Dick B. interviewed on
the January 6, 2013, episode of Rum Radio
Dick B.
Hear Dick B.
interviewed on the January 6, 2013, episode of Rum Radio here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rumradio-org/2013/01/07/rumradio
Sunday, January 6, 2013
2013 and the Early AA Story: Dick B. Radio Interview
"Dick B. speaks
about the latest on 'old-school' A.A." on the January 6, 2013, episode of
the "Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B." show
On
Dick B.
Copyright 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved
You may hear this Dick B. Radio Interview Now; and later today Dick will
be speaking on Joseph’s Rum Radio Show as well
You may hear
Dick B. speak about the latest on "old-school" A.A. on the January 6,
2013, episode of the "Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B." show
here:
http://mcaf.ee/wvojf
or here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/christian-recovery-radio-with-dickb/2013/01/06/dick-b-talks-about-the-latest-on-old-school-aa
Episodes of
the "Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B." show are archived at:
Dick B.’s Introduction
to this January 6, 2013 Interview
This
spring, the International Christian Recovery Coalition will continue its educational
efforts to tell the recovery world about the "God is" option that
exists and has always existed in Alcoholics Anonymous and recovery
fellowships--whether they be Christian, 12-Step, or secular. Recovery today
seeks and seems to attract suffering alcoholics and addicts who are at the
mercy of whatever recovery therapy they happen to find, someone recommends, or
courts and counselors require. And today, more often than not, that recovery
effort asks little more than a desire to quit drinking or using, and attendance
at meetings.
The
days of Christian recovery organizations, professionals, and altruistic help
from fellow afflicted souls who look to God for help have been in a diminishing
stance for a couple of decades. At the same time, there has been a revival, an
immense new growth among believers to go back to the highly-successful First
Century "Christianity fellowship" techniques that the Akron A.A.
pioneers adopted and victoriously applied from A.A.'s earliest days in 1935.
Dick
B. and Ken B. have devoted 23 years now to researching and publicizing that
"God is" option that can and will produce recovery and healing from
alcoholism and addiction, if sought. Other options exist in abundance, but
those who are Christians or at least believe in God deserve to know what God
can and will do for them today if and when He is sought.
There
are three major tools Dick and Ken will use in 2013 to illuminate the Divine
help approach. The first is the personal stories of the A.A. pioneers that
occupied the greatest number of pages in the first edition of A.A.'s basic
text. The second involves the summary of the original Christian fellowship
already underlined in much of A.A.'s own Conference-approved literature. The
third is the message that all AAs and recovery work ought to carry.
Highlights of Dick B.’s
Christian Recovery Radio Talk January 6, 2013
This
interview covers material Ken and I will be using in Florida and in California
in February and also later in the spring of 2013. It emphasizes three books we feature in
workshops and meetings.
Let
us walk you through spots of the history of recovery from alcoholism and
addiction with God’s help. Much of the relevant history got sidetracked on a
detour involving the Washingtonians of the 1800’s, the Emanuel Movement of the
early 1900’, and the Oxford Group which began about 1919. However, the proper
focus of history that will be helpful to drunks is the history of God’s help.
Help promised and produced in the reports in the Bible.
Turn
first to First Century Christianity (the acts of the Apostles in the Book of
Acts, and the work of Jesus upon which their deeds were founded). This meant
daily fellowship with God and Jesus Christ and each other, hearing God’s Word,
praying together, breaking bread together, meeting in the homes and temple,
witnessing, converting others to God through Christ, healing them, and enabling
the church to grow daily – in many cases, by the thousands.
In
the 1850’s, the historical focus shifts to Christian people and organizations
following First Century Christian precepts and helping others be healed through
salvation, the word of God, and healing. These were the great evangelists like
Moody, Sankey, Folger, Meyer. They included the Gospel Rescue Missions, the
Young Men’s Christian Association, the Salvation Army, and the Young People’s
Society of Christian Endeavor.
The
lessons were carried into the Christian upbringing in Vermont of Dr. Bob and
Bill W.—as well as Bill W.’s friend Ebby Thacher. They were saturated with
biblical-salvation teaching from their families, Bible study, Congregational
churches, Sunday schools, sermons, hymns, reading of Scripture, prayer, their
St. Johnsbury-Burr and Burton—Norwich Academy high school years with daily
chapel, required Bible study, sermons, prayers, hymns, Scripture reading,
required church attendance, and the special activities of the Young Men’s
Christian Association – of which Dr. Bob’s father was President in St.
