ABSTRACT AUSTIN, CHRISTOPHER LYNN. Baptist Ministers’ Habits, Attitudes, and Beliefs Concerning Alcohol Use. (Under the direction of J. Conrad Glass, Jr.) The purpose of this study was to quantitatively explore the habits, attitudes, and beliefs concerning alcohol use among a sampling of Baptist ministers whose congregations are affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC). Scant research has been done in this area, thus this study is an exploration into uncharted territory; the irony is that many do not realize how uncharted this landscape is. Given this disconnect, this study’s results provide important information to those who work, study, research, minister to, and who perhaps are Baptist. Specifically, it provides important data to the BSCNC. A survey instrument was mailed to a random sample of pastors affiliated with the BSCNC. Beyond the scope of demographic information, Likert scales were used in the composition of the research survey questionnaire instrument. A panel of experts aided in validating the questions. Specifically, the survey sought to answer the following questions: 1. What are these Baptist clergy’s biblical understandings concerning alcohol use, and is there any relationship between these ministers’ beliefs and demographic factors such as age, educational background, theological background/identify, and church and family background? 2. What are the ministers’ alcohol use behaviors, and do their alcohol use behaviors reflect their biblical understanding of alcohol use? 3. Have any of the ministers had any problems with their alcohol use, and is there any correlation between problem drinking and biblical understanding? 4. Does their church offer any alcohol-related education to its members, and are they aware that the BSCNC has services that can aid them in addressing substance abuse issues? 5. What are the ministers’ perceptions of other Baptist ministers’ beliefs concerning alcohol use, and are there any differences between their own beliefs and their perceptions of their peers’ beliefs? The findings of the research study suggested the following: (1) There was no single view of alcohol among the ministers; (2) Correlation existed between scriptural views concerning alcohol and theological identity; (3) Correlation existed between scriptural belief of alcohol and level of education; (4) Correlation existed between scriptural belief of alcohol and church and family backgrounds; (5) There existed a misperception between the ministers perceptions of their peers beliefs concerning alcohol use and their peers actual belief; (6) In general, alcohol education in the ministers’ congregations target people from the sixth grade and older, as compared to such education programming for those in grades K-5th; (7) A majority of respondents were unaware of technical assistance available from the BSCNC. BAPTIST MINISTERS’ HABITS, ATTITUDES, AND BELIEFS CONCERNING ALCOHOL USE by CHRISTOPHER LYNN AUSTIN A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education DEPARTMENT OF ADULT AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE EDUCATION Raleigh 2005 Approved By: ___________________________ ___________________________ Dr. Conrad Glass Dr. Duane Akroyd Advisory Committee Chair ___________________________ ___________________________ Dr. Deborah Luckadoo Dr. George Vaughan ii BIOGRAPHY Christopher Lynn Austin was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to Mr. James W. Austin and Ms. Patricia G. Austin. Chris grew up in Apex, North Carolina, along with his older brother, Phil. He graduated from Apex High School in Wake County, North Carolina. Chris graduated from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (Language Writing and Editing) and an Associate of Arts degree in Food Processing and Distribution. He also graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Chris has been in the substance abuse field since 1988 when he worked as a chaplain in a treatment facility. In 1990 he began working in substance abuse prevention and became a Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Consultant in 1994. He currently serves as a substance abuse prevention health educator for North Carolina State University. Chris lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, Patti, and their two children, Dylan and Sean. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My utmost thanks go to many, many persons who have greatly influenced me, particularly those who have shaped me in my education process. Following is a short list of some of those shapers. There are countless others to whom I owe a great deal of gratitude. Thank you Patti, Dylan, and Sean for supporting me in this particular educational quest. More importantly, thanks for continually teaching me what it means to be part of a loving family that seeks the best in each other. God has given me three precious gifts! Mom and Dad, thank you for emphasizing education in my life and specifically for making me go to school in my early (and not so early) years when I absolutely hated institutional learning; I thank you Phil, my brother, for going back and getting a second degree in a completely different field while growing a family at the same time. You modeled that such endeavors could be done successfully. John Groff, Jr., my maternal grandfather, and Herman Pinion, my father-in-law, thanks for showing me that education is a life-long process. To Steve Sumerel, thanks for being a super friend both personally and professionally and for guiding me in my pursuit to tie research back to that body of believers we know as Baptists. Thank you Ron Glover and Keith Vaughn for being my friends and for engaging me in theological and other meaningful discussions as well as teaching me that there are some other (but not many) life illustrations that can be used for lessons and sermons beyond the scope of the Andy Griffith Show. iv Drs. Luther and Marjo Smith, thank you for all your patience, particularly with my endless statistical questions. I value your friendship immensely. I thank Kyle Huff for running the statistical procedures for my research. I thank my committee for their perseverance in sticking with me throughout this process. Dr. Duane Akroyd, thanks for challenging me to do quantitative research. It was a scary endeavor, but I am the better for it. Dr. Deborah Luckadoo, thank you for agreeing to join the committee late in the process. I thank you, even more so, for serving on the CAMPUS Community Coalition, where intellectual theories are actually put to the test, hopefully, to make life better for the students at NC State University. Dr. George Vaughan, thanks for teaching me to be a better writer and critical thinker; I also thank you for being genuinely interested in my research topic. This gives me the desire to continue this course of study. Dr. Conrad Glass, Jr., thank you for serving as chair, for sticking with me in the midst of your retirement, and for providing superb guidance. I also thank you for your dissertation as it served as a grand model for me to follow. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES. viii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION . 1 Purpose of the Study. 8 Research Questions. 8 Significance of the Study . 9 Definition of Terms . 12 Limitations of the Study . 18 CHAPTER II – CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE . 19 Conceptual Framework. 19 Perceptions . 24 Alcohol Use: A History. 25 Alcohol in the New World . 28 Bourbon: A Baptist Invention? . 30 Alcohol Seen as a Problem by Some . 32 Alcohol Use Among Baptists. 35 Rise of the Temperance Movement. 38 Baptist Opposition to Temperance. 39 A Turn Toward Abstinence . 44 Religious Arguments for Abstinence . 51 The Academic View. 52 The Humanitarian View. 53 Culture Influences Alcohol Use . 59 Religious Views Affect Drinking Behavior . 66 Religious Commitment Curtails Alcohol Use. 69 Alcohol Problems Among Religious Groups . 79 Solving Alcohol Problems. 84 CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY. 86 Research Design . 86 Study Population and Sample. 87 Data Collection . 87 Instrumentation. 88 Data Analysis . 92 vi CHAPTER IV – RESEARCH FINDINGS . 97 Participant Profile . 97 Research Question I. 101 Research Question II . 108 Research Question III. 110 Research Question IV. 111 Research Question.V . 112 CHAPTER V – CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 115 Summary of the Study . 115 Summary of the Results. 117 Conclusions . 120 Implications . 124 REFERENCES . 130 APPENDICES . 152 Appendix A: Cover Letter. 153 Appendix B: Survey Instrument. 155 vii LIST OF TABLES CHAPTER 4 Table 4.1 Personal characteristics of respondents . 98 Table 4.2 Church and family background. 100 Table 4.3 Biblical understanding of alcohol. 102 Table 4.4 Correlation between biblical understanding and possible explanations for that understanding . 105 Table 4.5 Correlation between biblical understanding and factors of age, education, and theological identity. ..