you don’t find anything that you would consider wrong, then I wouldn’t see any reason not to invest just because they manufacture alcohol. If there is anyone who thinks differently about any of this, I’m always open to your comments. Like I said earlier, this is a discussion that I have had many times and have been on both sides of.