During the past 5 years, I have attended 'traditional AA meetings', meetings in secular treatment centers, meetings in a Christian Rehab and the 'newer' Christian 12 step programs. I have been to meetings in several states...and certainly appreciate the continuity of the core recovery message. In some ways, the 'definite purpose' of Alcoholics Anonymous is refreshing when compared to watching Christian television or attending some Churches. For instance, we know in an AA there is only one requirement: a desire to quit drinking. We also talk often about God, His Power and the surrender to His Will. However, you also hear words such as "god as you understood him". For me, as a Christian, this would appear to be idolatry and foreign to the God of the Bible and the Person of Jesus Christ. However, I believe there is evidence these words 'added' in two of the 12 steps of AA (after much debate) were not meant to distance the movement from the God of the Bible. This is quite controversial, but I think a reading of AA's history testifies to this fact.
I will be exploring in the next few posts some significant facts concerning the 'Spiritual Roots of Recovery' -- not to create more controversy but to explore the truth. For instance, I included a picture of Dr. Bob's house in this post where Bill Wilson stayed with Anne and Dr. Bob during the first 3 months of his sobriety -- and a spiritual formation was initiated that would 'carry over' to the early AA meetings. The following quote from Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers (pg. 71) notes the early beginnings of Bill and Dr. Bob's sobriety:
Each morning, there was a devotion, he recalled (Bill Wilson). After a long silence, in which they awaited inspiration and guidance, Anne would read from the Bible. "James was our favorite," he said. "Reading from her chair in the corner, she would softly conclude, 'Faith without works is dead.'" This was a favorite quotation of Anne's, much as the Book of James was a favorite with early AA's...
Reading for the first time information contained in this book (and others), I was astounded. I also began to realize that this 'path of recovery' was not only consistent with my Christian faith, but the 12 Steps were merely the program of action that helps me maintain a consistent spiritual life. Also, I discovered that the early success rate of AA far exceeded 50% ... because, I believe, the focus was on the TRUE GOD and HIS POWER to transform. In fact, the early program stressed initial surrender to God-- and if the 'newcomer' would not bow down take this essential step he would be 'sent back out' for more pain. They quickly came to realize that desperation and a 'willingness to do whatever it took' were the keys to successful recovery. What would happen today if we stressed the necessity of surrender to God? I believe it could radically alter our recovery 'ministry' (and our Churches!). More to come...
Lane
4 comments:
The God I understand today will not be the same understanding I have next week or even tomorrow.
I am blessed to be a part of this family.
mb
Thank you Lane for the life you live in front of all of us. You encourage me and keep me going.
I am blessed to have you as a friend and brother.
Your words mean so much ... but it is your heart that I love. Seth and I talked tonight(and laughed)about our journey down this road and your role in our lives. Who would have thought we could smile when looking back at the past (it wasn't so funny back then!)...quite a miracle, huh?
As for 'a God of my understanding'...there is so much distortion. I truly enjoy reading about the authentic spiritual aspects of this program. When Bill Wilson stated that 'the Lord has cured me...'-- he was not fashioning a god...but talking about the TRUE God.
Lane
Interesting history of AA. Teaching surrender to God would transform the Church...which would transform the world.
.
Lane,
The phrase is "God as WE understood him".
The foreword to the first edition Big Book page xiii states “We of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show others precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.”
Step 3 and Step 11 had the phrase “God as we understood him” added to the first manuscript during review by this group of “one hundred men and women”. The statement “God as we understood him” reflects the group’s collective conscience about the God they are talking about in the Big Book. AA literature DOES NOT suggest ANYWHERE that there is any other than the one true God of the bible or to just pick your own. This is more correctly interpreted as a collective statement that all agreed, even the 50 or so agnostics (see BB page 44) that this one God was ultimately responsible for their recovery.
The phrasing “God as we understood him” came from Reverend Sam Shoemaker. Sam was the Episcopal Rector at Calvary Church in New York, the church which operated Calvary Rescue Mission where both Bill Wilson and his “sponsor” Ebby Thacher made their decisions for Christ (Sam also Baptized Bill). Sam taught about the crisis of self-surrender, quoting William James’s Varieties of Religious Experience. Sam said it involved being born again; and declared that man must make a decision to renounce sins, accept Jesus Christ as Savior; and begin Christian life in earnest. Sam illustrated surrender with language similar to that in A.A.: namely, a “decision to cast my will and my life on God.” Many times, Sam said one need only surrender as much of himself as he understands to as much of God as he understands. This is a clear precursor of A.A.’s “God as we understood Him”–which has unfortunately been misunderstood and has been attributed to other sources. Many of Sam’s writings, some as early as 1927 reflect these concepts” http://www.dickb.com/articles/shoemaker_roots_dsb.shtml)
The lack of reference to Jesus Christ in the Big Book is another matter altogether. While it’s clear that Bill and Dr Bob were born again Christians, the faith of the rest of the 100 men and women “The We” are not. In Chapter 4, We Agnostics, of the Big Book it states “About half our original fellowship were of exactly that type”. What about the other half? Given the geographic locations of the two initial groups; i.e., New York and Ohio, it would be reasonable to assume there were some Catholics and probably some of Jewish faith –What now?
The solution:
“The problem of the Steps has been to broaden and deepen them, both for newcomers and old timers. But the angles are so many; it's hard to shoot them rightly. We have to deal with atheists, agnostics, believers, depressives, paranoids, clergymen, psychiatrists, and all and sundry. How to widen the opening so it seems right and reasonable to enter there and at the same time avoid distractions, distortions, and the certain prejudices of all who may read, seems fairly much of an assignment” (Pass It On, p. 354).
“We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect. Each man’s theology has to be his own quest, his own affair (As Bill Sees It, p. 95).
I try to keep in mind AA’s primary purpose “to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety”. AA is not church.
BUT
In the words of Billy D. – AA #3
“I came into AA solely for the purpose of sobriety but it has been through AA that I have found God”
This is our call as Christian’s in Recovery
God Bless You Lane
Barry H.
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