Book Review: Barstool Theology by Trevor Gundlach

Barstool Theology: Crafting the Good Life by Trevor Gundlach

In his monumental series The Theology of the Body, St. John Paul II develops a theological understanding of human sexuality based on Biblical texts and human experiences. At one point, he muses that a Theology of the Body might be developed for other aspects of human life. Although author Trevor Gundlach does not draw a connection between the Theology of the Body and his theology of alcohol consumption, perhaps a link could be found. He certainly follows the example of using Biblical texts and human experiences.

Having worked as a campus minister and a theology teacher, Gundlach has discussed college drinking habits and how they effect students with young people. Developing virtuous habits for drinking alcohol is tricky so Gundlach breaks it down into several categories by doing the popular philosophical thing, asking questions.

The first question is "With whom do you drink?" and gets into Aristotle's division of friendship into three types: the useful, the pleasurable, and the virtuous. A useful friendship is based on reciprocal needs--my car mechanic needs money and I need a fixed car. A pleasurable friendship is based on a common leisure activity, like a tennis partner. A virtuous friendship is based on a common desire for moral improvement, like a book club studying serious texts. If your drinking buddies are strictly there for the alcohol, that's a pleasurable friendship (obviously, you can't be friends with alcohol). Can there be a virtuous friendship that involves alcohol? Gundlach says yes, when the goal is to build communion with friends, not to get hammered. Your drinking partners don't define your attitude toward alcohol but they are a strong indicator.

The second question is "What do you drink?" A lot of college students go for the cheap and the plentiful, not the flavorful and the satisfying. Gundlach argues that drinking craft beers is a better way to go, to appreciate the work that is put into the beer and to savor a richer experience. Tastes can change and expand when drinkers move away from fizzy, cold lagers that are only palatable when they are fizzy and cold. Such a shift already moves away from the goal of getting drunk and toward the goal of appreciating the drink and, more importantly, the comradery it produces.

The third question is "When do you drink?" For college students, the answer typically is "the weekend." Along with drinking one type of beer, college students stereotypically focus on one type of purpose. Gundlach discusses the seasons of beer, with lighter brews being refreshing in summertime and heavier brews being warming in wintertime. On a hot day, a porter or a stout may not fit well. Appreciating changing seasons brings a fuller sense of the ebb and flow of life, with the springtime rejuvenation of the earth and the fall's going back to slumber. This cycle of seasons mirrors the cycle of life and death.

The fourth question is "Why do you drink?" This question is the heart of the matter. Gundlach develops a theology of celebration. Drinking is not to get wasted or experience an altered state. At its best, alcohol enhances a celebration, though a drinker should be celebrating something in particular. Building community by celebrating other persons is a great way to transform the "partying" mentality into a virtuous mentality. 

The book ends with a fifth question, "How can you transform the way you drink?" This section is a list of practical actions or reflections that are referenced earlier in the book. In fact, the earlier points actually say, "Turn to page XX to learn about YY." It's almost more like an extended appendix than its own chapter. I'm not sure of the value in keeping the various exercises separate from the chapters in which they are referenced. I did not re-read the final chapter after having flipped back several times.

The book has a lot of interesting ideas and blends them together in a creative and engaging whole. Gundlach writes especially for the college-aged crowd, but his reflections are valuable for all ages. He does a good job bringing in philosophical and theological concepts. They are wedded to practical attitudes about the consumption of alcohol that foster a much better, more virtuous relationship to intoxicating beverages.

Recommended, especially if you are a drinker.