The Prodigal Effect: Harm Reduction, Abstinence, and the Transactional Model in Christian Faith Communities
Caralyn Ware, BS, MDiv student, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO
This paper examines the “prodigal effect,” a prevailing approach within Christian churches towards individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). This transactional model often defines care and support as conditional, requiring individuals to achieve a “prodigal return”—a radical transformation that aligns with an abstinence-only, Westernized ideal of recovery. Relapse is framed as both a personal and pastoral failure, reinforcing the expectation that “successful” recovery is only achieved when an individual not only overcomes addiction but also conforms to the church’s ideal beliefs and behavior. This expectation turns the individual into a “model” congregant, contributing to the church and offering a “return” on its “investment.”
This paper will be in dialogue with scholars such as Carrie Doehring, Sonia E. Waters, and Andrea Clements, whose work in trauma-informed care and harm reduction aligns with the principle that faith-based support must be adaptive and inclusive, framing healing as a holistic journey rather than a linear achievement. Additionally, this paper will investigate the critiques of harm reduction found in Christian media sources to contextualize the culture of substance use in Christian faith spaces. This broader conversation offers a critical lens through which the “prodigal effect” is examined and challenged.
Such a transactional framework views individuals struggling with SUDs as a monolithic commodity, reducing what should be a unique and diverse recovery journey into a universal, stigmatizing narrative that inhibits the church’s capacity for relational ministry. This approach leads to compassion fatigue within congregations and, in some cases, fosters resentment toward individuals who relapse, with congregants perceiving that the “prodigal” has taken advantage of the church’s efforts.
The prodigal effect reinforces the stigma surrounding addiction, perpetuating a performative culture of saviorism within faith communities that prioritizes visible evidence of “success” through transformed lives. This demand for calculated transformation discourages churches from engaging in harm reduction practices—approaches that focus on reducing the harm associated with substance use, such as providing access to support networks, mental health resources, and education on safe practices, without requiring abstinence as a prerequisite for care.
These practices are often perceived as enabling sinful behavior rather than meaningful steps toward holistic healing. Consequently, abstinence-only models prevail, narrowing the church’s capacity to be the “hands and feet of Jesus” in inclusive, compassionate ways. This mentality has broader implications, perpetuating systemic spiritual violence and exclusion toward marginalized groups who may not fit the church’s standards of recovery. For communities at the margins, particularly those affected by social inequities and alienated from both healthcare and religious institutions, these restrictive recovery narratives exacerbate alienation, reinforcing structures of harm and punishment rather than providing meaningful paths to healing.
In response, this paper advocates for redefining the benchmarks required for success in ministry by centering a ministry’s efforts on unconditional support rather than transformation, inviting congregations to become communities of healing where individual recovery journeys are respected and valued. A non-transactional harm reduction approach dismantles stigmatizing narratives around addiction, reframing the church’s role as a supportive presence rather than a transactional entity measuring progress. This reimagined approach cultivates pathways of love and liberation, allowing churches to extend their capacity for transactional care by embodying the gospel’s invitation to unconditional grace.
To support this evolution, this paper examines the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), reinterpreting it as a story that challenges abstinence-only mindsets and underscores a relational, harm-reduction-centered ministry. The father’s unreserved acceptance of the returning son demonstrates a grace-centered approach that respects personal journeys rather than expecting specific outcomes. This analysis invites faith communities to prioritize relationships over results, modeling ministry that is relational and aligned with the gospel’s message of unconditional love. Furthermore, this paper highlights the importance of specialized training for clergy and pastoral leaders in addiction and harm reduction frameworks, emphasizing the value of developing awareness of social and systemic factors that affect recovery. Such training equips leaders to create inclusive ministry environments, support clergy who may face substance use challenges themselves, and encourage congregations to adopt doctrines of mutual support, interdependence, and relational vulnerability.
