Derick Dillard Reveals That He And Jill Duggar Don’t Think Drinking Alcohol Is A Sin

Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, recently shocked fans by revealing that he and his wife don’t actually believe that alcohol is the devil’s brew. However, it’s still unlikely that the couple will ever have a glass of wine with dinner or celebrate the beginning of the New Year with a champagne toast.

As reported by In Touch Weekly, Derick Dillard, 29, recently had an interesting exchange with one of his Twitter followers. The follower in question wanted to know why he and Jill Duggar, 27, are not “allowed” to enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage.

“If Jesus 1st miracle was turning water into wine, why are you not allowed to drink alcohol responsibly?” read the question directed at the former Counting On star. “This has never made sense to me.”

“Where did you read that?” Derick responded. “I don’t think we’ve ever said that.”

The Twitter user responded by pointing out that Derick Dillard and Jill Duggar drank sparkling grape juice, not champagne or wine, during their recent anniversary celebration. Derick replied by saying that he and Jill actually don’t think that the Bible strictly forbids the consumption of alcohol.

Thank you. No problem in wondering, but we don’t believe the Bible teaches that drinking is a sin. However, it does warn against/ condemn other aspects of alcohol.

— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) July 4, 2018

While Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard might not believe that anyone who drinks a glass of wine is going to burn for all eternity, the couple has never been photographed or filmed enjoying alcohol themselves. It’s possible that their avoidance of alcohol has something to do with Derick’s enrollment in the Cross Church School of Ministry (CCSM).

According to the Dillard Family website, Derick is earning seminary credit through the program, which suggests that he may be interested in a future ministry career with Cross Church. The church is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), an extremely influential religious organization that has taken such a strong stance against alcohol that its churches serve grape juice, not wine, during communion, as reported by The Christian Post.

Paige Patterson, former president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas, even wrote an essay suggesting that Jesus turned water into grape juice, not wine, at Cana of Galilee. One of his arguments was that “there was no time for fermentation to take place subsequent to the miracle.”

The SBC has also adopted numerous resolutions regarding the consumption of alcohol, including one stating that the SBC is in “total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages.” Another resolution says that anyone who drinks alcohol cannot “be elected to serve as a trustee or member of any entity or committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.” In other words, if Derick Dillard is angling for a religious leadership role of some sort, being photographed with a beer or margarita in hand could potentially hurt his chances of getting the job that he wants, especially if the church or organization he’s trying to get hired by is a member of the SBC. And if he doesn’t drink, his wife probably won’t, either.

Jill Duggar’s parents are teetotalers, and Jessa Duggar discussed their feelings about alcohol during a 2017 episode of Counting On. As reported by Us Weekly, she described the Duggars’ anti-alcohol sentiment is a “personal conviction.”

While it’s true that Jill may wear skinny jeans and sport a nose piercing, the Duggar daughter who may be most likely to someday enjoy an alcoholic beverage is her younger sister, Jinger. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Jinger’s pastor husband, Jeremy Vuolo, has preached that drinking alcohol is fine as long as you only enjoy it “to an extent that does not alter your state of mind.”