Hearing "the rest of" A.A. History

The Purpose of Dick B.’s Alcoholics Anonymous and A.A. History Website Why this site by Dick B. on the history of A.A., and the people and organizations involved with successful Christian Recovery efforts which preceded and influenced Alcoholics Anonymous? We believe you should hear the whole A.A. history story if you are to receive and pass on the spiritual tools that A.A. offers to those who still suffer. But our primary focus is on “the rest of the story.” The fact is that there are countless untold, ignored, discarded, distorted, or omitted pieces of A.A. history that offer opportunities to still-suffering alcoholics and addicts to be lifted out of the mire, to seek the same cure that early AAs received, and to pursue a transformed life anew. The many resources here will supply what has been missing. They will highlight what AAs in misery, in confusion, and in repeated relapses can do if they learn and know what the original A.A. pioneers did in depending and relying upon the power and love of God. And in finding or rediscovering God through His Son Jesus Christ on the path found in the Bible. Major Historical Landmarks along the Alcoholics Anonymous Path to Recovery In Alcoholics Anonymous (“the Big Book”), the “basic text” of A.A. (the first edition of which was published in April 1939), A.A. cofounder Bill W. wrote: “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” [Big Book, 4th ed., 58]. What is usually unfamiliar to the A.A. Fellowship is Bill W.’s inspiring declaration in the personal story of AA Number Three (Bill D.) found in the second edition (published in 1955), the third edition (published in 1976), and the fourth edition (published in 2001) of the “basic text”: “. . . [T]he Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people.” [Big Book, 4th ed., 191] A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob said in his last major talk to AAs: It wasn’t until 1938 that the teachings and efforts and stories that had been going on were crystallized in the form of the Twelve Steps. I didn’t write the Twelve Steps. I had nothing to do with the writing of them. . . We already had the basic ideas, though not in terse and tangible form. We got them, as I said, as a result of our study of the Good Book [i.e., the Bible]. [The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches: Their Last Major Talks (Item # P-53), 14] An effort that began with the founding of A.A. in June 1935 in Akron, Ohio. And Dr. Bob concluded his own personal story in the Big Book by voicing the same emphasis that Bill W. gave when he spoke of his having been cured of alcoholism by the Lord. Dr. Bob stated: Your Heavenly Father will never let you down! [Big Book, 4th ed., 181] The problem is that neither I nor most AAs nor most other people in the recovery arena know or even seem to want to know exactly what occurred that put A.A. on the map. Or that generated sales of over 40 million Big Books. Or that brought the worldwide Society of Alcoholics Anonymous to a membership level of about 2 million people. Yet A.A. had produced a wide variety of solid, reliable, spiritual tools between its founding in June 1935 and the publication of the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (“the Big Book”) in April 1939. And we want to be sure that desperate, “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable” alcoholics hear the whole story. Better stated, that they know “the rest of the story” about their cherished Fellowship. And the option of placing their recovery in God’s hands today. A Brief Outline of Key Points about A.A.’s Earliest Years First Century Christianity. Many early observers of Alcoholics Anonymous likened early Akron A.A. to First Century Christianity. As Mr. Albert Scott, chairman of the trustees of Riverside Church, put it at a meeting with a number of early AAs and some supporters in New York: “Why, this is first-century Christianity!” Then he asked, “What can we do to help?” [‘PASS IT ON,’ 184] And a careful study of what the Apostles did in the First Century, as reported in the Book of Acts in the Bible and as mirrored in early A.A. (particularly in Akron), is very rewarding. A.A.’s Christian Predecessors. Centuries later, beginning around the mid-1800s, Christian individuals, churches, and movements began looking at alcoholics, addicts, homeless people, and derelicts in a new light. Instead of condemning them as downtrodden wretches, many Christian people and entities set about bringing to them the Bible, salvation, and some very real help. One such Christian organization was the Salvation Army. The distinguished scholar and theology professor Howard J. Clinebell wrote, for example: The long history of the Salvation Army . . . has demonstrated persistent concern with the practical application of religious resources to help victims of social chaos, oppression, and addictions. From the beginning, there has been an ongoing commitment to help “the least, the last, and the lost” with “soup, soap, and salvation.” This down-to-earth orientation led the Army from its inception into the field of alcoholism. Firsthand experiences in the squalor of London slums made the founders, William and Evangeline Booth, and their fellow Salvationists keenly sensitive to the problem. Booth agonized over the tragic plight of England’s half million alcoholics. [Howard Clinebell, Understanding and Counseling Persons with Alcohol, Drug, and Behavioral Addictions, rev. and enl. ed. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998), 184]. And the Salvation Army efforts coincided with those of: •Gospel Rescue Missions; •the Young Men’s Christian Association; •Christian evangelists such as Moody, Sankey, Moorhouse, Meyer, Drummond, Moore, and Folger—who accomplished many a healing as they carried the need for salvation and the Word of God to the derelicts; •Congregationalists in Vermont; and • the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor (in which Dr. Bob and his parents were active in Bob’s youth), which developed a program for young Christians that much resembled that of the subsequently-developed Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” program. (E.g., both programs included conversion, Bible study, prayer, Quiet Hour, and outreach to newcomers.) The group founded in the autumn of 1922 by Lutheran minister Dr. Frank N. D. Buchman and a couple of his associates called “A First Century Christian Fellowship”—better known after 1928 as “the Oxford Group”—also contributed its share of life-changing ideas to early Alcoholics Anonymous, though Buchman’s group focused primarily on saving “drunken nations” rather than on saving drunks. But its emphasis of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible, brought rescue to a number of alcoholics in its ranks. The Christian Upbringings of A.A. Cofounders in Vermont. As A.A.’s cofounders-to-be were receiving their Christian upbringing in Vermont, they absorbed the news about the organizations and people just mentioned. But they also attended Congregational Sunday schools, churches, and Congregationalist-dominated academies. There they studied the Bible and attended daily chapel (with its sermons, reading of Scripture, hymns, and prayers). And they were necessarily put in touch with a substantial amount of the Young Men’s Christian Association’s salvation and Bible emphasis. How the First Three AAs Got Sober. The story of how the first three AAs got sober is not a story about an A.A. program. It is an account of how three down-and-out Christian alcoholics—who believed in God, had been Bible students, and had been active in churches at a one or more points in their lives—admitted their alcoholism, determined to quit for good, turned to God for help, were cured, and actively helped others for the rest of their days. The Original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” Program. This first actual A.A. program founded in Akron in June 1935 was Bible-based. It had no Twelve Steps or Twelve Traditions. It had no Big Book. And it had no “war stories” or meetings like those seen today. The pioneers believed the answers to their problems were in the Bible. The AAs in Akron called themselves a “Christian fellowship.” And their seven-point program as it looked in February 1938 is summarized on page 131 of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. Its principles and practices incorporated ideas both Bill W. and Dr. Bob had learned growing up in Vermont. And do you know what that program really was? Bill W.’s “New Version of the Program, . . . the ‘Twelve Steps.’” Then came Bill Wilson’s “new version of the program, . . . the ‘Twelve Steps.’” [See Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 162]. Bill prepared his Big Book and the content of his “Steps” from the things he borrowed from Dr. William D. Silkworth, Professor William James, and Reverend Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr.