We'd like to thank Ryan Pfister for his column, "Alcohol slogan not appropriate for Christian organization" (Jan. 22).

His column gives us the opportunity to clarify some misunderstandings that he and possibly others may have regarding our efforts to promote a broader conversation about beer, happiness and God.

We don't offer Ben Franklin's quote as the conclusion of the matter; we offer it as the conversation starter. And while we wouldn't quibble with Ben's experience, nor do we affirm what he said; we merely observe that he said it.

Like many of his quips, this one is interesting, funny and insightful.

It's insightful because buried in it is the understanding that pleasant things in creation suggest something about the character of the Creator, namely, that he's good.

We believe that God is good and that there are hundreds of compelling lines of evidence to suggest this. Most notably, the self-sacrificial death of Jesus.

Finally, regarding alcohol itself, we agree that the abuse of alcohol contributes an enormous amount of pain in the lives of Penn State students. Many people, looking for happiness in alcohol instead find hurt, loss and grief.

But we don't think we best serve people by scolding them for looking for joy in the wrong place.

We'd rather encourage them to consider another deeper, richer, better source of joy - a joy found in a relationship with a person who loves them unconditionally and who died for them.