Question 1: From Chapter 3 of Addictions, discuss the nature of addictions. Why do people fall into addictions? What are some examples of common addictions (Chapter 1 has a list of common addictions)? Do you know someone who has struggled with addictions? What does the Bible have to say about such matters?

Common addictions: alcohol – anger – love – weightlifting – sleep – nicotine – pain – TV – exercise – gambling – nose drops – cocaine – work – sports – sugar – people – sex – caffeine – shoplifting – lying – chocolate – risk – success/winning – pornography

Question 2: From the lectures and Chapter 5 of Timothy Keller’s Every Good Endeavor, discuss why everyday work feels fruitless, meaningless, and even frustrating for so many. Give some light personal reflection on your experience working in the world.

Answer preview

Addiction has been rampantly mislabeled as a disease. It has been observed through a lens that looks at it with a narrow perspective. As much as addiction can be described as taking control of someone’s will, it cannot be emphatically described as a disease since it cannot be tested and quantified through physical tests (Barreto, 2015). Therefore, addiction needs to be a broader meaning which will enable people to look at the problem with fresh eyes. According to the Bible, humanity is all in bondage through the original sin. This bondage can be described as a force leading people to do things against their will (Barreto, 2015). Humanity suffers from this voluntary slavery that leads them to bend to their desires. This nature that originated from the original sin is the instigator of all evil and is the reason people fall into addiction.

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