christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
33
Addiction or Sin?
Finally, there is a resistance from some when referring to the
problem as an addiction rather than a sin. In many instances,
the rationale of calling something an addiction conveniently
gets addicts off the hook and they no longer appear respon-
sible for their actions. Using the term, “addiction,” to get
someone off the hook does not typically happen in recovery
or counseling circles. If you understand addiction, no one gets
off the hook. If I say I am an addict, then I am signing up for
long-term involvement in the recovery community, working
the steps, and painfully growing.
The reality is that we have never met an addict who was
not deeply involved in sin. Because of the grip of addiction
and the desperate attempts to hold on, the addict sins… and
those sins need to be addressed and dealt with directly. Also,
we have never met a sinner who was not deeply addicted to his
or her favorite sin. Addiction does not alleviate the reality of
sin or the responsibility for the behaviors.
Conclusion
Twelve-step recovery is a wonderful compliment to the
therapeutic process. It is effective with the whole range of
addictions we deal with today. The argument about whether
or not this method is Christian needs to change into evalu-
ating whether or not it is effective. We believe it is.
✠
Steve Arterburn, M.Ed.,
is the founder
and chairman of New Life Ministries—the nation’s
largest faith-based broadcast, counseling and treatment
ministry—and is the host of the nationally syndicated
“New Life Live!” daily radio program heard on more than
180 stations nationwide. He is also the founder of the
Women of Faith conferences attended by over 3,000,000 women. Steve is a
nationally-known public speaker and best-selling author. He has written more
than 60 books, including the best-selling
Every Man’s
series and his most recent,
Healing is a Choice
.
David Stoop, Ph.D.,
is a Licensed Clinical
Psychologist in the state of California. He is the founder
and director of The Center for Family Therapy in Newport
Beach. Dr. Stoop is an adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary
and serves on the AACC Executive Board. He is often
heard as the co-host of the national “New Life Live!” radio
program. Dr. Stoop is a Gold Medallion winning author who has written more
than 30 books, including his latest,
The Book of Life Recovery.
Also, he is
co-editor with Steve Arterburn of the best-selling
Life Recovery Bible
.
May 1-3, 2014
Westin Los Angeles Airport
“That They May Be One.”
M
ulticultural
C
hristian
C
ounseling
C O N F E R E N C E
Register Today
mcd.aacc.net
1-800-526-8673
... and many more!
Tim Clinton, Ed.D.
Mark Crear, Ph.D.
Rev. Reina
Olmeda, Ph.D.
Denise
Thomas, Ed.D.
Rev. Samuel
Rodriguez, M.A.
Siang-Yang
Tan, Ph.D.
Bishop Kenneth
Ulmer,D.Min.,Ph.D.
Track 1:
Race, Ethnicity, Youth and Families
Track 2:
Culturally-appropriate Interventions
and Techniques
Track 3:
Pastoral Care, Lay Helping and
Spiritual Guidance
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