Johnsbury, and Bill W. was president at Burr and Burton.
The
first three AAs had no Big Book, Steps, Traditions, drunkalogs, or meetings as
we know them. They believed the answers to their problems were in the Bible.
They emphasized the Book of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and 1
Corinthians 13; and, according to Dr. Bob, met daily and got their basic Step
ideas from the Bible efforts and studies from 1935 until Bill’s new Step
program in 1939.
The
first three all—all believers in God, Christians, and Bible students-- got
sober before A.A. by the simple process of renouncing liquor, turning to God
for help, being cured, and then helping others.
The
original fellowship was founded on July 4, 1935 when Bill D. got sober. Their
seven point program is summarized on page 131 of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; and their sixteen practices
applying the original seven ideas are set forth in Dick B. and Ken B., Stick with the Winners! How to Conduct More
Effective 12-Step Recovery Meeting Using Conference-Approved Literature: A Dick
B. Guide for Christian Leaders and Workers in the Recovery Arena.
The
precise activities of the pioneers are now available in the personal stories
published in Alcoholics Anonymous “The
Big Book” The Original 1939 Edition: Bill W. With a New Introduction by Dick B.
(Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2011). And the bulk of that edition
is, of course, filled with the personal stories of the pioneers attesting
precisely to the way they applied the early Akron Christian Fellowship program.
And
to enable people to see the essence of the program and the testimonials about
it, we have just published Dick B. and Ken B. Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous: God’s Role in Recovery
Confirmed!
These
books are available on Amazon.com in print-on-demand and electronic book form.
In closing, we remind you
that A.A. allows freedom to choose. The message we bring is
That Christians and those who want to believe
in and rely on the power of God can point to the
abc’s of A.A.’s own basic text—paraphrased—(a)
We were alcoholic and could not manage our
own lives. (b) Probably no human power could
have relieved our alcoholism. (c) God could and
would if He were sought. Furthermore, God can
and will and did when the pioneers sought Him.
The solution message in
Wilson’s own Big Book very clearly states “God is.” It also clearly
States the central fact of
the solution—that the Creator has entered into their hearts and lives in a
way that is truly miraculous.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
The James Club and A.A. - Some new information
A.A. History and The
James Club
Dick B.
Copyright 2013
Anonymous. All rights reserved
Many now know that Dr. Bob said early AAs regarded the Book
of James, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 as absolutely
essential. You can find the statement in The
Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major
Talks. Dr. Bob also stated that the old-timers believed the answers to
their problems were in the Bible; and that the basic ideas for the Steps came
from the early studies and efforts in the Bible.
Bill Wilson said the Book of James was such a favorite that
many early AAs wanted to call the A.A. Society “The James Club.” He and Bob
both said that Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount contained the underlying spiritual
philosophy of A.A.
For these reasons and because of the fundamental importance
of the Bible and the three segments in the founding and development of A.A., I
wrote about the foregoing many times. And I finally wrote The James Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials.
www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml.
My book does a line by line and verse by verse comparison of Big Book words and
ideas with the verses in James, Jesus’s Sermon, and 1 Corinthians 13.
Now there is an interesting new website called The James
Club. It is historical in nature and, among other things, features a cover
picture of www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml
as well as some quotes about the fellowship’s preferences for that name.
For those who want to learn the fundamentals of A.A. ideas
and roots, I would strongly recommend reading the actual Book of James in the
Bible, and also my book The James Club. The
latter is available through Amazon.com.
dickb@dickb.com
Friday, January 4, 2013
Help! Placing the DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers Edited Manuscript Copy
Your Help, Please, With
This Extraordinary Edited Manuscript Copy
Of
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
Will you, or someone you know, please
help us find a steward and home for the large, edited manuscript copy of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
This exact copy
was acquired by my deceased friend Dennis Cassidy of Connecticut from the very
people instrumental in preparing and editing the original manuscript itself. It
has their written edits and corrections. It has their full names. It was
completed before chapters themselves were designated. And, like the original
Big Book printer’s manuscript recently purchased at auction and then published
by Hazelden, it has immense historical value and can be very instructive as to
what Dr. Bob, Anne Smith, and the Akron pioneers did and said in
connection with Akron AA founded in 1935.
We acquired
this book from the sister of A.A. historian Dennis Cassidy upon his death when
he asked her to make it available to me because “Dick will know what to do with
it.” Dennis and I had been speakers together, researchers together, buyers of
A.A. history items together, and long-time A.A. friends and historians.
