From Sin to Disease: The Medicalization of Addiction and Its Influence on How The Southern Baptist Convention Approaches Ministering to Those Who Struggle with Mind Altering Substances

by Jonathan K. Okinaga

Overview

Since Benjamin Rush first introduced the disease of wills as the cause of alcoholism, a steady and slow infiltration of the disease model has infected how the church treats those who struggle with addictions. The first organization that truly sought to remove the soul care of addicts from the church was Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), through their bestselling The Big Book of AA and the introduction of the 12 Steps. AA's influence on how the church confronts addiction still reverberates today, with many of the ministries that address addiction firmly rooted in what can be found in AA literature. Addictions were once viewed as an issue caused by sin and best addressed through faith and prayer. Currently addiction is seen through the lens of disease. The ramifications are consequential as more church members are struggling with addictions than ever before. Tracing the progression of addiction from sin to disease will reveal that the SBC and its churches have been negligent in understanding the underlying foundations of AA and the influence that the medicalization of substance abuse has had on how churches approach what should be classified as a sin issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666706512
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	09/23/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	158
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Jonathan K. Okinaga is assistant professor of Biblical Counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He is the author of How God Sanitized My Soul (2009) and My Loved One Is an Addict: Now What? (2019).

Jonathan K. Okinaga is assistant professor of Biblical Counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He is the author of How God Sanitized My Soul (2009) and My Loved One Is an Addict: Now What? (2019).

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Occasionally, you pick up a book that demands the reassessment of how church ministry is being accomplished. Such a book prompts deeper reflection and calls for new action. Jon Okinaga has written such a work in From Sin to Disease. Be warned, it will indeed require you to think afresh about how to bring gospel truths to bare in people’s lives.”

—Michael S. Wilder, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary



“In From Sin to Disease, Jonathan Okinaga traces the history of how alcohol abuse has changed from being regarded as a sin to being understood as a disease. He shows that churches turn to the world’s wisdom through Alcoholics Anonymous and related groups to help those struggling with alcohol addiction. This history and his conclusions are informative for Christians considering how best to minister to those struggling with addiction.”

—John Babler, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary

Editorial Reviews

Occasionally, you pick up a book that demands the reassessment of how church ministry is being accomplished. Such a book prompts deeper reflection and calls for new action. Jon Okinaga has written such a work in From Sin to Disease. Be warned, it will indeed require you to think afresh about how to bring gospel truths to bare in people’s lives.”

—Michael S. Wilder, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary



“In From Sin to Disease, Jonathan Okinaga traces the history of how alcohol abuse has changed from being regarded as a sin to being understood as a disease. He shows that churches turn to the world’s wisdom through Alcoholics Anonymous and related groups to help those struggling with alcohol addiction. This history and his conclusions are informative for Christians considering how best to minister to those struggling with addiction.”

—John Babler, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary

From the Publisher