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Alcoholics Anonymous
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The Good Book in Early A.A. |
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Alcoholics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous History with Dick B. presents: (1) Dick B.'s 42 Alcoholics Anonymous History and Christian Recovery titles & 675 articles on early A.A.'s biblical roots and successes; (2) Dick B. audio, radio, YouTube, & blog about early Alcoholics Anonymous History & the Christian Recovery Movement.; (3) 21 years of research on: 12 Steps, A.A. History & A.A. Christian origins; (4) archives, links, other resources about history of A.A. |
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A.A. Cofounder Dr. Bob Said The Basic Ideas of A.A.'s 12 Steps Came from the Bible!
A.A. Roots in the Bible Read the book today that has shown thousands how the Bible influenced A.A. through Bill W., Dr. Bob, Bob’s wife Anne, Quiet Time, the Oxford Group, Rev. Sam Shoemaker, the daily devotionals like The Upper Room, The Runner’s Bible, and The Greatest Thing in the World, and A.A.’s root organizations like rescue missions, the YMCA, the Salvation Army, evangelists, and the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Facts, not opinions. Evidence, not rumor! |
What Early A.A. Was Really Like
Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous History, Bill W., and Dr. Bob. This A.A. history web site focuses particularly on the roles God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible had in early A.A.’s astonishing, documented, 75% and 93% success rates (in Akron and Cleveland, respectively) among “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable,” alcoholics who really tried to establish or re-establish their relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son Jesus Christ.
A.A. Cofounder Bill W.'s Helpful Quotes
"I'll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I'll call on him." [Bill W., My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 2000), 145.]
"For sure I'd been born again." [Bill W., My First 40 Years, 147.]
"Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me [Bill W.], curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), 191.]
"I [Abby G.] wanted to know what this was that worked so many wonders, and hanging over the mantel was a picture of Gethsemane and Bill [W.] pointed to it and said, 'There it is,' . . ." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1975), 216-17.]
The Success of Early A.A. as Reported in
Alcoholics Anonymous
“Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement.” [Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, 4th ed. (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), page xx.]
The Alcoholics Anonymous Original “Program”
as Was Reported by Frank Amos in
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
· An alcoholic must realize that he is an alcoholic, incurable from a medical viewpoint, and that he must never drink anything with alcohol in it.
· He must surrender himself absolutely to God, realizing that in himself there is no hope.
· Not only must he want to stop drinking permanently, he must remove from his life other sins such as hatred, adultery, and others which frequently accompany alcoholism. Unless he will do this absolutely, Smith and his associates refuse to work with him.
· He must have devotions every morning–a “quiet time” of prayer and some reading from the Bible and other religious literature. Unless this is faithfully followed, there is grave danger of backsliding.
· He must be willing to help other alcoholics get straightened out. This throws up a protective barrier and strengthens his own willpower and convictions.
· It is important, but not vital, that he meet frequently with other reformed alcoholics and form both a social and a religious comradeship.
· Important, but not vital, that he attend some religious service at least once weekly. [DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, 1980), 131.]
Much of this information you won't find in A.A.'s basic text (Alcoholics Anonymous) today or in our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. But the simplicity of the original, early Alcoholics Anonymous Society (A.A.) will really astound you! And we are here speaking about the pioneer A.A. Christian Fellowship in Akron that--at the hands of Bill W. and Dr. Bob--developed A.A.’s spiritual program of recovery and was led by Akron physician Dr. Bob by common consent. This Akron “Program”—with its five required elements and two optional ones--was thoroughly investigated, and reported on to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., by Rockefeller’s agent, Frank Amos, who soon became one of A.A.’s first nonalcoholic trustees. [See DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980), 128-36—especially 131.]
How It Worked
Abstinence was Number One. Usually there was hospitalization or at least medical help to save the newcomer's life. At the hospital, the only reading material allowed in the room was the Bible. Recovered Alcoholics Anonymous drunks visited the patient and told their success stories. Dr. Bob visited daily. And he would explain the “disease” or “illness,” as it was then understood. The newcomer had to identify as an alcoholic, admit that he too was licked, and declare that he would do whatever it took to recover.
