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.

Panels of Speakers Announced for our Two North American Summit Conferences

Two North American Summit Conferences

Presented by

The International Christian Recovery Coalition

Summit Conference 1

Saturday, September 17, 2011

9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

The Crossing Church

2115 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA 92627

(949) 645-5050

http://www.thecrossing.com/

Two Panels of Christian Leaders and Workers in the Recovery Arena

Speaker Panel 1:

John Barton, Historian, Writer, Orange, New Jersey

Randy Moraitis, Executive Pastor of Ministry, The Crossing Church, Costa Mesa, California

Russell Spatz, attorney, Alive Again, Miami, Florida

Bobby Nicholl, Interventionist, Director, Celebrate a New Life at Hope by the Sea, San Juan

            Capistrano, California

Danny Whitmore, A.A. Historian, former leader of Roots Revival Group, and of Clarence

            Snyder Retreats in Southern California

Speaker Panel 2:

Roger McDiarmid, Coalition Speakers Bureau, Huntington Beach, California

Robert T. Tucker, Ph.D., President, New Life Spirit Recovery Inc., Huntington Beach, California

Dale Marsh, Recovery Pastor, Oroville Church of the Nazarene, Oroville, California

Karen A. Plavan, Ph.D., Professor of Chemical Dependency and Counseling, Director of Oasis

            Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Jeff McLeod, Executive Director, Overcomers Outreach, Inc., Whittier, California

Two North American Summit Conferences

Presented by

The International Christian Recovery Coalition

Summit Conference 2

Saturday, September 24, 2011

9:30 AM to 8:00 PM

Golden Hills Community Church—Brentwood Campus

2401 Shady Willow Lane, Brentwood, CA 94513
(925) 516-0653

http://goldenhills.org/

Featured Speaker: Don Hall, Don Hall Ministries, Colfax, California

Two Panels of Christian Leaders and Workers in the Recovery Arena

Speaker Panel 1:

Jeff A. Holt, Men’s Recovery Fellowship, Auburn Church of the Nazarene, Auburn, California

Dale Marsh, Recovery Pastor, Oroville Church of the Nazarene, Oroville, California

Dominic D., Turning Point Recovery Ministry, Cornerstone Fellowship—Livermore

            Campus, Livermore, California

Roger McDiarmid, International Christian Recovery Coalition Speakers' Bureau, Huntington

            Beach, California

Wade Hess, Training Director, CityTeam Ministries, San Jose, California

Speaker Panel 2:

           

Mark Galligan, Leader, “Akronite” Recovery Group, Ontario, Canada

David Sadler, Christian recovery leader serving Golden Hills Community Church, Brentwood,

            California

Karen A. Plavan, Ph.D., Professor of Counseling an Chemical Dependency, Director of Oasis

Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Danny Whitmore, A.A. Historian, Former Leader of A.A.Roots Revival Group, Leader, Snyder

Retreats in Southern California

Wayne White, Certified Substance Counselor, President and CEO, Footprints/Alcoholics

Victorious, Kansas City, Missouri

Maine Christian Businessman Latest to Establish Christian Recovery Resource Center

With the Holidays over, we expect several new persons to establish Christian Recovery Resource Centers and will announce them as they join us.

The latest to establish a listing is recovered Christian businessman Wally Camp of Maine who has long been a participant in International Christian Recovery Coalition and who came all the way from Maine to participate in our Christian Recovery Leaders and Workers Conference at Mariners Church Community Center in Irvine California in May of 2009. This marked the beginning of our Coalition.

Wally's listing will appear on our website www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com as

Wallace E. Camp, Jr., Recovered Christian Businessman, 2 Saint Andrews Lane, Falmouth, Maine 04105-1139; Email: Wally Camp
Welcome on board, Wally

Dick B., Executive Director, International Christian Recovery Coalition

Scotland Man Joins International Recovery Coalition

We are delighted to announce that a fervent believer from the British Isles has now joined the growing number of participants in International Christian Recovery Coalition. www.ChristianRecoveryCoalition.com

Delward Burns's listing as a participant is as follows:

Derek Burns, Recovered Christian Believer, 28 Deans Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. G72 8UT

God Bless, Dick B., Executive Director, International Christian Recovery Coalition