—a chief lieutenant of the Oxford Group in America and rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. [See The Language of the Heart , 195-98, 297-98]. A Major Compromise by a “Committee of Four.” Shortly before Bill W.’s Big Book was published in April 1939, a dramatic change in A.A. occurred. Bill described in considerable detail how the Big Book was written on pages 153-73 of Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. On page 166, Bill described what he said “[a]t the time . . . looked like just another battle over the book.” On pages 17 and 162-64, he had given the background of an ongoing “debate” among the “conservative, liberal, and radical viewpoints,” out of which “came the spiritual form and substance of the document.” And on page 166, Bill stated: We [i.e., a “committee of four” comprised of Fitz, Henry, Henry’s secretary Ruth, and Bill W.] were still arguing about the Twelve Steps. All this time I had refused to budge on these steps. I would not change a word of the original draft, in which, you will remember, I had consistently used the word “God,” . . . From the quote immediately above, together with other language in the same paragraph, we learn from the Big Book’s (primary) author, Bill W., that he had written the (unmodified) word “God” in his “original draft” of the Twelve Steps and had firmly stuck with that language up to the point of this “battle over the book.” But then the “contentions” of the “radical” viewpoint—represented by Bill’s partner Henry (“Hank P.”) and Jimmy B.—won out. Bill spoke of “compromise” and “compromise words,” stating: . . . In Step Two we decided to describe God as a “Power greater than ourselves.” In Steps Three and Eleven we inserted the words “God as we understood Him.” . . . Such were the final concessions to those of little or no faith; this was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics. . . . God was certainly there in our Steps, but . . . [Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, 167; italics in original] When 400 copies of the typed “prepublication copy of the text and some of the stories,” which Bill said he had labeled “the mimeograph issue ‘Alcoholics Anonymous,’ were circulated to “everyone we could think of who might be concerned with the problem of alcoholism,” the wording of Steps Two and Three had already been changed to reflect the “compromise.” But Step Eleven still contained the unmodified word “God”: 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. [“Chapter Five: How It Works” in The Original Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous available on Silkworth.net: http://mcaf.ee/siokx] It was not until Hazelden published high-resolution scans of the printer’s manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous in 2010 under the title, The Book That Started It All: The Original Working Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous, that it became possible for the first time for the public to see both the unmodified word “God” in Step Eleven and the handwritten circle added around the word “God,” accompanied by the handwritten words “as we understood” stretching into the right-hand margin. The scanned copy of the printer’s manuscript, reprinted on pages 21-190 in The Book That Started It All, is filled with scribbled notes, changes, deletions, and initials of those who fiddled with it. And a considerable number of the markings reflect an effort to remove Christian and Bible traces, as well as references to God. And they surely altered the whole tenor of Bill’s codified Oxford Group “new version of the program.” What This Website Offers Alcoholics and Addicts Still Suffering Today The history, origins, and development of A.A. are certainly covered by the many dissemination categories covered by the many sources referred to in this website. But “the rest of the story” is what we emphasize. “The rest of the story” documents the early successes based on, and the later shift away from, the Bible roots, Christian fellowship, and original and concise Akron A.A. program The major and previously-obscured points are found in the books, articles, blogs, audios, videos, radio shows, YouTube presentations, and other materials you will find through this website. You will note how A.A. moved from its original quest for a Bible-based cure of alcoholism by the power of God to self-made Twelve Steps drawn from a philosopher, a psychiatrist, and an Episcopalian Rector. You will see that there has been a decided drift in recovery tools from reliance on God to literature that describes “gods” with weird names like “light bulb, Big Dipper, tree, and door knob.” It shifted descriptions of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible to “higher powers,” “spirituality,” and the newly-proclaimed dictum that you may now, if you wish, believe in nothing at all as you enter the rooms of A.A. And it is the result of 25 years of research, and 28 years of continuous sobriety, as well as the hands-on work “in the trenches” by Dick B. and his son Ken B., that almost demand of the newcomer admission of some kind of total defeat, a determination not to drink, reliance on God, reference to the Bible, and the helping of and service to others. These are the simple ingredients of “old-school” A.A.—particularly as it was seen in A.A.’s early days in Akron and to some extent in Cleveland as well. We believe that Christians will—when fully informed—consider their options in recovery today. The “old-school” ideas can and should be applied in the 12-Step Fellowships as an option that placed A.A. on the map and fostered the sale of millions of A.A. books in the ensuing decades. The All-But-Ignored-or-Forgotten Precepts of “Old School” A.A. As a taste of “the rest of the story” that you will find here, the following pieces of evidence speak more loudly than any research, lectures, history books, opinions, and statistical surveys. Around the beginning of December 1934, Bill Wilson went to Calvary Mission in New York City where his friend Ebby was living and made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. On December 11, 1934, he checked into Towns Hospital as a patient needing care for alcoholism for the fourth and final time. About three days into that stay, Bill cried out to God for help. He had his famous vital religious experience in which he said his hospital room “blazed with an indescribably white light.” And Bill wrote that he believed “the God of the Scriptures” was present in his room and that this was the source of Bill’s being cured of alcoholism. [See, for example, The Language of the Heart, 284]. Bill W.’s story still rests on his statement quoted by AA Number Three, Bill D., in Bill D.’s personal story in the Big Book: “Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people.” [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 191] Dr. Bob was persuaded by a tiny group of friends meeting at T. Henry and Clarace Williams’ home in Akron, Ohio, to confess publically to them that he was a “secret drinker.” He dropped to the floor on his knees with them and prayed for his deliverance. The miracle of the appearance of Bill Wilson, a total stranger, in Akron in May 1935, followed and constituted what the group and Dr. Bob believed was the answer to the prayer. Soon, after one last binge in early June, Dr. Bob said in Bill W.’s presence that he was leaving the surgery he was about to perform and his determination to quit drinking in God’s hands. And June 1935 marked A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob’s last drink and the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. There is much much more to give present-day alcoholics and addicts a reliable picture of how they can, even today, learn and apply the history, the belief, and the actions that buttressed the successful efforts of 40 “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable,” “last-gasp-case,” “real” alcoholics who were staying sober as of November 1937 to get well and stay well. And we suggest that the principles and practices required in the highly-successful, early Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” program are still an option today, based on current A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. Help Support Our Work [Your gifts, contributions, patronizing Google advertisers, and buying recommended books on our Amazon.com Associates page enable us to distribute history materials free; help fund research trips to resource sites as East Dorset, Vermont (Bill W.’s birthplace), St. Johnsbury, Vermont (Dr. Bob’s birthplace), and the Dr. Bob Core Library in St. Johnsbury, Vermont; and help us acquire the books and documents for the Wilson House and Dr. Bob’s Core Library; and to publish our findings as well as to post them on web sites of ours and of those who welcome history materials.] First, if you have benefited from and wish to support this work financially, you can now make your donations online by clicking here! Credit or Debit Card, or PayPal Accepted. (PayPal is the gateway BUT NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED.) Contact Dick B. Phone: (808) 874 4876 dickb@dickb.com PO Box 837 Kihei, HI 96753-0837 © 1999-2014. Paradise Research Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and Disclaimer: ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, A.A., and Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Dick B.’s web site, Paradise Research Publications, Inc., and Good Book Publishing Company are neither endorsed nor approved by nor associated or affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Established November 18, 1995 Site Visitors: 4,749,354 Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional - See more at: http://www.dickb.com/index.html#sthash.CXHalocj.dpuf