Reliance on the Creator was Number Two. DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers records on page 144 the statement of Clarence S. (who brought A.A. to Cleveland) as to how A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob talked with him about God while he (Clarence) was still in the hospital:
“Then he [Dr. Bob] asked, ‘Do you believe in God, young fella?’ (He always called me ‘young fella.’ When he called me Clarence, I knew I was in trouble.)
“‘What does that have to do with it?’
“‘Everything,’ he said.
“‘I guess I do.’
“‘Guess, nothing! Either you do or you don’t.’
“‘Yes, I do.’
“‘That’s fine,’ Dr. Bob replied. ‘Now we’re getting someplace. All right, get out of bed and on your knees. We’re going to pray.’
“‘I don’t know how to pray.’
“‘I guess you don’t, but that’s all right. Just follow what I say, and that will do for now.
“‘I did what I was ordered to do,” Clarence said. “There was no suggestion.”
The Alcoholics Anonymous newcomer would very soon be given the opportunity to “surrender” upstairs in the home of an Akron AA. This “surrender” involved the newcomer’s confessing Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in a prayer session resembling what is described in James 5:14-16. (This confession of Christ by which the newcomer became born again has been confirmed as a “must” by four different and well-known A.A. old-timers—J. D. Holmes, Clarence Snyder, Larry Bauer, and Ed Andy.) At the time of the newcomer’s “surrender,” the "elders" (usually Dr. Bob, T. Henry Williams, and one other person) prayed with the newcomer that God would take alcohol out of his life, and joined him in asking God that he (God) would guide the newcomer so that he might live according to God's will.
Obedience to God’s will was Number Three. Successful Alcoholics Anonymous members in Akron during the early years were expected to walk in love and to eliminate sinful conduct from their lives. Many newcomers were too sick to venture far from Akron; so they lived with the Smiths (and later others) in Akron homes. Early A.A. members who recovered from alcoholism with the help of Dr. Bob and other Akron AAs did not do so in an afternoon or in four easy lessons. They shook. They shivered. They fidgeted. They forgot. They were ashamed, insecure, and guilt-ridden. But they learned from the Good Book what a loving God had made available to them and that obedience to God’s will was the key to receiving it.
Growth in Fellowship with their Heavenly Father was Number Four. At the homes in Akron, AAs had daily Quiet Time. This included Bible study, prayer, asking guidance from God, reading a devotional, and discussing selections from Anne Smith’s journal. They shared their woes and problems with Dr. Bob, with Anne (his wife), and with Henrietta Seiberling. They also had personal Quiet Times at their homes and elsewhere when they were not together with other AAs. Alcoholics Anonymous members had one meeting a week. There were no “drunkalogs.” There was no “whining.” There was no “psychobabble.” They prayed, read from the Bible, and had Quiet Time. They used The Upper Room or similar devotionals for discussion.
Intensive help for other alcoholics was the Fifth element. Following the surrender of newcomers upstairs at the weekly meetings, announcements were made downstairs about Alcoholics Anonymous newcomers who had been placed at hospitals. Religious comradeship and attendance at a church of choice were the two recommended, but not required, elements of the Akron program. Socializing followed an A.A. meeting. And it started all over again. There were sessions with Dr. Bob involving doing a moral inventory (which related to adhering to the Four Absolutes—honest, purity, unselfishness, and love), confession, prayer to have the sins removed, and plans for restitution.
What Happened?
Did the Akron program work? You bet it did. Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron achieved a documented, 75% success rate among the "seemingly-hopeless," “medically-incurable” alcoholics who really tried. That success was primarily among Akron A.A. members. And the fact that they had been cured by the power of God was widely publicized across America. Soon, Dr. Bob’s sponsee, Clarence S., brought the Akron program to Cleveland and achieved a documented, 93% success rate in Cleveland.
