Addiction

Addiction gathers Christian Standard articles that address the struggles of dependency and destructive habits with honesty, compassion, and gospel hope. Here you’ll find biblical wisdom on bondage and freedom, the heart issues behind addiction, and practical guidance for recovery—along with encouragement for families, friends, and churches walking alongside those who suffer. These articles aim to point readers to Christ-centered healing, wise boundaries, and supportive community on the journey toward lasting change.

February 1, 2021

Justin Horey

‘My Story Is for God’s Glory’

After living a life as a criminal and prisoner, David Green has experienced—and now makes known a message of—redemption and reconciliation. In the early morning hours of Easter 1978, just after midnight, a group of adolescent boys entered a 24-hour convenience store in New Orleans’ notorious Ninth Ward, intending to steal alcohol. During the attempted robbery, shots were fired and the clerk on duty behind the counter was mortally wounded. All of the boys managed to flee the scene except one, a 15-year-old known to his cohorts as “Red.” As he tried to escape, a paying customer tripped him and

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

One of 'Those People': A Generation Becoming Fully Devoted to Christ

“I was sick and you looked after me.” _ _ _ By Nate Graybill “I’m one of ‘those people.’ Hypocrite. Liar. Addict.” This admission was a moment of rigorous honesty that changed my life. It came after hours of bingeing on my drug of choice. More afraid of where my habit was leading me than of being exposed, I woke up my wife and said, “Honey, I need to tell you something. I’m addicted to porn. I need help.” I finally accepted the fact that I was not powerful enough to control my sin. Broken and afraid of losing my

January 17, 2019

Christian Standard

‘Strictest Sobriety’ (a Sampling of Articles about Prohibition)

It has been 100 years since ratification of the 18th Amendment prohibiting “intoxicating liquors in America. (Of course, Prohibition was countermanded by the 21st Amendment less than 15 years later.) But neither the passage of laws nor the passage of time has ended the debate over liquor. In the January 2019 issue of Christian Standard we published two essays responding to this question: “Is alcohol really a stumbling block?” Ken Idleman answered “Yes,” while Zach Spiering answered with a question of his own: “What if abstinence is the stumbling block?” (Check out the issue to read their “In the Arena” essays

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

IN THE ARENA: Is It Fitting for Christians to Drink Alcohol in Moderation? (A. What If Abstinence Is the Stumbling Block?)

In the Arena In the arena of ideas and opinions, we offer a place for Christ-centered and Christ-honoring debate on nonessential issues. This month, Ken Idleman and Zach Spiering give us two opinions on a common hot-button issue among Christians: public drinking. Tell us what you think on this issue by leaving a comment below. (Also . . . tell us what other debatable issues we should discuss “In the Arena.”) _ _ _ By Zach Spiering During the time I taught at a Restoration Movement Bible college, I enjoyed the opportunities to work with wonderful, godly men and women

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

IN THE ARENA: Is It Fitting for Christians to Drink Alcohol in Moderation? (No)

In the Arena In the arena of ideas and opinions, we offer a place for Christ-centered and Christ-honoring debate on nonessential issues. This month, Ken Idleman and Zach Spiering give us two opinions on a common hot-button issue among Christians: public drinking. Tell us what you think on this issue by leaving a comment below. (Also . . . tell us what other debatable issues we should discuss “In the Arena.”) _ _ _ By Ken Idleman As I address this question, it is day four of the weeklong FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual assault leveled by Christine Blasey Ford against

October 13, 2017

Christian Standard

The Church that Does the Recovery Program

By TR Robertson Walk through the doors of First Christian Church in Belle, Missouri, on a Sunday morning and it seems, at first glance, like a typical rural church. There are farmers and blue-collar workers in semicasual dress, older women settling in to their usual seats, and children burning off energy before Sunday school starts. And then there”s the rest of the congregation. “I”ve been in church my whole life,” says FCC deacon Kevin Brown, “but I”ve never been in a church that had this many tattoos, this many bikes outside, this many leather jackets. We”ve welcomed people who have

April 14, 2017

Christian Standard

A “˜Thirteenth Step” to Recovery

By Jennifer Johnson Laura Setters“s brother has been an addict since he was 12 years old. When he finally celebrated a year of sobriety, she decided to mark the achievement””and ended up creating a new ministry. “By the time Michael got sober in 2014, our family had been dealing with his addiction for 26 years,” Setters says. “My mom, Beth, passed away the year before, and she had been the only one who never lost hope in him. I wanted to do something to honor her life as well as Michael”s one-year sobriety anniversary, so I donated to a recovery