A.A. and its Christian Endeavor Roots

Probably no account of the origins of Alcoholics Anonymous is more screwed up than the one or ones that tries to link A.A. to the (1) Bible, (2) A First Century Christian Fellowship, (3) Quiet Time, (4) The journal kept by Dr. Bob's wife (Anne Ripley Smith) from 1933 to 1939 and discussed in front of A.A. pioneers and family, (5) The books, articles, and sermons of Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr. (6) The contributions of William D. Silkworth on the nature of alcoholism and on the ability of Jesus Christ--the Great Physician--to cure it. (7) The huge writings and teachings of Professor William James of Harvard. (8) The vital spiritual experience thinking and teaching of Dr. Carl Gustav Jung of Switzerland (9) The ability of Dr. Robert H. Smith and William G. Wilson to formulate the rudiments of the actions which enabled them to move from alcoholic sickness and despair to abstinence, reliance on God, obedience to God, spiritual growth through the Bible, prayer, and Quiet Time, and the necessity for helping others once the first alcoholic is cured. Unfortunately, most AAs don't know the immense role that the basic ideas from the Bible put before AAs. They know that Bob and Bill had some experience with the "Oxford Group" and that A.A., to some extent, sprang from the Oxford Group ideas--all twenty-eight of them. They learned how much the Oxford Group people thought of William James, the Bible, and the life-changing art they developed as the means of their simple "design for living" -- sin, Jesus Christ, cure. This did not set well with Roman Catholic clergy. Others knock A.A. by calling it "spiritualism," "Masonry based, and "not-god-ness." Others caution AAs by warning that it depended upon some absurd "higher power" and not Almighty God, the Creator. Others objected to the Protestant ideas of AAs which came not only from their leaders but also from their extensive Christian upbringing in the Congregational Churches (baptism, profession of faith, the importance of the Word of God, and salvation) also including the materials from Christian Endeavor, the Rescue Missions, the Salvation Army, Young Men's Christian Association, Congregationalism, the great evangelists like Moody and Meyer, and the faithful teaching of the Bible as a foundation for the ideas. The bottom remedy for the hostile student of A.A. roots is to stop knocking God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, salvation, Protestant ideas, piety, religion, church, clergy, cure, and the treasures in academies and seminaries where young Congregationalists were required to attend daily chapel (with sermons, reading of Scripture, prayer observances, and hymns) and receive the immense contributions of founder's families in training their children about God--the one true God--and the evil of idolatry. The pioneers simply weren't on the warpath. They stressed dependence on God, cleaning house, and helping others get well. I have done extensive research into Christian Endeavor principles and practices. I have noted they attained a world-wide membership of 4.5 million. And I have note three important facts: (1) In the Book of Acts, the apostles reported on their fellowship--following the teachings of Jesus; breaking bread together; attending temple or home meetings together; continuous daily contact, learning the teaching of the apostles, healing, conversion, and witnessing. (2) Dr. Bob went through these same practices as a young member of Christian Endeavor; and those same First Century Christianity deeds were followed in the first century and influenced A.A. in a way which did not depend on William James, Carl Jung, William Silkworth, Samuel Shoemaker, Frank Buchman, or the so-called Oxford Group,(3) Just as early AAs strongly emphasized the Bible, prayer, conversion, healing and witnessing, they were dutifully emulating First Century Christianity; and they called themselves A Christian Fellowship.

Tables of Contents for All 31 Volumes of "The Dick B. A.A. History & Christian Recovery Reference Set"

Tables of Contents for the 31 Volumes of

“The Dick B. A.A. History and Christian Recovery Reference Set”

 

By Dick B. and Ken B.

© 2015 Anonymous. All rights reserved

 

 

The 31-Volume

 

“Dick B. A.A. History and Christian Recovery Reference Set”

 

Order now:

 

http://www.dickb.com/DickB-Reference-Set.shtml

 

 

Contents of A New Way In

 

Part 1:  The Akron A.A. Christian Program That Cured Alcoholics

Part 2:  Teach the Puzzled Seeker Some Special Fragments of Early A.A. History and Roots

Part 3:  Tell the Newcomer the Pioneers Were Cured. Ask, “Why Not You?”

Part 4:  For Facts about Why Early A.A. Succeeded, Look at the Successful Powerhouses That Preceded and Influenced It

Part 5: Look at Several Newly-Researched Factors That Point up the Major Structure of the Early A.A. Program

Part 6:  What Every Christian in Recovery Ought to Know Individually

 

 

Contents of A New Way Out

 

Chap. 1:           Directions for “The New Way Out”

Chap. 2:           Additional History on Programs That Have Gone Before

Chap. 3:           The Two, Diverse Recovery Program Origins; and the Three Emerging, Varied Approaches in Akron, Cleveland, and New York

Chap. 4:           Parallels from the Groups Contributing to Akron’s Pioneer Program

Chap. 5:           Jerry Dunn’s Relevant Viewpoints [He wrote God is for the Alcoholic]

Chap. 6:           Picking Your Way along Today

Chap. 7:           Hindrances Today Blocking the Path of Return to Original Spiritual Roots and Power

Chap. 8:           The Importance of Choice

Chap. 9:           The Choice of “A New Way Out”

 

Bibliography

 

 

Contents of Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939

 

Foreword to the First Edition

Preface to the Revised Paradise Edition

Acknowledgements

 

Chap. 1:           A Lady of Faith, Courage, and Love

Chap. 2:           The Elements of the Twelve Steps

Chap. 3:           The Books That Anne Read and Recommended

Chap. 4:           Anne’s Discussion of 28 Oxford Group Concepts

Chap. 5:           Spiritual Principles

Chap. 6:           Conclusion

 

Appendix:       28 Oxford Group Principles That Influenced A.A.