The same God (the Creator of the heavens and the earth), the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Son of the living God), and the same Bible (the Word of God) that helped early AAs in Akron and Cleveland recover from and be cured of alcoholism are still available today to help alcoholics and others suffering with “life-controlling” problems. The principles and practices of the early A.A. program in Akron and Cleveland were very similar to the basic principles that had also been working in the Salvation Army, the Rescue Missions, the YMCA, and Christian Endeavor. And they can and should be made available again today to those who still suffer.
And It Will Work Today!
Alcoholics Anonymous is certainly no longer a Christian fellowship (as it was in Akron); nor does it any longer require belief in God or even in anything at all. But, for those who do believe that the Creator of the heavens and the earth still can, and wants to, heal those suffering today, an accurate knowledge of A.A. history can help. That knowledge is vital too if the healing power of God is to be passed along to those in Alcoholics Anonymous who want it and who choose to receive it. As future A.A. nonalcoholic trustee Frank Amos reported to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the early Akron A.A. program took abstinence, God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, a life-change decision, living consistent with that decision, witnessing to others, fellowship with others, and time--lots of it. It was that simple. There were no “Steps,” and there was no “textbook.” The early AAs in Akron had Bibles. They had several Oxford Group precepts. They abstained from drinking and worked hard to avoid temptation. They relied on the Creator and His Son Jesus Christ. They endeavored to obey to God’s will—both through eliminating sin and by living a life of love and service. They sought to grow in fellowship with the Father, with His Son Jesus Christ, and with each other through Bible study, prayer, asking God for wisdom, and studying devotionals and other Christian literature. That was the program that Bill W., Dr. Bob and his wife Anne, and the other early A.A. pioneers founded in Akron during the summer of 1935. And the principles of that program can still help, and are helping, those still suffering today. As Dr. Bob—whom A.A. cofounder Bill W. called “the prince of all twelfth steppers” because he had personally helped more than 5,000 alcoholics to recover—stated in the last line of his personal story on page 181 of the Fourth Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous:
Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!
How to Conduct
More Effective
12-Step Recovery Meetings
Using
Conference-Approved Literature
A
Dick B. Guide
for Christian Leaders and Workers
in the Recovery Arena
By Dick B. and Ken B. (2012)
Would you like to conduct and/or participate in a meeting listed in the “official” A.A. Meeting Schedule/Directory? Have you ever heard or been told in a meeting:
“You can’t talk about Jesus and the Bible”
“That’s an ‘outside issue.’”
“That’s not ‘Conference-approved.’”
“That’s against ‘the Traditions.’”
So have we! Are the claims above true? Find out in Dick B.’s latest title:
Stick with the Winners! How to Conduct More Effective 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using Conference-Approved Literature: A Dick B. Guide for Christian Leaders and Workers in the Recovery Arena by Dick B. and Ken B. (2012)
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The Resources Provided by Dick B. on this Website to Help Those Who Want to Recover, and to Assist Those Who Want to Help
Others
to Recover
By Dick B.
Major Christian Recovery Resource #1
The “Introductory Foundations for Christian Recovery” (“IFCR”) class by Dick B. and Ken B. on four DVD's. This class comes in two (2) forms:
Form 1: The IFCR class for Groups and Organizations. This form includes:
Four (4) DVD’s.
[Each DVD is about one (1) hour in length.]
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The Complete, 29-Volume, “Dick B. Christian Recovery Reference Set”
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A lifetime treasure embodying Dick’s 20 years of research and writing. This one-of-a-kind, early A.A. history reference set provides books to study at your leisure on nearly every major A.A. history subject: From A.A.'s official cofounders—Bill W., and Dr.Bob—to Dr. Bob's wife Anne (whom Bill W. called the “mother of A.A.”), to others Bill W. called “founders” of A.A. (such as Rev. Sam Shoemaker and William James), to Carl Jung and Dr. William D. Silkworth, to the books and Quiet Time devotionals early A.A. pioneers read, to the roles of organizations such as the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor (of which Dr. Bob was a member in his youth) and the Young Men's Christian Association (of which Bill W. was the president at Burr and Burton Academy, and of which Dr. Bob's father was the St. Johnsbury president much of the time Dr. Bob attended the St. Johnsbury Academy just down the street from the St. Johnsbury YMCA).
