Addiction & Idolatry

In his excellent book on the subject of power (Playing God), author Andy Crouch describes the connection between idolatry and addiction:

In modern, secular societies perhaps the clearest example of idolatry is the pattern we call addiction. Addictions begin with essentially good, created stuff; even the chemicals that become addictive drugs are part of God’s good creation and often have beneficial uses in the right context. But in the throes of addiction, we invest that created stuff with transcendent expectations.

It begins to hold out the promise of…