 

 

Contents of By the Power of God

 

Foreword

Preface

 

Part 1:  The Starkness and Darkness of the Problem and the Simplicity of the Early Solution

 

Chap. 1:           My Personal Debt to, and Opportunities from, A.A.

Chap. 2:           What Believers Involved in Today’s Twelve Step Programs May Be Seeking

Chap. 3:           The Simple Program as A.A.’s Pioneers Described It

Chap. 4:           The Real Foundations of A.A.’s Pioneer Program

 

Part 2:  You Can Start a Good Book/Big Book Group in a Variety of Ways

 

Chap. 5:           The Basics Early AAs Borrowed from the Bible

Chap. 6:           The Oxford Group Path in Pioneer A.A.’s Steps

Chap. 7:           Quiet Time, Devotionals, and the Guidance of God

Chap. 8:           Anne Smith’s Specific Journal and Twelve Step Ideas

 

Part 3:  Sam Shoemaker, Bill’s Acknowledged Mentor, and A.A.’s Six Basic Roots

 

Chap. 9:           Oxford Group Leader Sam Shoemaker’s Input

Chap. 10:         Putting the Steps and Their Sources Together

 

Part 4:  A Vision for You

 

Chap. 11:         Can There Be Pioneer Groups in Today’s A.A.?

Chap. 12:         Guides for Groups Direct from A.A.’s Pioneers

Chap. 13:         What Such Meetings Can Accomplish

Chap. 14:         What You Can Do Today

 

Appendix:       Dr. Bob’s Bible and A.A. Group No. 1

Select Bibliography

 

 

Contents of Cured! Proven Help for Alcoholics and Addicts

 

Foreword

Preface

 

Chap. 1:           The Earliest A.A. Days

Chap. 2:           Let’s Use Simple Words That People Understand

Chap. 3:           Newcomer Netting

Chap. 4:           What History Can Teach You in, and about, A.A. Itself

Chap. 5:           Offering More than Abstinence

Chap. 6:           Facing “Reality” with “Divine Help”

Chap. 7:           Talking Plainly about the Creator

Chap. 8:           There Is More to Cure than Abstinence

Chap. 9:           My Own Table of Tips

Chap. 10:         Cured and Victorious! Putting the Pieces Together

 

Bibliography

 

 

Contents of Dr. Bob and His Library

 

Foreword to First Edition

Preface to the Third Edition

Acknowledgements

 

1.      The Story of Dr. Bob’s Reading

2.      Sources of Information about His Books

3.      The Books Dr. Bob Owned, Read, and Recommended

a.       The Bible

b.      Books about the Bible

c.       Christian Classics

d.      The Life of Jesus Christ

e.       Daily Bible Devotionals

f.       Prayer

g.      The Sermon on the Mount

h.      Love

i.        The Oxford Group

j.        Dr. Samuel M. Shoemaker

k.      Two of A.A.’s Other “Founders” (William James & Carl Jung)

l.        Authors of Special Interest to Dr. Bob

m.    Religion and the Mind

n.      Quiet Time

o.      Miscellaneous

p.      The Weatherhead Puzzle

q.      The Calvary Evangel List of Oxford Group Literature

r.        Healing

4.      What’s New

5.      Dr. Bob’s Biblical Sources Emerge

6.      Some Final Thoughts

 

Appendix 1: Dr. Bob’s Biblical and Christian Background

Appendix 2: Inventory of Books on Hand at Calvary House, September 12, 1933

Index

 

Contents of Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

Foreword

Introduction

 

1.         The “Great Awakening” of 1875 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont                        

2.         The Challenge and Direction of the Dr. Bob Resource Volumes                  

3.         A.A.’s Dr. Bob and His St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Roots                              

4.         Dr. Bob’s Birthplace and Boyhood Home                                                    

5.         North Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury                                                

6.         The Christian Endeavor Society and Its Legacy to Alcoholics Anonymous

7.         The St. Johnsbury Academy                                                                          

8.         The Fairbanks Family of St. Johnsbury, Vermont                                         

9.         The Town of St. Johnsbury of Dr. Bob’s Youth                                           

10.       The YMCA and St. Johnsbury, Vermont: 1875-1898                                   

11.       The Original, Akron A.A. Spiritual Program of Recovery

                       

            Conclusion                                                                                                     

            Bibliography                                                                                                              

Index

 

 

Contents of God and Alcoholism: Our Growing Opportunity in the 21^st Century

 

Chap. 1:           The Real Facts about A.A.’s Pioneer Group

Chap. 2:           A.A.’s Great Role: A Review of, and Experiences with, the Practices, Principles, and Values of A.A. in the 20^th Century

Chap. 3:           The Good News: What God Can Do about Alcoholism

Chap. 4:           The Nonsense “gods” of Recovery

                                    Let’s Begin with Some Definitions

                                    Some “Higher Power” Homework

                                    Some Additional “Higher Power” Homework

                                    What Is “a Power greater than ourselves”?

                                    Another New “god” in A.A.? Or the Creator?

                                    “God as we understood Him”

                                    An Alleged Compromise That Opened the Door

Chap. 5:           The Opportunity

Chap. 6:           Why Bring up God—Again!

 

Bibliography

 

 

Contents of Good Morning! Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A.

 

Preface to Revised Edition

Acknowledgements

 

Chap. 1:           What’s It All About?

Chap. 2:           It Began in the Bible

Chap. 3:           Listening through the Ages

Chap. 4:           Quiet Time Roots

Chap. 5:           Quiet Time Practices

Chap. 6:           What Early AAs Borrowed

Chap. 7:           History to the Rescue

 

Bibliography

Index

 

 

Contents of Henrietta B. Seiberling: Ohio’s Lady with a Cause

 

Chap. 1:           A Brief Glance at Henrietta’s Life

Chap. 2:           An Accurate Description of A.A.’s Real Spiritual Roots

Chap. 3:           Henrietta’s Special Role as a Non-Alcoholic Woman Who Helped Found A.A.

