Monday, September 05, 2011

Christianity and A.A.: Answering shop-worn anti-A.A. contentions

There are several shop-worn arguments that A.A. is not Christian because its co-founders allegedly were not Christians. The first argument is correct. The second has no merit whatever and endeavors to mislead Christians in A.A.
Certainly careful research over 21 years has untangled the several viciously anti-A.A. and absurd purportedly "Christian" contentions.. First, start with two recent titles that contain evidentiary evidence about the cofounders. The first is Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous www.dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml. The second is The Conversion of Bill W. www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml.
Those who claim A.A. is not Christian today are absolutely right. That fact  was settled when--four years after the early A.A. Christian Fellowship was founded in 1935--atheists and agnostics (and later those of many religions, no religions, or with no belief whatever) were invited to become participants and did so.
A.A. today is not Christian. It is diverse. But there are tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Christians who are actively involved in Alcoholics Anonymous. More and more, as the facts are being unearthed and published about ther early A.A. Christian Fellowship and about the Christian upbringing of young Bob Smith and Bill Wilson, Christians--who occasionally are rebuked in A.A. meetings--are standing tall on their clear right to believe what they believe, worship where they wish, read the Bible or whatever they wish. In short, Christians in the recovery arena--in A.A. and 12 Step fellowships--are not alone. www.ChristianRecoveryFellowship.com.
Those few who claim neither Blll nor Bob was a Christian are far far far from the facts and truth. In simple, easily verified terms, the older founder Dr. Bob was-- with his family, Sunday school, church, Bible study, prayer meetings, YMCA connections, daily chapel, and activity in the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor--a lifelong Christian. The facts are documented in The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., 2010, www.dickb.com.
To keep it simple, Bill Wilson, after being told by Dr. Silkworth that Jesus Christ, the "Great Physician" could cure him, and after being told by his friend Ebby that Ebby had been converted to God by making a decision for Jesus Christ at Calvary Rescue Mission and had stoped drinking, Bill followed suit. Bill went to the Calvary Mission, made a decision for Jesus Christ, wrote that, "for sure I had been born again," and--with  Dr. Bob--insisted that every single early A.A. profess a belief in God, and establish a relationship with Him by making a decision for Jesus Christ in an A.A. meeting in Akron.
See www.dickb.com/titles.shtml.

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