For an alphabetical list of, and detailed information about the subjects covered in, the 29 titles, please Click Here.
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The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed. (2010)
Dick B.’s lifetime of Bible study, legal scholarship and training, 23 years of continuous sobriety, active participation in the A.A. Fellowship, experience sponsoring more than 100 sponsees, 19 hears of historical research, and 35 published titles.
This edition is the product of one year of conferences, meetings, and personal talks by the authors (Dick B. and Ken B.) with Christian recovery leaders and others from the United States and Canada. It is based on their needs, their suggestions, their responses, and the compelling need for “A New Way Out” for Christians in the recovery arena who are not, and don’t want to be, alone. It can be used as a guide by 12-Step members, sponsors, counselors, facilitators, Christian recovery pastors, Christian recovery groups, clergy, study groups, and those engaged in carrying the story of early A.A.’s Christian fellowship, simple program, and astonishing successes to fellowships, treatment facilities, prisons, homeless, veterans, military, and hospitals.
Table of Contents
The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide,
3rd ed.,
by Dick B. and Ken B.
(April 2010)
Introduction (by Dick B.)
Miraculous Healings Are Recorded in the Bible and Are Still Occurring Today
Effective Christian Work with Alcoholics Before A.A.
The Background Factors from Dr. Bob’s Youth in St. Johnsbury (1879-1898)
The Background Factors from Bill Wilson’s Youth (1895 to 1913) and Later
The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous
The New York Origins
The Crucible at the Smith Home in Akron During the Summer of 1935
The Highly-Successful, Original Akron A.A. Program, as Summarized by Frank Amos and Quoted in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
14 Specific Practices Associated with the Original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” Program Bill W. and Dr. Bob Developed
The Verification of Early A.A.'s
Astonishing Success Rates
Documenting the Successes of the
First 40 Pioneers
Helping the Newcomer with a Full Kit of Spiritual Tools
Some Suggested Tools with Which to Arm the Nestling about to Be Flung out of the Nest
Helping a Christian to Begin Recovery Today
"A New Way Out"
An Emerging Picture of Proposals and Potential Service from the California Meetings with Dick B. and Ken B. July 12-21, 2009
Address by Dick B. at the Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors (ACADC) Conference in Palm Springs, August 29, 2009
Conclusion
Purchase The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed.
updated, revised
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Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena who stress the role that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible played in the origins of the recovery movement; in the founding and original Akron “Christian fellowship” program of A.A.; and can play in recovery today among those who want God’s help.
New! Become a “Christian Recovery Resource Center” for your local community and area.
The International Christian Recovery Coalition has just launched a new, worldwide effort to connect alcoholics, addicts, and others with life-controlling problems and self-destructive behavior, with Christian (and secular, when necessary) recovery resources in local areas as well as other locations throughout the world through “Christian Recovery Resource Centers.”
Our vision is for Christian groups and organizations, as well as Christian individuals, to establish a “Christian Recovery Resource Center” in their area of operation. These centers will enable those needing and wanting God's help in recovery, those who are searching for Christian-oriented recovery resources in their areas and elsewhere, and other Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena, to find and make use of Christian recovery resources throughout the world.
A few of the Christian recovery resources provided to Christian groups, organizations, and individuals who become “Christian Recovery Resource Centers” include:
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The “Introductory Foundations for Christian Recovery” class by Dick B. & Ken B. on 4 DVD's, including The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed. (2010).
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The brand-new Dick B. Handbook for Christian Recovery Resource Centers (2011).
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A case of brand-new books by Dick B. for free distribution or sale to support your efforts.
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Frequent communications from Dick B., Executive Director of the International Christian Recovery Coalition, about Christian recovery efforts throughout the world.
How can you become a “Christian Recovery Resource Center” affiliated with the International Christian Recovery Coalition? Simple!
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Provide your contact and other relevant information to Dick B.; and
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Make a one-time donation of $500.00.
For more information, please
check the
International Christian Recovery Coalition web
site. Or contact Dick B. at
DickB@DickB.com;
www.DickB.com; or (808) 874-4876.