Chap. 4:           Akron’s Oxford Group Encounters

Chap. 5:           Distinguishing Akron’s Program from Bill’s Later 12 Steps

Chap. 6:           The Exit of the Oxford Group: Observations about A.A.’s Connection with the

Oxford Group

Chap. 7:           Let Go and Let God

 

 

Contents of Introduction to the Sources and Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

1.      Introduction to the Sources and Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous

2.      Part One: The Akron Genesis Period

3.      Part Two: The New York Conversion Period

4.      Part Three: The Original A.A. Program That Akron Developed

5.      Part Four: The Works Publishing Company Program That Bill W. Fashioned

6.      Part Five: The Reshaping of the Big Book Program Beginning in 1939

7.      Conclusion

 

Bibliography

Index

 

 

 

 

Contents for Making Known the Biblical History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

Foreword

 

Part 1:  Historical Research Papers, Letters, Pictures, and Tapes

 

            Manuscripts, Correspondence, and Papers in Dick B.’s Personal Files

                        Materials Gathered from Archives

                        Materials Gathered on or about A.A. Founders

                        Materials Gathered Concerning A.A.’s Spiritual Sources

                        Materials from the Founders’ Homes

                        Materials about Special Early A.A. Personalities

                        Fragments of, on, or about A.A. History

                        Concluding Materials Pertaining to Dick B.’s Research

            The George Vondermuhll, Jr. Materials on the Oxford Group and Moral Re-Armament

            The Danny Whitmore Historical Materials

            The Dennis Cassidy Collections of Recordings of All Bill Wilson’s Public Talks

            Rare Items

 

Part 2:  Historical Books, Pamphlets, and Articles on Alcoholics Anonymous

 

            Publications about Alcoholics Anonymous

            Publications Approved by Alcoholics Anonymous

            Pamphlets Circulated in Early A.A.

            Alcoholics Anonymous: Pro, Con, and Evaluated

 

Part 3: Spiritual History and Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

            The Bible Versions of and Books About

Quiet Time and Inspirational Books, Pamphlets and Bible Devotionals Popular with Dr. Bob and Early AAs, as Well as More Recent Meditation Books

Publications by or about the Rev. Dr. Samuel Moor Shoemaker, Jr.

Publications by or about the Oxford Group and Oxford Group People

Books by or about Oxford Group and A.A. Christian Mentors

Christian and Other Religious Literature Pertaining to Early A.A.

            The Books of Dr. Bob’s Library

            Background Books A.A. Pioneers Read

Miscellaneous Books Used in Dick B.’s Research and Writings

 

Part 4:  Temperance, Anti Saloon League, Prohibition, Abstinence, Alcohol Books and Pamphlets of an Earlier Time

 

Part 5:  Recent Books and Articles on Alcoholism, Addictions, and Dependency

 

Part 6:  Details on Contributors and Their Collections

 

Part 7: Our Advisory Council Supporting Members

 

 

Contents of New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A.

 

List of Appendices

Foreword to the Pittsburgh Edition

Foreword by Nickie Shoemaker Haggart

Foreword by Julia Harris

Preface

Acknowledgements

 

Part 1:  Sam and A.A.’s Heart

 

Chap. 1:           Sam Shoemaker, “Co-founder” of Alcoholics Anonymous

Chap. 2:           Sam Shoemaker’s New Light

Chap. 3:           Sam’s Unmistakable Footprints in the Twelve Steps

Chap. 4:           The Parallels between the Shoemaker Language and Alcoholics Anonymous Language

 

Part 2: Sam’s Writings and Talks, and A.A.

 

Chap. 5:           The Shoemaker Writings Prior to A.A.’s Big Book

Chap. 6:           Sam’s Remarks to and about A.A.

 

Part 3: The Shoemaker Relationship with A.A.

 

Chap. 7:           Shoemaker’s Relationship with Bill Wilson

Chap. 8:           Sam, the Great Communicator, and His Letters

Chap. 9:           Shoemaker and His Bible

Chap. 10:         Shoemaker Ideas That “Took” in A.A.

 

Part 4: Sam’s Legacies for Us Today

 

Chap. 11:         The Pittsburgh Afterglow

Chap. 12:         What Shoemaker’s Contributions Can Mean for All of Us Today

 

Appendix 1:    28 Oxford Group Principles That Influenced A.A.

Appendix 2:    The Oxford Group Literature Read by AAs

Appendix 3:    The January 22, 1935, Letter from Sam to Bill W.

Appendix 4:    The Irving Harris Memorandum Regarding Bill W. and Sam

Appendix 5:    Entries in Sam Shoemaker’s Journals (1934-1939) about Bill Wilson

Appendix 6:    the Oxford Group Businessmen’s Team

Appendix 7:    Lois Wilson’s Oxford Group Notebook

Appendix 8:    Two Important Bill Wilson Letters

                                    Bill’s Letter of April 23, 1963, to Sam

                                    Bill Wilson’s April 1953 Memo as to “Original AA Steps”

Appendix 9:    The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

Appendix 10:  Excerpts from The Calvary Evangel and Calvary Church Yearbook

Appendix 11:  Lessons from the Original Personal Stories of A.A. Pioneers

Appendix 12:  Alcoholism Statistics and A.A. Success Rates

Bibliography (pages 575-595)

Index

 

 

Contents of Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous: God’s Role in Recovery Confirmed!

 

Chapter 1:       Experience, Strength & Hope: Stories from the First Three Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous

Chapter 2:       Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition: Part 1

Chapter 3:       Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition: Part 2

Chapter 4:       Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition: Part 3

 

Appendix 1:    “Why Don’t You Choose Your Own Conception of God?”

Appendix 2:    Key Highlights in the Writing of the Big Book with Approximate Dates

Appendix 3:    The Expression “Religious Experience” and the “Solution” to Alcoholism

Appendix 4:    Occurrences of the Phrase “Spiritual Experience” in the 4^th Edition

Appendix 5:    The 20 Personal Stories in “the Printer’s Copy” of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

 

Contents of Real Twelve Step Fellowship History: The Old-School A.A. You May Not Know

 

Introduction

 

Part 1:  The Original A.A. Program of Recovery

 

Part 2:  The “Absolute Essentials” of the Good Book Program in Akron

 

Part 3:  The Substantial Changes in A.A. from 1939 to 1955

 

Part 4:  How Adding a History Element to Recovery Can Help the Newcomer Today

 

Appendix:       New Testament Healing Records Categorized

                                    Dead or Nearly Dead People Made Alive or Healed

                                    Lepers Cleansed

                                    Paralyzed People Healed

                                    People with Fevers Healed

                                    Woman with the Hemorrhage (or “Flow of Blood”) Healed

                                    Blind People Healed

                                    A Man with a Withered Hand Healed

                                    A Man with Dropsy (or Edema) Healed

                                    A Man with an Infirmity 38 Years Healed

                                    Lame People Healed

                                    People Who Were Lunatick Were Healed

                                    Several Types of Sickness and Disease Healed in the Same Setting

                                    Evil Spirits Were Cast Out

 

 

 

Contents of Stick with the Winners!

