By Andy Hale

Every day, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on an opioid.

I don’t know why, but when I heard that statistic, it registered on a profoundly emotional and spiritual level.

For one, we Moderates to Progressives seem to have figured out our theological perspective on immigration, racism, sexism, misogyny and sexual orientation discrimination. But have we thought genuinely about and how to act on the opioid crisis facing the world around us, our communities, our church families?

The Church, in many regards, is not equipped and prepared to care for people with addictions. But that should not be a preventative deterrent for change.

I sat down with the author of Addiction Nation: What the Opioid Crisis Reveals about Us, Timothy McMahan King, to learn more about the journey of opioid addiction and how the Church can journey alongside those facing this crisis.

McMahan King also runs a digital strategy and communications firm, called Vagabond Strategies.

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This podcast episode is brought to you by Fuller Seminary and The Center for Congregational Health.

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Andy Hale created and hosts the podcast of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy