September 11 - Drinking to the Gospel: Presbyterian Church in New Zealand Embraces Alcohol to Evangelize, Attract Members, Make Money

With promotional events like "Wine and theology evenings" and "Beer and barbeque" church services, congregants of New Zealand's dying Presbyterian Church are now embracing alcohol as an evangelism tool to attract more members and increase their bottom line according to a new study coming out of that country.

Highlighting new research by religion expert, Dr. Geoff Troughton of Victoria University of Wellington, in a Medical Xpress report on Tuesday, revealed that the Presbyterian Church's anti-alcohol campaign had slacked off radically since the 1990s to shore up their bottom line and attract more people to the dying church.

"Some churches are now experimenting with using alcohol as an evangelization tool. Rather than seeing alcohol consumption as a marker of secular culture in need of change, it has become part of efforts to promote Christianity. 'Wine and theology' evenings and 'beer and barbeque' church services are among the methods being explored," said Troughton in the report.