 

           Introduction: “Old-School” Christian Recovery         9

 

1.      Resources for “Old-School” 12 Step Recovery Meetings      15

Conference-approved Resources  17

Other Resources    18

2.      Conference-Approved Literature Foundations          23

Alcoholics Anonymous            23

The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous   28

DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers     29

3.      The Real Akron A.A. Program           33

4.      16 Key Practices of the Real Akron A.A. Program    35

5.      “Old-School” A.A. and First Century Christianity    47

Many Compared Early A.A. to First Century Christianity    48

John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and his representatives        49

 “First Century Christianity” in the Book of Acts      51

A.A.’s Christian Predecessors            55

The Vermont of Dr. Bob and Bill W.’s youth            55

Christian Recovery before A.A.         57

Dr. Bob and Bill W.’s Christian Upbringings 68

The Conversion Factor in Bill W.’s Life         69

Many Early AAs Claimed They Were “Cured”         71

6.      “Old-School” Elements That Can Be Used Today    75

7.      How to Conduct “Old-School” Recovery Meetings  85

 

Conclusion      93

 

 

Contents of That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous

 

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

 

Part 1:  Getting Acquainted with Grace and Clarence

 

Chap. 1:           My Introduction to Grace

Chap. 2:           “Amazing” Grace: A Biographical Sketch

Chap. 3:           Now about Clarence

 

Part 2:  As Grace Recalls

 

Chap. 4:           Clarence and A.A.’s Founding Years

Chap. 5:           A.A.’s Roots in the Bible

Chap. 6:           The Oxford Group Ideas and Influence

Chap. 7:           T/he Big Book, Steps, and A.A. Fellowship

 

Part 3:  The Ministry of Clarence and Grace

 

Chap. 8:           Ambassadors for Christ in A.A.

Chap. 9:           Grace Carries On

Chap. 10:         The Point of It All

 

Afterword

Index

Bibliography

 

 

Contents of The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous

 

List of Appendices

Foreword to First Edition

Preface

Acknowledgements

 

Introduction

 

Part 1:  The Beginnings

 

Chap. 1:           The Roles of James D. Newton and Russell (“Bud”) Firestone

Chap. 2:           A Grateful Harvey Firestone, Sr., and the 1933 Oxford Group Events

 

Part 2:  A.A.’s Akron Progenitors and Their Major Contributions

 

Chap. 3:           An Overview

                                    Their Qualifications

                                    The Oxford Group Literature

                                    28 Oxford Group Principles That Influenced Alcoholics Anonymous

                                    Dr. Bob and His Wife, Anne

                                    Lois Wilson’s Oxford Group Notes

                                    Bill’s Synopsis of What He Found

Chap. 4:           T. Henry and Clarace Williams

Chap. 5:           Henrietta Seiberling’s Spiritual Infusion

Chap. 6:           Anne Smith, Her Love, and Her Spiritual Workbook

Chap. 7:           Dr. Bob, His Library, and His Spiritual Studies

Chap. 8:           Bill Wilson and the Akron Genesis

Chap. 9:           The Oxford Group Crucible: 1933-1935

 

Part 3:  The Alcoholic Squad of the Oxford Group in Action

 

Chap. 10:         The Laboratories

Chap. 11:         Frank Amos Reviews the Evidence

Chap. 12:         Akron’s Part in the Big Book

Chap. 13:         The Alcoholic Squad in Akron Becomes Alcoholics Anonymous

 

Part 4:  The Akron Taproot

 

Chap. 14:         Akron as One Part of the Picture

Chap. 15:         Traces of Akron in the Big Book

Chap. 16:         Conclusion

 

Appendix 1:    Excerpt from The Upper Room

Appendix 2:    Excerpt from My Utmost for His Highest

Appendix 3:    Excerpt from Victorious Living

Appendix 4:    Excerpt from Daily Strength for Daily Needs

Bibliography

Index

 

 

Contents of The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7^th ed.

 

Foreword

Preface to the Seventh Edition

Acknowledgements

 

Introduction

Chap. 1:           The Bible: “The Main Source Book of All”

Chap. 2:           Dr. Bob’s Reading and Recommendations

Chap. 3:           Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939

Chap. 4:           The Upper Room and Bible Devotionals

Chap. 5:           Henrietta Seiberling’s Books

Chap. 6:           T. Henry and Clarace Williams’ Library

Chap. 7:           The Oxford Group Literature

Chap. 8:           The Reverend Sam Shoemaker’s Books and Writings

Chap. 9:           Bill and Lois Wilson’s Comments

Chap. 10:         Nell Wing’s Recollections

Chap. 11:         Pioneer Clarence S.

Chap. 12:         Comments of Other A.A. Oldtimers

Chap. 13:         Some Suggestions for You

Chap. 14:         Conclusion

 

Appendix:       Inventory of Books on Hand at Calvary House September 12, 1933

Bibliography

 

 

Contents of The Conversion of Bill W.

 

Introduction

 

Ch. 1:   “The Wind Bloweth Where It Listeth”

Ch. 2:   The God of the Preachers

Ch. 3:   Two Heralds of Divine Help on Its Way for Alcoholics

Ch. 4:   The Turning Point: Bill’s Decision for Christ

Ch. 5:   “For Sure I’d Been Born Again”

Ch. 6:   Repent, and Be Converted

Ch. 7:   “If There Be a Great Physician, I’ll Call on Him”

Ch. 8:   “Ye Shall Know Them by Their Fruits”

Ch. 9:   Open Their Eyes That They May See: Manna from Heaven

Ch. 10: The Touch of the Master’s Hand

Ch. 11: “With a Mighty Hand, and with an Outstretched Arm”

Ch. 12: As Bill Saw It: “Thy Will Be Done”

 

Bibliography

Appendix: “Conversion” in the Bible

Index

 

 

Contents of The First Nationwide Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference

 

Part 1:    The Theme and Purpose of the Conference

Part 2:    Alcoholics Anonymous, the Founders, and Belief in Almighty God

Part 3:    The Spiritual Beginnings of A.A.

Part 4:    The Real Program of Early A.A.

Part 5A: Introduction

Part 5B: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

Part 5C: The Book of James

Part 5D: 1 Corinthians 13

Part 6:    Rev. Sam Shoemaker, an A.A. “Co-Founder” and Spiritual Source

Part 7:    What the Creator Did and Can Do for Our Fellowship

 

Bibliography

 

 

Contents of The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality

 

Chap. 1:           We Will Tell You about . . .

