The Importance
Yesteryear and Now
of the Book of
James, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13
in Early Akron
A.A.’s Basic Ideas and Founding Principles and Practices
What’s Emerging
from “Old-School” A.A.
in Today’s Basic A.A. Bible Recovery Studies
[And
note the frequency of quotes in A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature
taken directly from the Book of James, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, and 1
Corinthians 13—quotes that pepper both the personal stories and the Big Book
chapters and language—which may often not be recognized nor understood. We take
the actual language from the Bible, identify and explain it as presented in
A.A. literature, and representing “absolutely essential” ideas applied in early
A.A. and applicable today. For more on this topic, see: Dick B., The James Club and the Original A.A.
Program’s Absolute Essentials, 4th ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise
Research Publications, Inc., 2005): http://www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml.]
By Dick B.
© 2014 Anonymous. All rights reserved
·
Here
is what Dr. Bob said to AAs in his last major talk to them in Detroit in December
1948 as stated in the transcript of that talk published in the A.A. General
Service Conference-approved pamphlet, The
Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous:
In early A.A, days, . . .
. . . our stories didn’t amount to
any-thing to speak of. When we started in on Bill D., we had no Twelve Steps,
either, we had no Traditions.
But we were convinced that the answer to
our problems was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts we found
absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount, the thirteenth chapter of
First Corinthians, and the Book of James.[1]
·
Here
is what the A.A. General Service Conference-approved book ‘PASS IT ON’ states about what Dr. Bob’s wife Anne shared with Bill
W. and Dr. Bob over the summer of 1935 while Bill was staying at Dr. Bob and
Anne’s home at 855 Ardmore Avenue in Akron. And note that ‘PASS IT ON’ shows how quickly the use of the Book of James, the
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and First Corinthians became a part of the
A.A. structure:
At Anne’s suggestion,
Bill moved in with the Smiths. . . . Bill now joined Bob and Anne in . . . having
morning guidance sessions together, with Anne reading from the Bible. “Reading
. . . from her chair in the corner, she would softly conclude, ‘Faith without
works is dead.’” “As Dr. Bob described it, they were ‘convinced that the answer
to our problem was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts that
we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount, the 13th
chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James.’” The Book of James was
considered so important, in fact, that some early members even suggested “The
James Club” as a name for the Fellowship.[2]
·
The
importance of continuity in early A.A. is well covered in Wally P.’s book, But, For the Grace of God, in part, as
follows:
Evan W. had been
an editor of the Akron Beacon Journal. . . . He got sober in May, 1941. Once
Evan was on his feet, Dr. Bob asked him to write some “Blue Collar A.A.”
pamphlets for the fellowship. As Dr. Bob explained, the Big Book was too
complicated for many A.A.’s, and he wanted Evan to present the program in its
most basic terms. . . . The pamphlets were originally sold by the Akron Group
and later by the Central Committee out of P.O. Box 932.[3]
A fifth pamphlet
that came out of Akron in the 1940’s was title What Others Think of Alcoholics Anonymous. This pamphlet was
published by the Friday Forum Luncheon Club of the Akron A.A. Groups.[4]
The pamphlet
contained a “lead” given by Dr. Bob in Youngstown, Ohio. Dr. Bob’s words were
summarized by A.A. Le Minte of the Youngstown, Ohio Vindicator . . .[5]
The speaker told
how he ended 35 years of steady drinking after trying various methods that
included hospital and sanitariums. Ardent reading of the Bible and an earnest
desire to stay sober also failed. He still got drunk every night. Then he met
the other founder-to-be, who had been sober for four months and had learned
that the way to convince himself was to convince some other drunk. Then they
began working on a third alcoholic and this practical cure for drunkenness was
born.[6]
Members of
Alcoholics Anonymous begin the day with a prayer for strength and a short
period of Bible reading. They find the basic messages they need in the Sermon on the Mount, in Corinthians and
the Book of James.[7]
“But that is not
enough,” the speaker said, “for you cannot honestly accept what you read
without putting it into practice, and that means you must help somebody else. .
. .”[8]
Special News
about the Resurgence of Seven ‘James Club’ Meetings
Three James Club Meetings are now held and growing
in Norco, California.
Three James Club Meetings are now held and growing in Glendora,
California.
A James Club
Meeting has been discussed by a Christian AA in Long Island, New York.
These
supplement the studies in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Tennessee. To
obtain further information, please contact DickB@DickB.com.
·
The materials include the specific
verses and basic ideas that have much to tell about “old-school” A.A. They
review the Bible verses, the A.A. General Service Conference-approved books and
pamphlets that quote them, and explanations of how they tie together. You will recognize
basic A.A. ideas such as “Thy will be done;” “Faith without works is dead;” “Love
thy neighbor as thyself;” “Seek ye first the kingdom of God;” amends and
restitution; seeking God’s guidance when you lack wisdom; the problem with
“temptation;” humbling yourself in the sight of the LORD so that He can lift
you up; the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man; guarding the erring
member the tongue; looking for your role in observed defects; and the
ingredients of “love” found in 1 Corinthians 13 as published by Henry Drummond
in The Greatest Thing in the World.
And much much more. Courteous questions are welcome.
Gloria Deo
[1] The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous:
Biographical Sketches: Their Last Major Talks (New York, NY: Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975), 13: http://mcaf.ee/62m4a.
[2] ‘PASS IT ON’: The Story of Bill Wilson and How the A.A. Message Reached
the World (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1984), 147.
[3] Wally P., But, For the Grace of God . . . How Intergroups & Central Offices
Carried the Message of Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1940s was written by
Wally P. (West Virginia, Wheeling: The Bishop of Books, 1995), 43.
[4] Wally P., But, For the Grace of God, 43.
[5] Wally P., But, For the Grace of God, 43.
[6] Wally P., But, For the Grace of God, 45.
[7] Wally P., But, For the Grace of God, 45.
[8] Wally P., But, For the Grace of God, 45.
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