We now have
two suitable location choices where the work might be placed, be freely
accessible, be studied, and be stewarded by avid A.A history folks—also Christians
wishing to highlight the documented story of old school A.A. One is the Dr. Bob
Core Library at the Smith family’s North Congregational Church in St.
Johnsbury—a relatively remote spot. The
other is Rock Church—the largest church in San Diego. Rock is filled with
people in recovery, has a vibrant hands-on recovery ministry, and much respects and admires Dr.
Bob and his contribution to A.A. Rock Church is willing to house the book and
enable its visitation.
But neither possible
location has the funds to acquire it, pay for the shipping and handling, or
cover the cost of acquisition. You can be of great service by acquiring or
putting someone in touch with us—you or someone who realizes the importance of
preserving the document and making it readily accessible for viewing, studying,
and analytical writing. And, of course, possibly acquiring it and placing it or
housing it himself. Please contact Dick B. or Ken B. at 808 276 4945 or PO Box
837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The Five Elements of the Early A.A. (Old School) Program
The Five Elements of
the Early A.A. (Old School) Program
The Success of Early A.A. as Reported in Alcoholics Anonymous
Dick B.
Copyright 2012
Anonymous. All rights reserved
“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.]
A.A.’s Original “Program” (We call it “old school A.A.) as 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.
[See DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New
York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, 1980), 131.]
How this required five element Akron recovery program worked
is – though most don’t know it today – simply and persuasively reported in the
Personal Stories that were an integral part of the basic text of the First
Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. Today inexpensively available through Dover Publications, Inc.
Much of this information you won't find in A.A.'s basic text
(Alcoholics Anonymous) today or in
our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. 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. This was the program
which, by common consent, was led by Akron physician Dr. Bob. 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. Dr. Bob read it daily with
the hospitalized newcomer. Recovered Alcoholics Anonymous drunks visited the
patient and told their success stories. Dr. Bob visited daily. 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 make a “real 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 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. They had prayer, Quiet Time, Bible study, and daily fellowship
meetings—very much as the Apostles did (as told in the Book of Acts) in First
Century Christianity.
Early A.A. members who recovered from alcoholism with the
help of Dr. Bob, his wife Anne, Henrietta Seiberling, 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 AAs’ homes in Akron, the 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 own homes and elsewhere when they were not
together with other AAs. Alcoholics Anonymous members had one “regular” meeting
a week on Wednesdays. There were no Big Books, Twelve Steps, or Twelve
Traditions. 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, The Runner’s Bible, My
Utmost for His Highest, 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 with requests for volunteers to visit them.
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.
Five simple elements of their recovery program—elements that
had worked and been used since the 1850’s by the great evangelists like Moody
and Sankey, Young Men’s Christian Association, Gospel Rescue Missions,
Salvation Army, and Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Elements of
salvation and the Word of God that had been emblazoned in the Christian
upbringing in Vermont of Dr. Bob and Bill W. and in the lives of their friends—Ebby
Thacher, Rowland Hazard, Shep Cornell, Cebra Graves, and the son of Reverend
Sidney Perkins whose father was pastor of the Manchester Congregational Church,
a supporter of Wilson’s Burr and Burton Seminary, and with whom Ebby Thacher
lived while attending Burr and Burton.
See Dick B., Real
Twelve Step Fellowship History (www.dickb.com/realhistory.shtml)
and Dick B. and Ken B., Dr. Bob of
Alcoholics Anonymous (www.dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml)
Gloria Deo
AA Origins - Begging Facts for an AA Newcomer - Old School Akron AA
A.A. Origins--Beginning Facts for an A.A. Newcomer:
Start with “Old-School” Akron A.A. of 1935
By Dick B.
© 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Orientation Needs to Be Given
A newcomer in recovery needs a
simple explanation of the fellowship he or she has chosen to enter. Call it
“orientation.” Call it “beginner’s facts.” Or call it “a beginner’s meeting.”
And that beginner orientation
offers the least controversial presentation if and when it comes right out of
Alcoholics Anonymous “General Service Conference-approved Literature.”
The article following this
orientation on “old-school” A.A. origins will present beginning facts for an
A.A. newcomer explaining the “new” 1939 Twelve Step program which Bill W. wrote
and then published in 1939.
“Old-School” A.A. Began Taking Shape over the
Summer of 1935
Much of the understanding of
the simple program of early Akron A.A. lies with the requisite account of how
the first three AAs got sober just before Akron Group Number One--the original
“Christian fellowship”--was founded in June 1935. Regrettably, this vital
information was never adequately researched or reported until I began my
23-year trek into the roots--the origins--of A.A.