Chap. 2:           What Early AAs Thought about God Almighty

                                    The Pioneers Believed in God

                                    The Pioneers Understood Who God Is

                                    Willing Unbelievers Came to Believe in God

                                    The Pioneers Believed That, When Sought, God Heals

Chap. 3:           Their Path, Jesus Christ, and a Relationship with God

                                    Steps along the Path

                                    The Miraculous Result

Chap. 4:           The Golden Text of A.A. They Adopted

Chap. 5:           The Critical Need to Seek God Again Today

                                    Self-help Will Not Cut It. That Is Not a Solution

                                    Medical Help and Psychological Help Have Not Cut It

                                    The Four Early A.A. Factors Needed Today

Chap. 6:           Two Challenges for Real Spirituality Today

 

 

Contents of The Good Book and the Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible

 

Foreword to the First Edition

Preface

Acknowledgements

 

1.      "Lest We Forget Early AAs and Their Bibles!"

Early A.A.'s Success Rate Compared to Today

The Historical Evidence of A.A.'s Good Book Roots

The Oxford Group-Shoemaker Impact

Bible Devotionals and Other Early A.A. Literature

The Purpose of Our Book

2.      God!

The Frequency of Biblical Names for God

God is

A Loving God

A Special "god" for A.A.?

Whence Came "Higher Power?"

Bill Wilson's Higher Power

"God As We Understood Him"

"A Power Greater Than Ourselves"

3.      Biblical Impact on Big Book Language

Direct Quotes from the Bible

Recognizable Biblical Words and Concepts

A.A. Slogans and Watchwords with Biblical Roots

Two Other Biblical Concepts

4.      The Parts Dr. Bob Found "Essential"

The Thirteenth Chapter of First Corinthians

The Book of James

The Sermon on the Mount

5.      The Good Book and the Twelve Steps

Step One and Deflation at Depth

Step Two, Willingness, Belief, and Seeking

Step Three and the Decision to Surrender

Step Four and Self-examination

Step Five and Confession

Step Six, Conviction and Readiness to Change

Step Seven, Humble Submission and Rebirth

Step Eight, Willingness To Make Amends

Step Nine, Restitution

Step Ten and Daily Corrective Action

Step Eleven, Prayer, Guidance, Growth, Power

Step Twelve, Awakening, Witness, Practice of Principles

6.      Keeping It Simple

The Original Six Steps

Simmered Down to the Last (Love and Service)

7.      The Good Book and A.A. Today

 

Bibliography

Index

 

 

Contents of The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook:

How to Include the Creator’s Impact on Early A.A. in Recovery Programs Today

 

Chap. 1:           History: The Inclusion in Recovery of A.A.’s Biblical Origins and Christian Fellowship

Chap. 2:           The Healing Evidence at the Time When A.A. Was Born

Chap. 3:           Alcoholics Anonymous, the Founders, Belief in Almighty God, and Divine Healing

Chap. 4:           The Spiritual Beginnings of A.A.

Chap. 5:           The Real Program of Early A.A.

Chap. 6:           The Materials from the Bible That Dr. Bob Considered “Absolutely Essential”

Chap. 7:           The Approach Early Akron AAs Took While They Sought Christian Healing

Chap. 8:           The Practical Use and Application of This Guide

 

Selected Bibliography

Appendix 1:    Catch the Wave

Appendix 2:    A.A. History Study Meetings

 

 

Contents of The James Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials

 

Introduction

 

Chap. 1:           AA.’s Book of James

Chap. 2:           The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) in A.A.

Chap. 3:           A.A.’s Connection with The Greatest Thing in the World

 

Appendix 1:    Outline of the Original Program

                                    The Akron Crucible Where It All Began

                                    The Real Program of Early A.A.

                                    An Overview of What They Did in Akron

                                    The Frank Amos Reports in 1938

                                    The Big Book Publication in 1939

Appendix 2:    Comparing the Christian Endeavor Root

Appendix 3:    The Two Different A.A. Root Streams

Appendix 4:    Background on the Bible’s Book of James and James the “Author”

Appendix 5:    The Difference an Identification of the Creator Makes

 

 

Contents of The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous

 

            Foreword

            Preface

            Acknowledgements

 

Ch. 1: The Roots of Early A.A.’s Success Rate (pp. 1-37)

Ch. 2:  Mentors Who Influenced the Oxford Group’s Founder (pp. 39-72)

Ch. 3:  Frank Buchman and His First Century Christian Fellowship (pp. 73-105)

Ch. 4:  Sam Shoemaker’s Oxford Group Role (pp. 107-35)

Ch. 5:  The A.A. Links: Arrivals and Departures (pp. 137-48)

Ch. 6:  28 Oxford Group Principles That Influenced A.A. (pp. 149-297)

Ch. 7:  Oxford Group Traces in A.A.’s 12 Steps and Big Book Language

Ch. 8:  Conclusion

 

            Bibliography (pp. 371-90)

            Index (pp. 391-411)

 

 

Contents of Turning Point: A History of Early A.A.’s Spiritual Roots and Successes

 

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

 

Chap. 1:           The Lacuna

 

Part 1:  A Spiritual Program for Drunks

 

Chap. 2:           The Oxford Group Roots

Chap. 3:           A.A.’s Spiritual Beginnings

 

Part 2:  The Good Book Source

 

Chap. 4:           God

Chap. 5:           The Sections of the Bible Dr. Bob Found “Essential”

Chap. 6:           Biblical Impact on Big Book Language

Chap. 7:           The Good Book and the Twelve Steps

 

Part 3:  The Oxford Group’s Contribution

 

Chap. 8:           28 Oxford Group Principles That Influenced A.A.

Chap. 9:           Sam Shoemaker—“Co-Founder” of A.A.

Chap. 10:         Oxford Group Traces in A.A.’s Twelve Steps

 

Part 4:  Other Spiritual Sources

 

Chap. 11:         Anne Smith—“Mother of A.A.”

Chap. 12:         Dr. Bob and the Literature

Chap. 13:         Quiet Time and the Devotionals

 

Part 5:  History to the Rescue

 

Chap. 14:         Putting It All Together

Chap. 15:         Use It or Lose It!