Help Support Our Work
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Second,
Click here to
see other A.A. history books Dick B. recommends.
Dr. Bob and Alcoholics Anonymous
Books about Dr. Bob and Alcoholics Anonymous
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
(NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980)
RHS: Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Our Beloved Dr. Bob (New York: The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., 1951, 1979)
The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical
Sketches: Their Last Major Talks (New York:
Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc., 1972, 1975)
Bob Smith and Sue Smith Windows, Children of the Healer:
The Story of Dr. Bob’s Kids (Center City, MN:
Hazelden, 1994)
Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library: A Major A.A. Spiritual
Source, 3rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research
Publications, Inc.,
1998)
URL: http://dickb.com/drbob.shtml
Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2d ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998).
URL: http://dickb.com/Akron.shtml
Dick B., Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book As a Youngster in Vermont (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2008)
URL: http://dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml
Dick B., Dr. Bob’s Days in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont–working title of work in progress.
Dick B., The Prince of All Twelfth Steppers: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous’ Cofounder Robert Holbrook Smith, M.D. (Dr. Bob)–work in progress.
A.A. History: Seven Major Spiritual Sources
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The Bible. A.A.'s basic ideas came from the Bible. For details, see Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible.
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Quiet Time and the daily devotionals--such as The Upper Room. For details, see Dick B., Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A.
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The teachings of the Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. For details, see Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A.
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The life-changing program of the Oxford Group. For details, see Dick B., The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works.
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Anne Smith's spiritual journal (the journal kept and shared from 1933 to 1939 by Dr. Bob's wife with alcoholics and their families). For details, see Dick B., Anne Smith's Journal, 1933-1939.
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The Christian literature early AAs read for spiritual growth. For details, see Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library; Anne Smith's Journal; The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous; The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth; and Bill Pittman, AA: The Way It Began.
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The United Christian Endeavor Society-- a worldwide organization, numbering 3,500,000 members at its peak, consisting primarily of young people supporting their particular church. It espoused most of the principles and practices that characterized the unique Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program. For details, see Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured. And Why; The James Club.
Additional Big Book and Twelve Step Sources
-
See Dick B., A New Way Out: New Path—Familiar Road Signs—Our Creator’s Guidance (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 1-21. (This title covers all 16 sources of the ideas): the Bible; the United Christian Endeavor Society; the Salvation Army; rescue missiohttp://christianrecoverycoalition.com/christian-recovery-resource-centers.shtmlssociation (the YMCA); the Oxford Group; Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker; Dr. Bob’s wife—Anne Ripley Smith; conversion and Dr. Carl Jung; William James and his Varieties of Religious Experience; William D. Silkworth; “Quiet Time” and Christian “devotionals”; non-Oxford Group literature by leading Christian writers; lay therapist Richard Peabody; New Thought writers like Emmet Fox; and the “hands-on” “personal work” of recovered alcoholics with newcomers.
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Dale Mitchel, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks: The Biography of William D. Silkworth, M.D.; (See www.Silkworth.net).
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Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. (See Dick B. www.DickB.com/Conversion.shtml)
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Professor William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience
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Richard Peabody, lay-therapist, The Common Sense of Drinking
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New thought writers. See Mel B., New Wine: The Spiritual Roots of the Twelve Step Miracle.
A.A.’s Experiment of Faith
and Cofounder Sam
Shoemaker
(The rector whose
teachings were
the foundation of Bill W.'s 12-Steps)
By Dick B.
To read this article, please click here
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A Christian Recovery Package That All Can Use
By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved
The Present, Diverse Approaches That Leave Many Christians Baffled
There are many fine approaches that help Christians recover from alcoholism, addiction, and other life-controlling problems. The problem is that almost all lack long-term or life-long, and certainly not sustainable, recovery efforts. Almost all operate independently of other effective Christian recovery efforts. They are frequently uncoordinated, lacking in an agreed solution, and resting on varied subjective theories—rather than a solid biblical foundation.