December 6, 2013

Christian Standard

King Corn and Captain Kirk

By Jay Engelbrecht My grandmother quoted Scripture to warn me against the evils of alcohol. But today another culprit wreaks equal, if not greater, harm. “Never take a drink and you”ll never become a drunk.” When my grandmother admonished me to avoid alcohol, she did me a world of good. Her advice spared me weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and dementia Thanks, Grandma. Of course, she cared more about my character than the physical impact of alcohol. Her view on alcohol was influenced by Deuteronomy 21:20: “They shall say to the elders, “˜This

September 1, 2013

Christian Standard

A Serious Issue That Is a Matter of Conscience

By Jennifer Johnson As I wrote about Daron Earlewine”s Pub Theology ministry, I reread two recent Christian Standard articles on drinking. These pieces, by Tim Harlow and John Caldwell, are both available on the CS website and both worth your time. I loved Tim”s observation that the popular rationalization for Jesus turning water into wine””that the wine was watered down””would simply give it the alcohol content of beer, and I courted whiplash nodding my head vigorously at his comment that “alcohol is not the No. 1 health problem in America””it”s obesity. So it”s a tad confusing to the world when

October 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Sticky Conversations: Alcohol

THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF FIVE “STICKY CONVERSATIONS”   By Tim Harlow In matters of opinion, beer? “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; in all things, love.” It”s such a beautiful sentiment, but how do we know which is which? There wouldn”t be 30,000 different sects of Christianity in the world if it were really that easy. Consider the subject of alcohol. It”s always been confusing to me because, as I grew up in the Christian church, I was always told alcohol was bad/sinful. But Paul told Timothy to drink some wine for his

August 11, 2012

Christian Standard

To Drink or Not to Drink?

By John Caldwell I decided many years ago totally to abstain from alcohol, and it is my opinion that all Christians would do well to make the same decision. I believe this issue is important because it relates to a broader, and thus even more significant subject””that of the modern church”s ongoing move toward becoming more and more like the world.   My Bias In the interest of full disclosure, I am biased. I hate alcohol””not the taste (although to be honest, I hate that too), but what it does to people. The first funeral of a teenager that I

March 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Brave a New Ethical World

By Mark S. Krause A few months ago, a new type of “pharmacy” opened down the street from my church. It is a “medical marijuana dispensary.” Ironically, it is next door to the Los Angeles headquarters of Jews for Jesus, an aggressive Christian evangelistic organization. According to published accounts, it is now possible to get a “cannabis card” from a nearby physician, which allows purchase of marijuana for personal use. A student from UCLA was interviewed and said he sought the marijuana for his attention deficit disorder, but knew other students who obtained the card “for the weed.”1 It is

December 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Reflections from a Bartender”s Son

By Chuck Sackett I”ve recently become deeply concerned over what appears to be a trend toward drinking among young church leaders.1 I hear about young leaders who have repented of the “sin of abstinence”2 and headed off to the pub. I”m concerned for the church, their congregations, and their families.3 I”m told one of the most frequently asked questions in interviews is, “Is it OK to have a beer?” As some young leaders seek potential staff members, they ask, “How do you feel about going to the pub?” The right answer used to be the wrong answer.   Early Influences

December 17, 2006

Christian Standard

The 12-Stepping Church

By Dan C. Gilliam The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous began when the organization”s cofounders, a New York stockbroker and an Akron physician, discovered that focusing on a Bible study group”s faith-building techniques helped curtail their desire for alcohol. Bill Wilson, the stockbroker, had been sober for a few months but was perilously close to taking a drink when he randomly called church phone numbers from a hotel lobby in search of a minister who might know of an alcoholic in need of help. A minister put him in touch with Henrietta Sieberling, a member of the Oxford Group, a

December 17, 2006

Christian Standard

What a Christ-Centered Recovery Ministry Can Do

By Anonymous QUESTION: Can a Christ-centered recovery ministry accomplish something a “secular” program will not? We asked that question of one Christian with long-term recovery in a 12-step fellowship, whose answer went something like this: You have touched on a major issue with regards to recovery and the church. I would respond with this question: If an alcoholic or drug addict finds grace, freedom, and inner transformation, is it not probable that Christ was there leading the charge and the change””regardless of the location? The church labels as “secular” those programs that occur outside of our parameters of understanding God

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