Article: Victims and Sinners: Spiritual Roots of Addiction and Recovery

Victims and Sinners: Spiritual Roots of Addiction and Recovery, by Linda A. Mercadante. Westminster John Knox, Louisville, 1996. 220 pp. $20.00. ISBN 0-664-25508-6.

IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES, the use of the word sin in relation to addiction has been virtually forbidden in theological circles. Since the medical model for addiction has been widely embraced and the 12-step approach of Alcoholics Anonymous so uniformly successful, the church has been relegated to a supportive or judgmental role. Mercadante puts the topic of addiction back onto the theological agenda by arguing that addictive behavior is more accurately and helpfully described as sin. (However, a less moralistic and ...

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