Each of the first three AAs
played a specific role in shaping the essentials of the old program. For a study, see Dick B. and Ken B., The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide:
Historical Perspectives and Effective Modern Application, draft of 4th
rev. & exp. ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2012),
167-73.
In a sense, Bill W.’s
contribution came first with his new birth at Calvary Rescue Mission where he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord
and Savior in early December 1934. Next with his “vital religious experience”
(as it was first called) when--during his December 11-18, 1934, stay at Towns
Hospital—when he cried out to God for help and experienced his hospital room
blaze with an indescribably white light, after which he never drank again. And
then with the beginning of what Bill believed was his “commission” to carry the
message to all the drunks in the world. The message commenced with what Bill called
the great thought: “Bill you are a free man! This is the God of the Scriptures.”
See Bill W.: My First 40 Years (Center
City, MN: Hazelden, 2000), 145-46; The
Language of the Heart (NY: The AA Grapevine, Inc., 1988), 284.
Dr. Bob’s contribution came
later but began much much earlier. In his Christian upbringing in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, Dr. Bob had
received what he called “excellent training” in the Bible. It was coupled with
what he learned from his parents, his church and Sunday school, the program of the
Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor, Bible studies, and the Young
Men’s Christian Association. Years later, Bob surrendered. He dropped to the
floor with his friends at the home of T. Henry Williams and prayed with them
for his deliverance from alcoholism. The prayer, all believed, was answered
when the stranger Bill W. from New York soon showed up in Akron, met with Dr.
Bob for six hours, hit it off with Bob, and convinced Bob that he had never
grasped the idea of “service” that Bill had acquired through the Oxford Group.
Finally, the contribution of
Bill D., A.A. Number 3 of Akron, was much more simple. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, Bill D.
was persuaded by Bill W. and Dr. Bob that there was a solution, that he must
give his life to God, and that he must then help others. Bill D. did just that.
He was immediately cured. He emerged from the hospital a “free man,” as Bill W.
put it. And Bill W. announced that the date on which A.A. Number Three, Bill
D., was discharged from the hospital, July 4, 1935, marked the founding of the
first A.A. group in the world—Akron Number One.
Where to Learn the Simple, Seven-Point
Summary of the Early A.A. Program of 1935
With the following A.A.
publications before him, a speaker, leader, or sponsor can enlighten the
beginner with the following:
1. Pioneers were guided by, studied, and
recovered with the Bible: Dr,
Bob stated in 1948: “In the early days . . . our stories didn’t amount to
anything to speak of. When we started in on Bill D. [A.A. Number 3], 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.” The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biblical Sketches Their Last
Major Talks (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975,) p.
13. [The “Good Book” was what the early AAs called the King James Version of
the Bible that they used.]
2. Their seven-point biblical program was
summarized and published in DR.
BOB and the Good Oldtimers
(NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980,) p. 131. See the precise
language also in: Dick B. and Ken B., 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 (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications,
Inc., 2012), 25-37.
3. By November 1937, about 40 pioneers had been
astonishingly successful.
The
details of precisely how a cross-section of those early AAs had recovered were
printed and published in the personal stories in the first edition of their Big
Book, published in April 1939. See Alcoholics
Anonymous: The Original 1939 Edition. With a New Introduction by Dick B.
(Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2011), 10-26, 180-396. Almost all of
those stories were removed from future editions. For a study, see Dick B. and Ken
B., Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics
Anonymous: God’s Role in Recovery Confirmed! (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research
Publications, Inc., 2012.) Years after these stories had been removed, A.A.
finally restored them in Experience,
Strength and Hope: Stories from the First Three Editions of Alcoholics
Anonymous (NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2003).
4. Each of the first three AAs succinctly told,
in his own words, the solution he had found, and these words and the solution
were then recorded it in various editions of their Big Book. Here is what they said, as reported in Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed.
(NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001):
Bill W. said: “Henrietta [wife of A.A. Number 3], 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,” p. 191.
Dr. Bob said: “. . . [W]e know that we have an answer for
you. It never fails. If you go about it with one half the zeal you have been in
the habit of showing when you were getting another drink. Your Heavenly Father
will never let you down!” p. 181.
Bill D. [A.A. Number 3] said: “That sentence, ‘The Lord has been so
wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease that I just want to keep
telling people about it,’ has been a sort of a golden text for the A.A. program
and for me.” p. 191.