And almost all modern approaches fail to provide a simple package of Christian Recovery tools that will answer the endless queries we receive daily from newcomers, from families, from church-affiliated recovery workers, from those who have wandered into independent programs that are proliferating, and from those who just plain want to get back to the First Century Christianity approaches that worked so well from the 1850’s forward. Approaches with which many were acquainted during the boyhood of A.A.’s cofounders, Bill W. and Dr. Bob. Approaches attracting hundreds of thousands to the revivals and conversion meetings of famous evangelists. Approaches that were honed to produce effective results through the techniques of Young Men’s Christian Association lay brethren, the rescue missions, the Salvation Army, and the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Even many of the approaches of “A First Century Christian Fellowship”—also known as “the Oxford Group”—in its early days, the organization in which its founder, Dr. Frank Buchman, and the American Episcopal Rector Samuel M. Shoemaker labored in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
To read more click below
A Christian Recovery Package That
All Can Use
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A.A. History: There Is No Easier, Softer Way By Dick B. © 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved With all the passage of time, extensive research and writing, Internet opportunities, multiple biographies, and substantial sobriety and archives and conferences, there are still major gaps in most presentations about Alcoholics Anonymous history. There is a contemporary phrase you have probably heard: “Spot on.” But nearly all existing presentations on Alcoholics Anonymous history are not “spot on” because they omit key elements that show the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in early A.A.’s astonishing success. And those key elements—which could, should, and would help the still-suffering newcomer recover—are either unknown (because they are missing from most “standard” presentations); or, in the rare cases where they are known, they are often not believed or applied in today’s recovery scene. The following are some of the key elements of Alcoholics Anonymous history that keep being ignored or shelved: |
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The Twelve Steps of AA Dick B. Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved This article is written to show how one who believes in God, and certainly one who has come to Him through Jesus Christ, can look at “old school” A.A.—the original A.A. Christian Fellowship program. Then learn the origins and intended purposes of that pioneer program. And then, apply the original old school ideas in taking and understanding the directions in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. At that point, the believer can prayerfully, effectively, and appropriately utilize the book’s directions for taking the Twelve Steps of A.A.
The Twelve Steps of AA |
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This and That: Three News Briefs for You
By Dick B. 1. Dick B. electronic books (eBooks) now available through Amazon: Dick B. eBooks available in electronic form through the Amazon.com Web site in the Kindle store as of April 2012: The Good Book and the Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible by Dick B.: http://goo.gl/aiGCZ The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook by Dick B.: The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous by Dick B. Why Early A.A. Succeeded by Dick B. |
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A message from the first three AAs By Dick B. Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reservedBlog: Dick B.: The Real "Power" Behind Alcoholics Anonymous Post: Alcoholics Anonymous, page 181, "Your Heavenly Father will Never let you down!" Link: the first three AAs |
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Three Christian Recovery Projects We Would Like to Undertake Right Now, with Your Help By Dick B. © 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved Christian Recovery Project #1 Conducting, recording, and posting free of charge on Christian Recovery Radio interviews with Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena. For many years, my son Ken and I have spoken of interviewing key people we have met in our travels, such as members of Rev. Samuel Shoemaker’s family, Dr. Bob’s children, Seiberling family members, Oxford Group activists and Sam Shoemaker associates and friends, archivists, historians, and devoted AAs and Christian leaders. During our September 2011 International Christian Recovery Coalition North American Summit Conference at The Crossing Church in Costa Mesa, California, I mentioned this idea publicly from the platform. And we received a very positive response. As a result, we secured the Christian Recovery Radio domain name, began building a Web site, and posted some early audios and new videos on the site. Today, we know personally hundreds of Christians who are long-sober alcoholics and addicts, historians, authors, archivists, professional recovery people, treatment and sober living leaders, counselors and interventionists, clergy, pastoral counselors, recovery pastors, or otherwise informed and truthful people who can tell their stories, share how they serve, and present their ideas for advancing the International Christian Recovery Coalition’s mission. Because we know them, we can easily arrange interviews, record them, and post them on the Web free of charge. Christian Recovery Project #2 Sharing with people in person, by phone, and via Skype how and where to study A.A. history, develop Christian recovery outreach, and conduct programs and group studies of various types that carry three important messages: (a) Conference-approved literature supports Christians’ sharing in their stories at 12-Step meetings and in their work with newcomers “how they established their relationship with God”—including mention of Jesus Christ and the Bible. (b) The seven principles and major practices of the early, highly-successful Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” are known from current, Conference-approved literature, and are therefore well within the Traditions. (c) The application in early A.A.—especially in Akron and Cleveland—of practices of First Century Christianity as found in the Book of Acts produced much-desired healing, love, forgiveness, power, and status as children of God. Christian Recovery Project #3 Publishing my existing and future research on the history of A.A. and its Christian heritage in the form of print-on-demand books, and in Internet-friendly forms such as electronic books, audios, and videos, in order to reduce selling prices substantially (and to make possible free distribution frequently). Help us make known the unknown, little-known, and/or previously-distorted facts! |
