Christian meetings in A.A. today? An exchange of letters

More Letters on Christian Meetings in A.A. Today

 

Dick B.

Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved

 

Here is another letter about Christian meetings in A.A. today and several  remarks that might be helpful. Names have been shortened to protect anonymity

 

Aloha, Tony!

 

1. A.A. used to be for Christians:

"Dr. Bob was a prominent man in Akron. Everybody knew him. When he stopped drinking, people asked, 'What's this not-drinking-liquor club you've got over there?' 'A Christian fellowship,' he'd reply." [DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, page 118]

 

"Finally, there was some kind of hearing on it among the self-appointed elders. I remember how perfectly Bob put it to them. He reminded us that most of us were practicing Christians. Then he asked, 'What would the Master have thought? Would He have kept this man away?'" [transcript of Bill W.'s last major A.A. talk, made on October 11, 1969, and presented in The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches: Their Last Major Talks, Pamphlet P-53, page 30]

 

That is why my dad, Dick B., encourages people to master A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature.

 

2. What was required in early A.A.--especially in Akron, where much of the success occurred--such as "full surrenders" involving accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (for those who were not already children of God), can still be an option today, as indicated in A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. E.g.:

 

"Each individual, in the personal stories, describes in his own language and from his own point of view the way he established his relationship with God." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 29.

 

"Bill [W.] looked across at my wife [Henrietta D., wife of AA #3, Bill D.] and said to her, 'Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 191]

 

"That sentence, 'The Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep telling people about it,' has been a sort of a golden text for the A.A. program and for me [Bill D., AA #3]." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 191]

 

3. You might want to check out:

 

Dick B. and Ken B., The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed.: http://www.dickb.com/Christian-Recovery-Guide-files/

 

Dick B. and Ken B., Stick with the Winners!: How to Conduct More Effective 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using Conference-Approved Literature: A Dick B. Guide for Leaders and Workers in the Recovery Arena (2012): http://www.dickb.com/Stick-with-the-Winners.shtml (Also available in paperback from Amazon.com http://mcaf.ee/c20h8 and in ebook formats--such as for Kindle: http://mcaf.ee/ml1o0)

 

Dick B. and Ken B., "Stick with the Winners!" video class: http://www.christianrecoveryradio.com/Stick-with-the-Winners.shtml

 

Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition, with an Introduction by Dick B. (Sept. 2011): http://mcaf.ee/a1h0o

 

Please keep those cards and letters coming.

 

In GOD's love,

 

Dick B.'s son, Ken

Cell: 1-808-276-4945

 

 

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On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 8:21 AM, Tony . . . .wrote:

In AA they have meetings for gays and lesbians,what about meets in AA for Christians ?