Dick B. discusses his forthcoming title, Recovery Revival: Early A.A.’s “First Century Christianity” in Recovery Today on the June 22, 2013, episode of the “Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B.” show.
Dick
B.
©
2013. Anonymous. All rights reserved
You Can Hear
This Show Right Now on
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You may hear Dick B. discuss his
forthcoming title, Recovery Revival: Early A.A.'s "First Century
Christianity" in Recovery Today, on the June 22, 2013, episode of the
"Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B." show here:
or here:
Episodes of the "Christian
Recovery Radio with Dick B." show are archived at:
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Dick B. discusses his forthcoming book, Recovery Revival, June 22, 2013
Tonight's program comes to you from Maui, Hawaii, on June 22, 2013. It marks the beginning of a series of programs, the writing of a book, and some major materials to be presented at "The First International Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference," September 6-7, 2013, in Portland, Maine.
The working title of the new book by Ken B. and me is "Recovery Revival: Early A.A.'s 'First Century Christianity' in Recovery Today."
Tonight I will provide you with the introductory chapter material. And I'll illustrate to you the brief and simple workbook--outline form and guide--that is much in demand by those who want to start groups, wish guidance as to the content to be covered by the groups, and wish to have a book serving several purposes:
First, a book that covers in short sentences the several topics that constitute the elements of the needed recovery revival. Second, the nature of First Century Christianity in recovery today. Third, the biblical source for these principles and practices. Fourth, how A.A.'s founders learned the principles. Fifth, how A.A. began with the simple application of the principles. Sixth, what the original A.A. principles and practices were. Seventh, how the A.A. literature still amply supports those practices. And eighth, how one can form or conduct a group or fellowship within A.A. or other 12-Step programs that learns, hears experiences with, and has meeting topics that constitute the revival and the resources to bring recovery back to the true role that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible played in early A.A.'s astonishing successes, and can play today for those who want God's help and are willing to go to any length to get it.
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Synopsis of Dick
B.’s Radio Presentation
Recovery Revival
Early A.A.’s “First Century
Christianity”
in Recovery Today
Dick B. and Ken B.
© 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved
About Applying “Old School A.A.” in
Recovery from Alcoholism and Addiction Today
Let’s get clear on the various
names for “Old School A.A.,” on how it can be applied and be used today in
company with Bill W.’s “new version of the program,” the Twelve Steps. How it
can revive and enhance programs and fellowships in overcoming alcoholism and addiction,
And how valuable and important the learning and application of early A.A.
principles and practices can be when put into play in all types of recovery
approaches today. These approaches include A.A. and Twelve Step Fellowships,
Christian recovery fellowships and treatment programs, intervention,
counseling, hospitalization, rehabs, sponsorship and handling newcomers,
residential and sober living facilities, after-care and alumni events, and programs
to avoid and eliminate relapses and revolving door recidivism.
First, there are many names for
what we propose as to applying the early A.A. program today.. Early A.A.’s “Christian
Fellowship” is one. “Old School A.A.” is another, “First Century Christianity”
is another. Still another is. “Pioneer Old-timer Akron AA.” There’s also the associated
Oxford Group original name—“A First Century Christian Fellowship;” and there is
the name for the first A.A. group, located in Akron, Ohio, and founded on July
4, 1935—“Akron Number One”
Second, the “old school A.A.” program
is summarized on page 131 of A.A.’s General Service Conference-approved book DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. It was
developed from the permanent recovery techniques of the first three AAs—Bill W.,
Dr. Bob, and attorney Bill D. It was grounded in the Bible. It was evaluated by
Bill and Bob in November, 1937. And found by the co-founders (who personally
knew the group of men quite well) to be successful for the original 40 men who
had been “seemingly hopeless,” “medically incurable,” “last gasp,” “real”
alcoholics who had gone to any lengths to recover—with 20 having been
continuously sober during the 1935-37 period, another 10 having recovered,
relapsed, and returned to permanent sobriety, thus producing a 75% success
rate.
The original astonishingly
successful program that put the pioneer A.A. program and success rate on the
map, was later embodied in the testimonials known as the “personal stories” in
the first edition of Alcoholics
Anonymous, published in April, 1939, and was accompanied by Bill Wilson’s “new
version” 12-Step program which he attributed to Professor William James,
William D. Silkworth, M.D., and Reverend Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., rector of
Calvary Episcopal Church in New York.
The ability to apply the old
school A.A. Christian Fellowship program exists today when one examines the
real origins of the early A.A. program--of renouncing liquor for good, seeking
the “Divine Help” of God, and then working with others to help them get well in
the same way. The “authority” for concluding that old school A.A.is compatible
with the essence (the “Solution”) embodied in today’s “Big Book” program, plus
the “Big Book’s” repeated statements that parallel the important ones in the
original Christian Fellowship program.
Today, the frequently
vociferous opposition in several quarters rests on several different arguments.
The first is that the Christian
approaches of early A.A. cannot be taken or be acceptable in today’s secular
and “non” religious picture.
The second is that Christians
may not become involved in today’s idolatrous and secular program without
violating the commandments in the Bible.
The third is that the illusion
of A.A.’s “good old days” is neither documented nor followed any longer in
today’s “spiritual, but not religious” format.
Perhaps the final argument is
that early A.A.’s Christian recovery techniques and successes count “evidence-based”
recovery ideas, are offensive to those who (1) choose to believe in nothing at
all, (2) to rely on some illusory “higher power,” or (3) allegedly have a “Christian
God” that is different from the Creator, the Maker, the “Heavenly Father” and
the “God of our fathers” Almighty God of the Bible. The very “God of the
Scriptures” that Bill described in his account of his blazing extraordinary
white light experience in Towns Hospital when he felt the presence of God in
his hospital room.
The opposition today to both
A.A. and to the old school A.A. Christian Fellowship program is formidable. It
has seemingly caused thousands and thousands to flee A.A., to form “bridge
groups,” to fashion strange, man-made groups like Celebrate Recovery, or to
simply relapse and thereby, in one way or another, reduce the early growth of
A.A. to about two million members world-wide, reduce A.A.’s profitable literature
sales of millions and millions of dollars of A.A. published literature, and
cause highly popular Christian and other splinter-groups to proliferate and
receive more accolades and support than A.A. itself garnered in the days of
old.
This book will serve as a guide
to Christian leaders, trainers, and workers, as well as the afflicted and
affected people who still suffer. It will trace the steps that can be taken,
are being taken, and that were long proved to be effective at the time A.A. was
founded in 1935
These are the “steps”—the ingredients of the revival—that can and will produce a recovery revival. They will do so if simply presented, accurately assembled, and applied with determination based on knowledge that these are the things early AAs did when they achieved great success rates, relied on God, uniformly stated that they had been cured, and widely devoted themselves to help others get straightened out by the same means.
For further information, contact Dick B., dickb@dickb.com, 808 874 4876.
Gloria Deo
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