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The International Christian Recovery Coalition Presents The First 2012 North American Conference May 18-19, 2012 His Place Church, 14061 Chestnut, Westminster, Calif. 92683 Conference Theme: “Living First Century Christianity in Recovery Today: Rediscovering ‘Old-School’ A.A. in Conference-Approved Literature” |
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Alcoholics Anonymous Origins and Early History By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved Darkness, Be Gone! Let There Be Light If there is one thing I believe for sure about Alcoholics Anonymous, as I have experienced A.A., for more than 25 years, that one thing is this: It is not Alcoholics Anonymous that needs to go away. It is the darkness about Alcoholics Anonymous History. And the darkness can and will end in the face of solid, complete, accurate, factual knowledge of what has really transpired. What about A.A. itself? Be sure there is no service to the suffering if the darkness continues. We need not condemn. We need not criticize. We need not leave. We need not look for perfection. We do need to see, hear, and learn the full disclosure of whence A.A. came and what it really did. |
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Awakening to the Real Spiritual Experience of the First Three AAs
By Dick B. and Ken B. A.A.’s Own Attempts Today to Define Awakenings and Experiences What was the meaning of the phrase “spiritual experience” in Step Twelve as that Step was worded on page 72 of the first printing of the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (affectionately known with A.A. as the “Big Book”) published on April 10, 1939?
Awakening to the Real Spiritual Experience of the First Three AAs |
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Alcoholics Anonymous History
By Dick B. Moving from Being “in Recovery” to Having “Recovered” Would you like to recover from alcoholism and addiction? Do you believe that God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, can relieve you of those problems? According to the fourth edition of Alcoholics Anonymous--known affectionately within A.A. as the “Big Book”--an effective way to recover from alcoholism is to establish a relationship with God. Note the following statement about the personal stories in the Big Book:
Alcoholics Anonymous History |
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Recovery’s Reliance on God: Alcoholics Anonymous History The Connections and Their Applicability
Dick B. and Ken B. The Chain of Connections from Bible to 12 Step Fellowships
In the Old Testament, God said He was “the LORD that healeth thee.” Ex. 15:26. The children of Israel were to bless Him and not forget His benefits – which included forgiveness of all sins, healing all diseases, and redeeming lives from destruction as well as showering them with loving kindness and tender mercies. Psalm 103.
Recovery’s Reliance on God: Alcoholics Anonymous History |
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Dick B. Now Has His Own Channel on YouTube! |
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As of Wednesday, May 11, Dick B. has his own channel on YouTube! The channel’s name (at the moment) is:
We have just completed and published nine (9) videos on early A.A. History and Christian recovery. Here is the URL address for the first of the nine videos (and the other eight can be found through that URL address): Please feel free to subscribe to the new Dick B. channel on YouTube. And thank you for helping us to “carry the message to those who still suffer” and to train Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena. |
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The Christian Recovery Movement Today—Growing or Going? By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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Consider the Origins In two of our recent books, Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous and The Conversion of Bill W., we covered the seemingly-forgotten-yet-very-important origins of Alcoholics Anonymous in five groups of people and organizations, primarily of the mid-to-late 19th century. Though critics of A.A., within and without, have often sidetracked discussions of origins by pointing to the Washingtonians and the Oxford Group, they have almost-uniformly failed to research, report, and discuss the real Christian roots of the recovery movement. And, of late, some of those critics tend to bypass A.A.’s documented Christian roots and misapply Scriptural principles and segments by claiming no Christian should be involved in today’s recovery movements. The Christian Recovery Movement Today—Growing or Going?(read more) |
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A.A. History: By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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Most thorough A.A. history accounts note that A.A. cofounder Bill Wilson recognized and appreciated the important service of others who were principals in the shaping of Alcoholics Anonymous ideas. In fact, the titles which Bill W. bestowed on those principals were not only descriptive; they highlighted the type of service rendered.