 

Appendix 1:    The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

Appendix 2:    Parallel Oxford Group-Big Book Phrases

Bibliography

Index

 

 

Contents for Twelve Steps for You:

Take the Twelve Steps with the Big Book, A.A. History, and the Good Book at Your Side

 

Introduction

 

Chap. 1:           Begin Your Step Study by Reviewing the Original Akron Program and Learning How A.A. Really Began

Chap. 2:           Begin Your Study of the Steps by Looking First at the Bible and at Each Step’s Known Bible Origins

Chap. 3:           With the Bible Origins in Mind, Study Each Step to Learn the Basic Ideas It Contains from the Oxford Group

Chap. 4:           Once You Have Learned the Bible Sources and the Oxford Group Ideas, Then Study Each Step, Observing How Closely It Parallels the Language of America’s Oxford Group Leader, Sam Shoemaker

Chap. 5:           . . . Then See How Much of the Bible Material, Oxford Group Ideas, and Shoemaker’s Writings Were Being Taught in Early A.A. in Anne Smith’s (Dr. Bob’s Wife’s) Writings

Chap. 6:           Read Carefully This Study and Critique of What Bill W. Claimed Were Six Steps—Six “Word-of Mouth” Ideas Already in Place

Chap. 7:           . . . Consider the Steps in Company with the Three Bible Parts Dr. Bob Called “Absolutely Essential” Lest Some Highly Important Spiritual Resources of the A.A. Program Be Forgotten

Chap. 8:           Studying the Steps Mindful of Other Major Contributing Literature

Chap. 9:           Start Taking Your Steps Precisely as Directed by the Big Book—Then Make Your Judgments

Chap. 10:         Consider This Possible Biblical View of the 12 Steps Using History as Your Guide

 

Additional References

 

 

Contents of Utilizing Early A.A.’s Spiritual Roots for Recovery Today

 

Chap. 1:           The Spiritual Beginnings of A.A.

Chap. 2:           The Bible in Early A.A.

Chap. 3:           Quiet Time, Morning Watch, and Meditation

Chap. 4:           The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous

Chap. 5:           Sam Shoemaker, “Co-founder” of A.A.

Chap. 6:           Anne Smith, “Mother of A.A.,” “Founder,” Dr. Bob’s Wife

Chap. 7:           The Books and Materials Early AAs Read

Chap. 8:           Utilizing A.A.’s Spiritual Roots Today

 

 

Contents of When Early AAs Were Cured and Why

 

Chap. 1:           What They Were Saying at Yale (in the 1940's about the Miracle of God’s Cure for Drunks)

Chap. 2:           The Spiritual Origins of Alcoholics Anonymous:

A Much Needed Historical Perspective.

Bill Wilson's "Religious" Background

Dr. Bob's Bible training, Christian Beliefs, and Religious     Affiliations

Historical Void Resulting from Failure to Distinguish Between Differing Inputs of Founder

The Bible Dr. Bob Source

The Akron Genesis and Its Bible/Dr. Bob Source

Dr. Bob's Youth, Religious Training, and Christian Church Involvement

Dr. Bob's Assertions on the Bible's Importance

Old Fashioned Prayer and Revival in Akron Meetings

The Christian Endeavor Movement Impact

Descriptions of Christian Endeavor

The Oxford Group Bill W. Source

The Rowland Hazard Starting Point

Bill Wilson's Conversion

The Real Message as to the New Man in Christ Not Yet Fashioned, and Not from Bill

Melding the Two Different Sources Was the Appointed Task of Bill W.

Chap. 3:           The Akron Crucible Where It All Began

The Real Program of Early A.A.

An Overview of What They Did in Akron

The Frank Amos Reports in 1938

The Big Book Publication in 1939

The Akron A.A. Recovery Pamphlets

The Special Role of Three Women Pioneers—Anne Smith, Henrietta Seiberling, Eleanor Forde

Chap. 4:           The Real Spiritual Roots of Early A.A.'s Program of Recovery

The Six Major Biblical Roots

The Bible

Quiet Time

Anne Smith's Journal

The Teachings of Rev. Shoemaker

The Life-changing Program of the Oxford Group

The Christian Literature the Pioneers Studied

Other "Spiritual" Roots

Carl Jung

William James

The “New Thought” crowd

The "Farther Out" crowd

Bill Wilson's Tight Rope

Confusions Among the Conclusions

Chap. 5:           Who Let the "goofy gods" into A.A.

Who Is God as Early AAs Spoke of Him

Bill's Injected Substitutionary Words—Never Intended to Invent "Other" gods

Not Intended as False gods

“God as We Understood Him”

“A Power Greater Than Ourselves”

“Higher Power”

Enter the "goofy gods" through the Back Door

A.A. People May Be Sick But They Are Not Stupid

Is There Any Prospect That the Nonsense Will Go?

Chap. 6:           The Bible and Alcoholics Anonymous

The Overview

Yahweh, the Creator

Three Segments Dr. Bob Considered Essential

Additional Parts

A Different Scene Today

A Study of the Sermon on the Mount in A.A.

A Study of the Book of James in A.A.

A Study of 1 Corinthians 13 in A.A.

Chap. 7:           The Creator and the Cure of Alcoholism: Miracle or Myth?

What Is the "Alcoholism" of Which the Pioneers Were Cured?

The Countless Claims of Cure by Early AAs

There Is Nothing New When It Comes to God's Miracles and Cures

The A.A. Detour

Back on the Path to Yahweh and Accomplishing the "Impossible"

Cure! A Miracle or a Myth. You Decide

 

Appendix 1:    The Creator's Personal Name Is Yahweh
Appendix 2:    Rev. Sam Shoemaker, an A.A. "Co-founder" and Spiritual Source 
Appendix 3:    Miracles Not to Be Forgotten—Miracles through the Ages Documented
Appendix 4:    For A.A. Pioneers, Alcoholism Was Curable and Cured

 

Bibliography

 

 

 

 

Contents of Why Early A.A. Succeeded:

The Good Book in Alcoholics Anonymous Yesterday and Today

(A Bible Study Primer for AAs and Other 12-Steppers)

 

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

 

1.      The Way Out (The real heart of early A.A. and its quest for deliverance by Almighty God)

2.      What Early AAs Said about Reading the Bible (The real Good Book endorsements by AAs)

3.      The Bible and Recovery (What the Bible was in A.A., what has been lost, where to find God)

4.      Begin Your Bible Study by Learning about God (God’s existence, kids, name, and qualities)

5.      Learning about God’s Word (God's Word--the Bible, His Will, guidance, victory)

6.      Learning about God’s Son, Jesus Christ (The vital importance of keeping Jesus in the picture)

7.      Sin, Love, Choice, Obedience (God’s ways, sin, the need to obey, questions for critics)

8.      Release from Your Prisons (God’s Will; the many releases available; free indeed!)

9.      More to Learn (Prayer, renewed mind, Holy Spirit, resisting the Devil, believing, understanding the Bible as an Eastern Book, figures of speech, manuscripts, word studies)

10.  It’s Not so tough (Believers and students have every right and need to stand tall on the Bible)

11.  What’s on the Platter Today  (What God says; the Bible in A.A.; know the Bible, be bold about God, His Son, and His Word; grow; learn your resources; pass it on; trust God!)

 

Appendix 1: The Creator’s Name is Yahweh!

Appendix 2: The Materials Dr. Bob considered "Absolutely Essential"

Appendix 3: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (statistics and more)

Bibliography

 

 

Order Now:

 

The Dick B. A.A. History & Christian Recovery Reference Set

 

http://www.dickb.com/DickB-Reference-Set.shtml