Gosh, there's rather more out there about what Jesus would do than I reckoned. And I thought all I needed to know about the Son of Man was right here in my Bible.

I've now encountered the blog, What Would Jesus Brew?: "In a bold move toward being more Christ-like I am going to delve into the wondrous world of drink-making… that is, brewing... as a follower of Christ I am excited by the renowned group of spiritual giants that my beer-making and beer-consumption will put me in company with. My church just started a group called Theology @ the Taproom where we discuss theology and drink great beer."

I have to join this group!

And lest you think this looks too little like the Narrow Way, the author points out:

• Saint Gall was a missionary to the Celts and a renowned brewer
• After Charlemagne’s reign, the church became Europe’s exclusive brewer
• When a young woman was preparing for marriage, her church brewed a special bridal ale, from which we derive the word bridal
• Pastor John Calvin’s annual salary included upwards of 250 gallons of wine to be enjoyed by him and his guests
• Martin Luther once wrote of the Reformation, “While I sat still and drank beer with Philip and Amsdorf, God dealt the papacy a mighty blow.”
• Luther’s wife Catherine was a skilled brewer, and his love letters to her when they were apart lamented his inability to drink her beer
• When the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock, the first permanent structure they erected was a brewery.

Well, Ripon's own cathedral holds an annual beer festival and flogs its own home-brew...