A.A. History: |
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A.A., the "Higher Powers," and the New Thought Compromise By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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My Search for the Curious Nonsense “gods” Floating Around Recovery Talk As many know by now, my searches for the history of A.A. began when a young man told me when I was three years sober that A.A. had come from the Bible. I told him I had never heard such a thing in the thousand or more meetings I had attended. He then suggested I read the A.A. General Service Conference-approved book, DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; Which I did. And the young man was right.
A.A., the "Higher Powers," and the New Thought
Compromise |
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A.A. History Brief: Oxford Group Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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Where My Oxford Group Evidence Came From As soon as I learned that the Oxford Group was a major source of A.A. ideas, I began going directly to its own literature to see exactly what the program was and how it might relate to Alcoholics Anonymous. I was able to befriend and communicate with a large number of Oxford Group leaders, activists, and writers. These included Garth Lean, Frank Buchman’s biographer. Dr. Morris Martin—Frank Buchman’s personal secretary. . . . |
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"God as We Understood Him" — An Alleged Compromise That Opened the A.A. Door to Atheists and Agnostics But How Did It Originate as a Phrase By
Dick B |
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My Own Experience At my first A.A. meeting, I was delighted. Friendliness, laughter, concern, suggestions. All came pouring toward me at the "Wednesday Night What It’s Like Now" meeting, later to become my Home Group. At my second meeting, I made a speech about needing help with a pending court appearance. And a non-attorney offered to come with me; he said he had studied law in Brazil. By my third meeting, |
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Applying “Old School” A.A. (Original Program Basics) in Today’s Recovery Fellowships
Dick B. |
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What the “Original,” “Old School,” A.A. Program Was Take your starting information from today’s A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature—the Big Book, The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches, Their Last Major Talks (Pamphlet P-53), DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, and The Language of the Heart: Bill W.’s Grapevine Writings. This literature today contains many of A.A.’s own published descriptions of the pioneer program of 1935 A.A. Applying “Old School” A.A. (Original Program Basics) in Today’s Recovery Fellowships(read more) |
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A.A. Origins – Christian Healings Dick B.
© 2010 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
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We are beginning a series of articles on the five principal Christian organizations and people that impacted on the Christian healings and Christian program of early A.A. founded in 1935. A.A. history, to be complete, needs to present these items. A.A. History needs to detail the precise role of evangelists and revivalists, the YMCA, the rescue missions, the Salvation Army, and the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor. We have summarized them all in our new class: "Introductory Foundations for Christian Recovery," and we have also documented the details. See www.dickb.com/IFCR-Class.shtml. We are now going to flesh out the summarized A.A. origins and Christian healing roots. |
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The Seven Basic Christian Roots of Early A.A.
©
2010 Anonymous. |
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A.A. Cofounders Dr. Bob and Bill W. both were born and raised in Vermont, had a Congregational upbringing, were much involved in Bible study, knew of conversions, attended church weekly or more, and daily chapel at their Academies daily. Each was steeped in the seven basic Christian roots of early A.A. One: Evangelists and Revivalists: These strong Christian men included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey, Allen Folger, and YMCA laymen. They fostered The Great Awakening of 1875 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont and preached salvation and God’s Word. Two: YMCA lay personal work revivalists: Their focus was undenominational and outreach by lay people. They conducted Gospel and Revival meetings in St. Johnsbury, galvanized the Great Awakening, and stressed conversion to Christ and Bible study
Christian Recovery
(read more) |
| A Great Song! |
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