dickb
07-29-2009, 03:41 AM
Here we are at the end of July, 2009. There are some 2 million in A.A. worldwide today. Among that group there are tens of thousands if not dozens and dozens of thousands of Christians in the A.A. fellowship. I am one of them. And I have spoken all over the United States to Christians in recovery, whether at Christian retreats–both Protestant and Roman Catholic; Overcomers, Overcomers Outreach, Inc, Alcoholics Victorious, Lutheran Seminary students, Southern Baptists, Church of God members, Assemblies of God members, and more. I believe it fair to say that most have welcomed learning the Christian roots of early A.A., the basic ideas it took from the Bible, the nature of the Original A.A. Akron Christian fellowship and its acceptance of Christ and reliance on God. They have welcomed the knowledge that the study of the Book of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 were regarded as absolutely essential, and they daily observed Quiet Time with prayer, Bible study, seeking God’s guidance, and reading Christian literature. I got well in A.A. without knowing or hearing these things because they were all but lost from view 23 years ago when I got sober. Today, A.A. is certainly not a Christian fellowship, any more than Congress, or the Democratic and Republican parties are. But the alcoholic engaged in the struggle to survive and be cured can take heart that there is plenty of information today–regardless of how well known–that makes clear the role of Almighty God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in the early A.A. fellowship, and the applicability of the roles in any fellowship, prison, treatment center, or homeless shelter today. See http://www.dickb.com/titles.shtml. God Bless, Dick B.
:195:
:195: