Assessing Our A.A. History-Christian
Recovery Workshop Project of September, 2012 in Vermont
By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
The real facts about the Christian origins, history,
personalities, and organizations that produced the founding of “old school”
early A.A. in June of 1935 were, and have been, inadequately investigated,
researched, reported, and published. We therefore began our research in 1990. It
continues today. And, as our recent Vermont workshops showed, there is still
much more material—known, unknown, ignored, or overlooked--yet to be reported
or found.
In our opinion, this extensive search for accurate and
truthful history was (and is today) much enabled and assisted by the following major
sets of resources:
(1) The King James Version of the Bible and the first
edition of Alcoholics Anonymous,
published in April, 1939 (and today available through the Dover Publications
reprint of that edition with a substantial introduction by Dick B.)
(2) A number of
important A.A. General Service Conference-approved books and pamphlets: (a) RHS. (b) Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. (c) The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their
Last Major Talks. (d) DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. (e) “Pass It On.” (f) The Language of the Heart. (g) Experience,
Strength, and Hope.
(3) Segments published by other sources: (a) Robert
Thomsen’s Bill W. (b) Lois Remembers. (c) Sue Smith Windows
and Robert R. Smith’s, Children of the
Healer. (d) Mary Darrah’s Sister
Ignatia. (e) Francis Hartigan’s Bill
W. (f) Bill W.’s My First 40 Years. (g)
Dale Mitchel’s Silkworth: The Little
Doctor Who Loved Drunks. (h) William Borchert’s The Lois Wilson Story: When Love is Not Enough. (i) Mel B.’s Ebby. (j) Mitchell K.’s How It Worked. (k) William James, Varieties of Religious Experiences. (l)
The four pamphlets published by AA of Akron—Spiritual
Milestones, Manual For Alcoholics Anonymous, Second Reader for AA, Guide to the
Twelve Steps; (m) Hazelden’s Original
Printer’s Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous; (n) The Runner’s Bible.
(4) Literally hundreds of books, articles, and pamphlets (a)
by and about the Oxford Group and/or its “A First Century Christian Fellowship”;
(b) by and about Rev. Samuel Moor Shoemaker, Jr.; (c) by and about the Christian
predecessors of A.A.—The Great Awakening of 1875, the great evangelists such as
Moody and Sankey, Young Men’s Christian Association, Salvation Army, Rescue
Missions, and United Christian Endeavor Society; (d) Christian upbringing of
Bill Wilson, Ebby Thacher, and Dr. Bob Smith by their parents and grandparents
and in Vermont’s Congregational and other churches, Sunday schools, Academies, Bible
studies, prayer meetings, Quiet Time observances, daily chapels, revivals,
conversions and temperance meetings, and Oxford Group connections.
The totality of most of these resources can be found in the
contents and bibliographies by Dick B. and Ken B., including; The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.’s Roots
in the Bible; The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous; New Light on
Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A.; The Books Early AAs Read for
Spiritual Growth; Anne Smith’s Journal 1933-1939;Making Known the Biblical
History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous; Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous; The
Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide; and many of our recent titles (46 to
date), articles (1200 to date), as well as blogs, newsletters, forums, radio
and audio and video presentations.
These foundations, plus the labors of a group attending the
Vermont workshops of 2012, will substantially change the historical work from
this point on. To be sure, research and publishing on the foregoing topics will
continue. So too, on the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the
Bible in the recovery movement. So too on the lives and input of A.A. pioneers
and founders. So too, on the new era of A.A. history which will underline the
reasons for, nature of, and practical recovery approaches of old school early
A.A. And certainly on the application of all the foregoing in recovery today
for those who want God’s help and will go to any length to get it—using the Conference-approved
literature of A.A., the resources mentioned above, and the principles and
practices of First Century Christianity that dominated early A.A. programs and
lives.
The harvest is plentiful, and the number of Christian
laborers in the field is growing swiftly on an international basis.
Gloria Deo
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