Let's look at the original program of Alcoholics Anonymous, founded on June 10, 1935; successfully developed in the next two and a half years; summarized in A.A.'s own General Service Conference-approved book DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers at page 131; and documented as to its 75% success rate.
Add to that summary the fourteen practices of the A.A. pioneers, which included qualifying the newcomer, hospitalization, belief in God, acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, obedience to God's will, old fashioned prayer meetings, Bible studies, daily Quiet Time, reading of Christian literature, use of Christian devotionals, "real surrenders" where AAs confirmed their acceptance of Jesus Christ and asked God to take alcohol out of their lives and guide them to proper Christian living, spending each morning with Dr. Bob's wife at the Smith Home in her morning quiet time, attending one "regular" meeting a week, holding daily Christian fellowships, living in the homes of the winners, and helping others to do likewise.
In the center of it all--all this healthy Christian Endeavor--were three segments of the Holy Bible that were considered "absolutely essential" to the success of one's program.
The first was the Book of James. It was filled with practical concepts AAs embraced--avoidance of temptation, seeking God's guidance, being "doers" of God's Word and not hearers only, obeying the royal law (love thy neighbor as thyself), confirming that faith without works is useless, guarding their tongues, eliminating grudges, eliminating envy and jealousy, submitting themselves to God and resisting the devil, confessing their faults one to another, and praying for one another that they would be healed. The book was so popular the oldtimers wanted to call their Society the "James Club." See Dick B., "The James Club and the Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials" www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml,
The second was Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Both Dr. Bob and Bill stated that Jesus' sermon contained the underlying philosophy of A.A. This sermon covered such important A.A. concepts as reconciling with one's brother, msking amends, forgiving, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, taking the position of "Thy will be done," closing their meetings with the Lord's Prayer, taking one's own inventory and looking for one's own part in wrongdoing, living the "golden rule," and doing the will of Jesus' Heavenly Father. See Dick B. and Ken B., "The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., 2010. www.dickb.com/Christian-Recover-Guide.shtml.
The third was the famous "love" chapter (1 Corinthians 13). The most popular book discussing it was Henry Drummond's "The Greatest Thing in the World." The parallels are set foth in The James Club www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml
Whe not inform every Twelve Step adherent of these essential roots before he becomes enmashed in the "wisdom of the rooms." www.dickb.com. God Bless, Dick B.
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