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

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, w...