New Books Network Cup Overflowing: How Christians Should Think about Wine
Sep 8, 2025
Gisela Kreglinger, a Lutheran scholar and winery daughter from Germany, dives into the spiritual abundance of wine. She discusses how wine weaves through Christian faith, enhancing community and fellowship. Gisela contrasts cultural perceptions of alcohol and highlights the dual narratives in the Bible about wine, including themes of vulnerability and judgment. She emphasizes the significance of communal meals in faith, recounts insights from her latest work, and reflects on the transformative joy that shared experiences bring to believers.
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Vineyard Childhood Shaped Theology
- Gisela Kreglinger recounts growing up on a multi-generation winery in Franconia where church and vineyard life were deeply intertwined.
- She remembers bringing grape clusters to altar services and smelling the Eucharistic cup as “home,” linking vineyard work and worship.
Tasting Room As Space For Bonding
- She describes wine tastings in her family's tasting room where reserved guests relaxed, confessed joys and hardships, and bonded.
- Those convivial evenings model how wine can open space for deeper conversation without excess.
Noah's Vineyard As Act Of Faith
- Kreglinger reframes Noah planting a vineyard as an act of faith in God's future, not only a moral failure.
- Planting a vineyard signals hope because vines take years to yield, embodying trust in God's long-term promise.
