Sunday, June 24, 2012

Let's Look at All Christian Recovery Programs--Not Just One


Some Comments on the “White Funeral” Presentations that Lament the “Demise” of A.A. and Laud the One-Size-Fits-All Weekly Service of New Experimental Christian Recovery



Dick B.

Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved



International Christian Recovery Coalition is a rapidly growing informal, no-cost, world-wide fellowship of  Christian recovery leaders, workers, newcomers, and concerned public who believe the best answers to the ravages of alcoholism and addiction lie in old-school A.A.’s First Century Christian principles and practices and their daily application in the recovery arena today.



There are no barriers. There is no forbidden literature. There is no one-size-fits-all craze. There is a recognition and motivation of the combined body of Christ to offer the early Christian fellowship modes in the Book of Acts to all manner of recovery efforts today.



In other words, International Christian Recovery Coalition believes that all Bible-oriented Christian recovery efforts have a piece to play. That piece emphasizes the role that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible have played and can play today through the origins, history, founding, original Christian fellowship of early A.A. and its successes. And it welcomes the varied talents and approaches and programs of all kinds of Christian recovery work. That includes the efforts in A.A. and Twelve Step Fellowships. It includes the endeavors of clergy, recovery pastors, and          pastoral counselors. It includes qualification, counseling, intervention, detox, and referrals. It includes the “anonymous” organizations and the “12-Step” organizations. It includes treatment, after care, alumni renewal, family services, services for the youngsters, transitional housing, residential treatment, out-patient treatment, and sober living. It includes research, historical quests, and such elements of the media as social networks, websites, blogs, forums, audios, videos,  YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, radio, and films. In short, whatever will enable the suffering to learn about the power, love, guidance, forgiveness, healing, and promises of God.



This particular article comments on an interesting piece of writing about AA and Celebrate Recovery.



Appropriately, it has a focus on the Christian roots of the recovery movement. And that is something we are covering extensively in our new Christian Recovery Radio presentations. See




Unfortunately it misses the mark when it comes to the potential in A.A.



Quite clearly, AA is no longer a Christian fellowship--as it was in Akron during the 1930's.  Quite clearly there are increasing signs of secularization--perhaps even more in the areas outside of A.A.--where academics speculate about not-god-ness and "spirituality." See www.dickb.com/godandalcoholism.



However, there is a failure to recognize the tens of thousands of Christians in present-day 12 Step fellowships and the strong and growing Christian Recovery Movement that is gathering together those Christians IN A.A. and other recovery fellowships.

And the fact that the history of A.A.'s Christian  roots goes back to the Bible, the great Evangelists like Moody and Meyer, the YMCA, the Gospel Rescue Missions, the Salvation Army, and the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor.



Present-day Christian recovery leaders are not flocking to organizations like CR. They are  taking the very broad base of A.A. today and reporting to those who want God's help that it is as present and recognized among A.A. Christians as it was in the early Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship and the highly successful Cleveland A.A. Akron.



Take the rich Christian roots and successes of early A.A. Take the present-day foundational Big Book of A.A. Recognize the 24/7 widely available A.A. of today. Apply the Christian roots. Learn the support for their promulgation that exists in present-day literature. Recognize the weakness of organizations that believe that one-day-a-week Christian Fellowship is and can be a match for the First Century Christianity of the Book of Acts that was quickly recognized and publicized about early Akron AA. And you have the volunteer, no cost, informal fellowship of International Christian Recovery Coalition. See www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com.



It is in the rapidly growing International Christian Recovery Coalition that  you will find the real solution planting its roots through garden variety drunks, recovery pastors, Christian recovery fellowships, Christian counselors and interventionists, Christian therapists, Christian  physicians and psychologists, and Christian treatment programs.



There is hope and promise and victory awaiting those who turn back to the Bible roots of A.A., learn them, apply them, and use them to minister 24/7 personal love and service to the millions who still suffer from alcoholism and addictions and life controlling problems. See www.dickb.com/goodbook.shtml.



God Bless, Dick B., Executive Director, www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com





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