An Answer for Christians in A.A. Today
How to Deal with Obstructive Individuals
Misconstruing A.A. Principles
By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
The Incessant Chatter of Ill-Informed and Even Well-Intentioned Fellow
Drunks Who Seem to Have Inadequate Knowledge of A.A.’s Roots and of A.A.’s Own
Literature
Day after day, we talk on the phone, exchange emails, and
converse at meetings and conferences with Christians who appreciate their
benefits from Alcoholics Anonymous and also love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sometimes they are parents and relatives of alcoholics and addicts. Sometimes
they are pastors and recovery pastors. Sometimes they are AAs, NAs, Al-Anons,
and other varieties of 12-Steppers. More often than not they are either long-clean
and sober old-timers, or newcomers fresh out of jail or treatment.
Then, they let out a peep that they love the Lord.
Or they say they are praying to their Creator in the name of
Jesus Christ.
Or they mention that they are reading the Bible daily.
The result? Often, some authoritarian person who has no more
governance, or control, or special privilege than any other drunk or drug
addict tells them they cannot do any of these things because they are “not
conference-approved;” or they violate the Twelve Traditions; or they are
“outside issues;” or that they are contrary to A.A. because A.A. is supposedly
“spiritual, but not religious;” or that A.A. worships a “higher power” instead
of God.
The statements are wrong. In the more jocular days of my
early sobriety, we might have said that such behavior is just the “ism” in
alcoholism still showing through. The statements are nonsense. And they
obstruct many AAs in their efforts to rely on Almighty God for help as did the
founders and original pioneers of A.A.
Questions
Does the aggrieved person just sit quietly in meetings and
suffer? Does he start an argument with some unbeliever? Does he leave the
meeting? Does he start a new meeting? Does he leave A.A.? Does he condemn A.A.
or develop hostility to 12-Step programs? Does he try some other route which
has a far lower success rate than that of the original A.A. “Christian fellowship”
program?
Possible Answer
He could read the diatribes of a few Christian writers who
say A.A. is “not of the Lord.” He could read the distributions of a few
Christian writers (usually the same ones) that A.A. is “psychoheresy.” He could
read the ad hominem attempts to lay
all of A.A.’s supposed shortcomings on the alleged adultery, LSD use,
Freemasonry, New Thought, and spiritualism of one or both of A.A.’s cofounders.
He could! But he doesn’t need to.
The Best Available Answer I Know
Get the facts.
Learn A.A.’s real history.
Study reliable and accurate “conference-approved” literature
that cites sources and authority.
Ignore the shibboleths that A.A. is allegedly “spiritual,
but not religious;” that it is about “not-god-ness,” and not about the Creator
– Almighty God; that A.A. worships some “higher power” that can be a tree or a
rock or a light bulb;” and that you can choose your own conception of just any
old “god;” and that A.A. supposedly has a non-Christian God.
Discard the nonsense and decide whether you want God’s help
or not. Decide if you agree with A.A.’s own literature which says: “Be quick to
see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th
ed., 87)
Today’s Formula for Christians in Recovery,
for Christians in A.A., and for Christian Recovery Leaders
·
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded and grounded on
a long line of pre-A.A. Christian organizations and individual helping drunks
to get well by relying on God and coming to Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
They include: (1) The great evangelists like Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey, H. M.
Moore, Allen Folger, F. B. Meyer, and Billy Sunday; (2) The Young Men’s
Christian Association workers of the 1800’s; (3) The Salvation Army; (4) Gospel
Rescue Missions; and (5) the United Society of Christian Endeavor. All had
followers numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
·
Alcoholics Anonymous founders and pioneers like
Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Ebby Thacher, Dr. William Silkworth, Rowland
Hazard, and Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker were all devoted Christians; born and
raised as Christians; steeped in Christian principles and practices and Bible
study and prayer; and applied their Christian training in the positive help
they passed along to thousands of recovered drunks they helped.
·
The early A.A. biblical solution is spelled out
in A.A.’s own conference-approved literature like DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers and The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches, Their
Last Major Talks. And in the newly conference-approved, but long-discarded,
personal stories of the pioneers in the first edition of A.A.’s own Big Book
(as seen in the A.A. General Service Conference-approved book, Experience, Strength & Hope).
·
A Christian today who wants to remain a
practicing Christian in a 12 Step Fellowship needs to heed the oft-uttered
statement of old-timer A.A. Clarence Snyder: “If you don’t stand for something,
you’ll fall for almost anything.” And also the well-known words of Jesus Christ
in John 8:31-32: “. . . If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.”
Suggested Authoritative Reading
By Dick B. and Ken B.:
Bill
W. and Dr. Bob, the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont: The Roots of Early A.A.s
Original Program.
God,
His Son Jesus Christ & the Bible in Early A.A.: The Long-Overlooked
Personal Stories in the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous
Stick
with the Winners! How to Conduct More Effective 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using
Conference-Approved Literature: A Dick B. Guide for Christian Leaders and
Workers in the Recovery Arena
Gloria
Deo
No comments:
Post a Comment