The A.A. Christian's Plight - a Typical Letter

Today, I received the following letter from Anthony W. It is typical of those I receive with great frequency--often each day. And his letter explains: (1) Why we convened the huge nationwide conference at Mariners Church in Irvine - a conference consisting of Christian leaders and workers in recovery who gathered to tell us their experience with what has become a nationwide, if not worldwide problem in recovery fellowships today. (2) Why we immediately founded International Christian Recovery Coalition--an informal and rapidly growing fellowship of Christian leaders and workers in recovery who, participating at no cost, are helping us make known the role that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible played in the recovery movement long before A.A., played in the founding and successes of early A.A., and can play today. (3) Why we are encouraging Coalition members to establish Christian Recovery Resource Centers around the world--centers where people who want God's help with alcoholism and addiction can find out how to begin, who to talk to, and where to go. There are already 20 of these centers established in the U.S., UK, and Canada since the project was begun in January of 2011. Here is the typical letter I mentioned at the outset: Hello, Dick. I have been having a struggle in AA lately. Most people in AA do not attend a Christian church, and many are hostile towards God, Jesus, church etc. (they should list Jesus on their 4th Step resentments). To be fair, there are people I know in AA who do not mind that I or others attend a Christian church or believe in Jesus (of course they do prefer that I not openly discuss my personal beliefs, or "preach" to them). On the other hand, there are many Christians in churches that disagree with AA, calling it non-Christian or a cult. Most of them, if not all, have never read the Big Book or know the Christian (biblical) roots of the AA program. Again, to be fair, there are also Christians who approve of AA. Maybe I'm just too sensitive to negativity. To comment, to participate in the International Christian Recovery Coalition, to learn from our class about the founding of A.A., to establish a Christian Recovery Resource Center, and to obtain the books and articles that explain the problem, the solution, and the growing movement among Christians in recovery, please contact me at dickb@dickb.com