Finding God in the Basement: Addiction and Metaphors for Salvation Restricted; Files Only
Carlier, Jennifer (Summer 2021)
Published
Abstract
Addiction is a pressing concern for the church, as approximately 10% of Americans will struggle with addiction at some point in their lives. Given the staggering number of people who suffer from addiction, I ask what theology might offer those struggling with addiction.
I argue that a modified version of John Calvin’s metaphor of the bondage of the will aptly names the tension between compulsion and volition that those struggling with addiction contend with, and thereby relieves those struggling of the stigma and shame often associated with addiction. While Calvin offers a helpful understanding of the problem, his conception of the solution, in the form of penal substitutionary atonement, in which he suggests that we are sinners, deserving of God’s wrath and just punishment, yet saved through Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, falls short in that it relies on a metaphor borrowed from the judicial system, which names the divine-human relationship as one between Judge and criminals. This is particularly harmful for those struggling with addiction because it adds divine sanction to the toxic shame many people struggling with addiction already contend with. As shame is often the driver of addiction, this metaphor keeps those struggling trapped in the very addictive cycle they seek redemption from.
Instead, I argue that we need many metaphors for salvation, and I offer the Exodus story as an extended metaphor for salvation that is particularly helpful for those struggling with addiction because it addresses the problem of bondage, validates the experiences of addiction and recovery, and helps alleviate the shame and stigma those struggling with addiction often contend with. Finally, I turn to the experiences of addiction and recovery to ask how these might themselves inform theologies of salvation. I demonstrate that the journey of recovery from addiction is, itself, a helpful metaphor for salvation in that it illustrates that salvation, more than adherence to a story, is a daily practice of living into the story. Further, I show that the sense of community exhibited in these recovery groups offers redemptive images of who God might be to those who most need care.
Table of Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………....……….…..1
Chapter 1 – Experiences of Addiction…………………………………………………………...15
Chapter 2 – Metaphorical Theology……………………………………………………….……..57
Chapter 3 – John Calvin’s Penal Substitutionary Atonement………………………...……73
Chapter 4 – The Bondage of the Will in Addiction………………………………………….126
Chapter 5 – Addiction and Penal Substitutionary Atonement…………………..……….164
Chapter 6 – Salvation is a Journey from Bondage into Freedom…………………...……195
Conclusion – Finding God in the Basement………………………………………………....231
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………......………259
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File download under embargo until 20 August 2027 | 2021-07-08 13:47:51 -0400 | File download under embargo until 20 August 2027 |
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