Addressing compassion fatigue through these doctrines creates safe, stigma-free spaces for individuals to return to, regardless of setbacks. Over time, these relationally grounded measures help dismantle rigid success/failure binaries, counteract spiritual exclusion, and enable congregations to offer spaces of authentic care. This approach not only counters stigmatizing narratives but also embodies a practical, liberative theology that emphasizes love as an invitation rather than an indictment, fostering holistic, equitable healing within Christian faith communities and aligning with the mission of nurturing hope at the margins.
This paper will be in dialogue with scholars such as Carrie Doehring, Sonia E. Waters, and Andrea Clements, whose work in trauma-informed care and harm reduction aligns with the principle that faith-based support must be adaptive and inclusive, framing healing as a holistic journey rather than a linear achievement. Additionally, this paper will investigate the critiques of harm reduction found in Christian media sources to contextualize the culture of substance use in Christian faith spaces. This broader conversation offers a critical lens through which the “prodigal effect” is examined and challenged.
Such a transactional framework views individuals struggling with SUDs as a monolithic commodity, reducing what should be a unique and diverse recovery journey into a universal, stigmatizing narrative that inhibits the church’s capacity for relational ministry. This approach leads to compassion fatigue within congregations and, in some cases, fosters resentment toward individuals who relapse, with congregants perceiving that the “prodigal” has taken advantage of the church’s efforts.
The prodigal effect reinforces the stigma surrounding addiction, perpetuating a performative culture of saviorism within faith communities that prioritizes visible evidence of “success” through transformed lives. This demand for calculated transformation discourages churches from engaging in harm reduction practices—approaches that focus on reducing the harm associated with substance use, such as providing access to support networks, mental health resources, and education on safe practices, without requiring abstinence as a prerequisite for care.
These practices are often perceived as enabling sinful behavior rather than meaningful steps toward holistic healing. Consequently, abstinence-only models prevail, narrowing the church’s capacity to be the “hands and feet of Jesus” in inclusive, compassionate ways. This mentality has broader implications, perpetuating systemic spiritual violence and exclusion toward marginalized groups who may not fit the church’s standards of recovery. For communities at the margins, particularly those affected by social inequities and alienated from both healthcare and religious institutions, these restrictive recovery narratives exacerbate alienation, reinforcing structures of harm and punishment rather than providing meaningful paths to healing.
In response, this paper advocates for redefining the benchmarks required for success in ministry by centering a ministry’s efforts on unconditional support rather than transformation, inviting congregations to become communities of healing where individual recovery journeys are respected and valued. A non-transactional harm reduction approach dismantles stigmatizing narratives around addiction, reframing the church’s role as a supportive presence rather than a transactional entity measuring progress. This reimagined approach cultivates pathways of love and liberation, allowing churches to extend their capacity for transactional care by embodying the gospel’s invitation to unconditional grace.
To support this evolution, this paper examines the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), reinterpreting it as a story that challenges abstinence-only mindsets and underscores a relational, harm-reduction-centered ministry. The father’s unreserved acceptance of the returning son demonstrates a grace-centered approach that respects personal journeys rather than expecting specific outcomes. This analysis invites faith communities to prioritize relationships over results, modeling ministry that is relational and aligned with the gospel’s message of unconditional love. Furthermore, this paper highlights the importance of specialized training for clergy and pastoral leaders in addiction and harm reduction frameworks, emphasizing the value of developing awareness of social and systemic factors that affect recovery. Such training equips leaders to create inclusive ministry environments, support clergy who may face substance use challenges themselves, and encourage congregations to adopt doctrines of mutual support, interdependence, and relational vulnerability.
Addressing compassion fatigue through these doctrines creates safe, stigma-free spaces for individuals to return to, regardless of setbacks. Over time, these relationally grounded measures help dismantle rigid success/failure binaries, counteract spiritual exclusion, and enable congregations to offer spaces of authentic care. This approach not only counters stigmatizing narratives but also embodies a practical, liberative theology that emphasizes love as an invitation rather than an indictment, fostering holistic, equitable healing within Christian faith communities and aligning with the mission of nurturing hope at the margins.