Poured Out
Pastor Jon Nitta tells a story from the not-too-distant past of church history. It’s the story of how the gospel sunk deep into the heart of one man and came pouring out like a tap had been opened.
A few weeks ago I mentioned in the Sunday sermon how in the 1700s there existed quite a bit of inequity between the rich and the poor. The tension escalated to revolt in France, and the French Revolution upended the French political system and culture. However, in England something quite different happened. The Great Awakening brought a quieter but equally culture-shifting revolution to life in England and her colonies. This spiritual “revolution” ignited a new spiritual passion built upon a deep spiritual piety or devotion to God. The revival quickly spread as thousands of people embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior rather than keeping him at a spiritual distance.
In the wake of this spiritual awakening in people’s hearts, there was a newfound power that moved the rich and poor toward each other resulting in a tremendous amount of social healing. There was an increase in literacy, work conditions were improved, child labor laws were changed. One key figure whose life was changed forever was Arthur Guinness. You might recognize his name from Guinness, the beer company he began in Dublin, Ireland in 1759. While it’s very good for us to hear from friends how the Lord is working in their lives, it’s also a good practice to hear from the lives of saints who have gone before us and let their lives inspire us to be faithful men and women.
Guinness listened to and was strongly influenced by the preaching during the Great Awakening. Englishmen John and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield all saw a real, vibrant faith as working its way out into action and urged those who were rich to remember their Christian obligation to society. In his book, The Search for God and Guinness, author Stephen Mansfield noted, “Whitfield alone founded orphanages, funded feeding centers [for the poor], and even challenged the traditional relations between slave owners and slaves when he visited America.”[1]
Arthur Guinness was similarly active in combatting the social ills in his city as well as extending the reach of the gospel. In addition to organizing the first Sunday schools in Dublin to bring to the children of the slums the dual benefit of rudimentary education and an introduction to the gospel, Guinness also served on the board of Meath Hospital. Centered in a poor but crowded section of Dublin, Meath extended care to the sick and destitute in its neighborhood. Guinness eventually became its governor, the link between patients, the community, and the staff and board. He also supported a variety of charities and was an outspoken critic of anti-Catholic laws at a time when Ireland’s mostly Catholic population was ruled – often harshly – by a small minority of English Protestants. Himself a Protestant but with sentiments that will feel familiar to religious freedom advocates in modern America, Guinness’ advocacy in the face of virulent anti-Catholic sentiment meant he risked losing customers and his standing in society.
Yet, as Mansfield points out, “...none of these efforts would have been possible or noteworthy had Arthur Guinness not been skilled at brewing beer.” Brewing beer was Guinness’ passion, and his was a well-respected profession. While this is hard for some modern Christians to wrap their mind around, it’s important to note that beer provided a drinkable source of water as well as an alternative to more high-alcohol drinks such as gin.[2]Beer manages to hold on to some of the nutritional properties of its ingredients, and because it was inexpensive, it added to the meager diets of the day. What made Arthur Guinness unique for his day and age was he saw himself as a beer brewer committed to glorifying God in his vocation. Like some other Christians who had gone before and many who were “waking up” during this revival period, he didn’t see a split between his religious life and ordinary life. Everything was given as a gift from God and as a way to bring God more glory, whether one’s job or the simple tasks of daily life like changing a baby’s diaper.[3]
In a day and age much like our own when the corporate bottom line of profit is a primary motivating factor, Guinness chose a different model. Yes, profit was essential, but so too was benevolent employment. The work environment that he and his heirs provided was one in which men were given skills, taught the importance of character, and given an education and opportunities to lead. And their families were cared for. Guinness connected this social good to glorifying God. He understood the importance of a faith that was lived out. In the words of Mansfield, “The company did not drain a man and then expect the church or the state to rebuild him again. They invested [in people]. They paid high wages, offered every type of education, provided medicine, sports, entertainment, and even a place to think, and assured every kind of financial safety net for those who served well. They built houses, sent their sons to college, and lifted whole families to new economic heights.”
When the power of the gospel grips a person and gets deeper into their heart and mind, it comes out often in powerful actions that are counter-cultural blessings to others, particularly the poor and marginalized.
[1] When slavery was abolished in England in 1833 through the effort of William Wilberforce, this was one of the chief outworkings of the Great Awakening across the Atlantic.
[2] Stephen Mansfield, The Search for God and Guinness. During the Gin Craze of the 18th century, gin was seen as a cheap distilled alcohol targeting the poor and increasing drunkenness.
[3] It was Luther who once said that the man who changes diapers might be called an effeminate fool but the angels in heaven are rejoicing. What he meant is that the husband’s vocation or calling was intended to bring God glory, including diapering, bathing, and caring for children.