In its chapter ‘There is a Solution,’ the 4th
edition of the Big Book said: “The
great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective
spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward our
fellows and toward God’s universe. The central fact of our lives today is the
absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a
way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for
us which we could never do by ourselves.” p. 25. See Dick B. and Ken B., Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous:
God’s Role in Recovery Confirmed!, 75-86.
Gloria Deo
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Early (Old School) A.A. as Applied in the New 1939 AA of Today
Alcoholics Anonymous
History
Viewing and
Applying “Old School” A.A. in Today’s “New” 12 Step Program of 1939
Dick B.
Copyright 2012 Anonymous.
All rights reserved
What "Old School
A.A." Is and Is Not
What an application of the original Akron A.A. program is
not:
A call for "reforming" or
"universalizing" or "revising" A.A., its Steps, or
Traditions.
A call for special classes, special
conferences, special "basics," or special literature.
A call for forming independent
church groups, recovery groups, or splinter groups.
A call for returning to the Oxford
Group.
A call for revising Steps,
Traditions, Conference-approved literature, therapies, treatment programs,
rehabs, or therapeutic communities
What application of the original A.A. program is:
A call for
love and tolerance when considering and discussing the views of others
A call to learn and remember our
history before we forget it.
A call to look at real early
A.A.–Pioneer A.A. of Akron–the one Frank Amos described, as reported in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, at page
131.
A call to study and believe what
Dr. Bob said when he said the A.A. old-timers believed that the answer to their
problems was in the Bible. The
Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major
Talks, 13-14.
A call to see that the first three
AAs and the Pioneer AAs–who had no Steps, no Big Book, no Traditions, no special
nonsense "gods," and no religious ridicule.
A call to study, learn, apply, and
pass on accurate facts about the real Pioneer program–the one with a claimed
50% success rate in Akron, and then a 93% success rate in Cleveland as they
applied the Big Book, Steps, Four Absolutes, and Bible. The Cleveland Central Bulletin, the text of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, and at
least three biographical studies of Clarence H. Snyder and Cleveland A.A. establish
the outstanding Cleveland 93% success rate and the growth of its groups from
one to thirty in a year.
A call to read A.A.'s own
literature and statements by its founders about: Pioneer A.A., its Quiet Times,
study of the Bible and particularly the Book of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the
Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13; its Christian Fellowship; the Creator, and prayer
A call for a lot of uninformed
present-day treatment folks and AAs to put on a "new pair of glasses"
that can see what A.A. "Spirituality" really was—specifically defined
by Bill W. as reliance on the Creator. At page 68 of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed, Bill wrote: “We never
apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who
think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of
strength. . . All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never
apologize for God.”
In short, relying upon and applying old school A.A. to Bill
W.’s new Big Book is a striking reminder that early A.A. was a Bible-based,
Christian Fellowship that relied on God, our Creator and Maker. Moreover, it is
anything but a repudiation of Christians in A.A., AAs who are Christians, and
A.A.’s who may and do worship, follow, and obey God and His Son Jesus Christ,
and the content of the Bible.
What Knowledge and Application of Old School A.A Today Can Open to
Recovery
To look first to our Creator for
healing, forgiveness, and deliverance–just as Pioneers did.
To look in the Bible for our
Creator's will, promises, and commandments–as Pioneers did.
To put on the shelf the idea of "listening"
to God until (like Pioneer AAs) you learn He is the Creator and not a light
bulb or group. Until you have first established a relationship with Him as His
child. Until you've learned why AAs "surrendered" to Him by accepting
Jesus Christ as their Lord. And until you know why our founders looked to the
Good Book for instruction on what the Bible is, what it has, and what it says
about prayer, "meditation," and obedience.
To increase tossing out the
"nonsense gods of recovery"–higher powers, chairs, groups, and Big Dippers.
To highlight the precise language
in the Big Book of today that there is only one true living Creator, Yahweh,
the power that early AAs relied upon.
Reflections and Suggestions about Pioneer A.A. That Could Help You!
Utilizing "Old School A.A." Approaches Today
There is no real substitute for one-on-one sponsorship,
witnessing, and fellowship.
Just about anyone can form a group, hold a conference, start
a class, buy tapes, and study some materials on Pioneer A.A.'s biblical roots
and program. Then he or she can learn the facts, understand them, and pass them
on to someone else.
But that's backwards. Start with A.A.'s personal sponsorship
idea. As a beginner and then a sponsor, you learn.You share and compare. Then you
serve.
There is no substitute for learning the facts first. And
starting with A.A.'s own literature
Master the Big Book, Twelve Steps, and the Frank Amos Reports
of 1938.
Read DR. BOB and the
Good Oldtimers for a sketch of what pioneer A.A. was really like.
Read A.A.’s Co-founders
pamphlet, particularly the addresses by Dr. Bob.
Then learn six major Biblical roots of early A.A.’s
Christian Fellowship: (1) The Bible, (2) Quiet Time, (3) Anne Smith’s Journal, (4) the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker, (5)
the life-changing program of the Oxford Group, (6) and the religious books
early AAs read.
Also learn to recognize how early A.A. thinking came to
entertain spiritual experience ideas of Professor William James; the "new
thought" writers such as Ralph Waldo Trine; and the "higher
power" language of people like Emmet Fox that began to show itself in A.A.
literature in the 1950's.
Finally, see the difference in origins, approach, content,
and beliefs between old school "Akron A.A." and Wilson’s new 12 Step A.A.: (1) Akron developed ideas from
the Bible in a Christian fellowship, with "old fashioned prayer
meetings," Bible study, Quiet Time, and Christian literature. (2) Akron
insisted on belief in God and coming to Him through Jesus Christ. (3) In his
new 12 Step program, Wilson fashioned our text primarily from ideas of Rev. Sam
Shoemaker, and the life-changing principles and practices of the Oxford Group;
the literature of Professor William James and his Varieties of Religious Experience; and the wisdom of Dr. William
Silkworth..
Next comes your decision, mission, and work with others to tell the
foregoing
Will you continue to be a student? If so, there’s lots more
to study.
Do you want to be a teacher? If so, there’s lots more to
learn and organize.
Do you want to be a speaker? If so, prepare to tell our whole
story and all of the facts.
Do you want to be the leader of a group? If so, select supportive
members, topics, and a cadre.
Now find a cadre of two or three who will learn, will study,
and will help and lead
Help others by helping them to learn–individually, as a
cadre, and only then as a group.
Suggested Resources You and Your Cadre can Acquire, Study, and Use
You can begin your work with:
One or more of my titles or groups
of my titles. E.g.: Use Turning Point
for a comprehensive overview of our spiritual history and roots, or The Akron Genesis of A.A. for an
accurate picture of how Pioneer A.A. took shape. See Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous: God’s Role in Recovery
Confirmed.
Studying each of our six major
biblical roots: (1) The Good Book and The
Big Book, (2) Good Morning!–(quiet
time, etc.), (3) Anne Smith’s Journal,
(4) New Light on Alcoholism–Shoemaker,
(5) The Oxford Group and A.A., and
(6) Dr. Bob and His Library and The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual
Growth, for what they read.
Background: (1) Making Known the Biblical Roots of A.A.,
(2) That Amazing Grace, and (3) The Golden Text of A.A.
For your cadre, your teaching, or study group itself: (1) The Good Book and The Big Book: Good
Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A. A.A.’s Roots in
the Bible. (2) (3) God and Alcoholism:
(4) By
the Power of God: A Guide to Early A.A. Groups & Forming Similar
Groups Today. (5) Why Early A.A.
Succeeded: The Good Book in Alcoholics Anonymous Yesterday and Today (A Bible
Study Primer for AAs and other 12-Steppers). (6) Utilizing Early A.A.’s Spiritual Roots for Recovery Today (7) Stick with the Winners!
My own suggestions for planning your purchases, studies, and future
work
Don’t start a group. Start learning. As an individual, with
a sponsor, or with friends.
Purchase my entire 30-Volume Reference Set at a substantial
discount, plus shipping and handling. Then you can pick and choose your books
for study, or
Purchase one of the books that interests you; or,
preferably, if you know what you want to organize and study, select one or
several titles as a group and receive these at the substantial group discount
of 50% of retail, plus shipping and handling, or
When and if you start a group or gather as a group, you may
purchase 10 or more titles of your choosing at a 50% discount plus shipping and
handling [i.e., 10 Good Books (worth $179.95) at half price ($89.97), plus 10%
retail shipping and handling].
Please don't hesitate to contact me for further details:
Email: dickb@dickb.com; phone/fax: (808) 874-4876; mail: Dick B., PO Box 837,
Kihei, HI 96753-0837. To order now, simply use our online Order Form and adapt
it, deducting discounts allowed above.
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