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Jesus
in Early A.A. Literature and Talks
Dick
B.
Copyright
2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Probably, a
large majority of those in A.A. today, as well as those in the recovery
community as leaders and as patients, and even the very small group of
Christian critics of Alcoholics Anonymous would answer the following questions
incorrectly or simply plead ignorance of the questions and the answers:
“Is Jesus
even mentioned in early A.A. literature?”
“Did A.A.’s
founders frequently mention Jesus?”
“If so, are
there still a number of A.A. General Services Conference-approved books and
materials that mention, refer to, or discuss the role of Jesus in recovery
from alcoholism?”
Answers:
Yes! Yes! And Yes!
In fact,
there are so many references, that it will suffice to mention and document a
few of them, and then let inquirers search for themselves – just as Dr. Bob
used to require questioners in early A.A. to search in the Bible for answers
to their questions about the program.
Here is Where You Can Find the Answers
Bill W. and The Great Physician, Jesus Christ: In his own autobiography, Bill Wilson spoke
of the “Great Physician”—a metaphor for Jesus Christ. This reference
to Jesus Christ as the “Great Physician” was often uttered by Bill Wilson’s
doctor, William D. Silkworth, M.D. See Bill
W. My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Cofounder of Alcoholics
Anonymous, 139, 145, 147; Dale Mitchel, Silkworth The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks: The Biography of
William Duncan Silkworth, M.D.. 44, 47, 49, 50, 51, 225; Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W.: More on the
Creator’s Role in Early A.A., 43, 50, 52-53, 56, 59, 60, 62-67, 70, 76,
100-02, 115, 126, 133-34, 173, 189, 193.
Bill W. and “The Lord. . . curing me.
. .”: Probably the most emphatic
testimony as to the role of Jesus Christ in Bill Wilson’s recovery is found
on page 191 of the latest (4th, 2001) edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. Moreover, Bill’s
affirmation of Jesus’s role was echoed on that same page 191 by Bill Dotson,
AA Number 3.
Bill W. and his decision for Jesus
Christ: Mrs. Samuel M. Shoemaker and Bill’s wife Lois attested that Bill had
made a decision for Jesus Christ – “handed his life over to Christ.” Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W., 61-62.
Bill W. himself twice confirmed his
statement: “For sure I had been born again.” Bill W.: My First 40
Years, 147; Dick B., Turning Point, 94-98, A New Way In, 62; The Conversion of Bill W., 62.
Bill W. told AAs this at his last
full-length talk at an A.A. meeting in New York. Bill quoted Dr. Bob’s reminder
“that most of us were practicing Christians.” The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous:
Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks, 30.
Bill W. pointed out to the Lecturers
at Yale University that “a great many of us have taken to reading the Bible.”
Alcohol, Science and Society: Twenty-nine Lectures with Discussions as
given at the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies. “Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Inc., 1945,
W.W., Lecture 29, The Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous,” 467.
Dr. Bob is frequently quoted in The Co-Founders Pamphlet P-53, speaking
about “Jesus Christ,” the “Master,” his “Heavenly Father,” and the “Good Book”
as he often called the Bible: The Co-Founders, 11, 13-15, 19, 20. 30. And, on page 34,
Bill said of Bob: “So Dr. Bob became the prince of all twelfth-steppers.
Perhaps nobody will ever do such a job again.
You can find
for yourself many other statements, about which I have written extensively,
how early AAs, their “co-founders,” and their predecessors spoke of Jesus
Christ. Examples are
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(1)
Dr. Bob’s wife Anne Smith mentioned Christ in the journal from which she
daily shared with early AAs and their families. (2) Rev. Sam Shoemaker—who
was called a cofounder of A.A. by Bill W.—started writing about Jesus Christ
in his very first significant book—Realizing
Religion, and continued to do so throughout his long career. (3)
Shoemaker pointed out that Calvary Mission—where Bill W. made his decision
for Christ—was the place where Jesus Christ changes lives. (4) Bill W. marched
in a processional from Calvary Church to Madison Square to witness—the group
carried the sign, “Jesus Christ changes lives.” (5) Endless Oxford Group
writings were read by early AAs and frequently mentioned Jesus Christ. (6)
Dr. Bob mentioned many times that early AAs considered that the Bible’s Book
of James, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 were “absolutely
essential to the early program;” and, of course, it was Jesus that delivered the sermon (see Matthews 5, 6, 7)."
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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Can You Mention Jesus in A.A.? See for yourself
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Facts-History-Origins-Roots of A.A.: A Surprise List Today
The following are articles that have been written by several AA historians that have taken the time to search and research the history and origins of Alcoholics Anonymous. The articles appearing on this site were chosen to show references to the validity of the origins of the original message of Alcoholics Anonymous, not to show our history as a whole. For links to other sites that deal with the history of AA see the favorite links page.
The following articles are from one of AAs leading historians, Dick B. It was a pleasant surprise when I stumbled accross some of his articles a few 24 hrs ago. I have spent many hours reading his articles and books and have learned much about early AA from his research. For more from Dick B. go to his website at www.dickb.com
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Surviving the Christian Roots of Alcoholics Anonymous
I never had the slightest idea when I entered the rooms of A.A. that I would encounter such volumes of hatred. Hatred of Christians. Hatred of the Bible. Hatred of those who are "Evangelicals." Hatred of those who, like the courts, recognize that A.A. is religious - not "spiritual" (whatever the latter means). How can a sick drunk survive that? In fact, how did I--a very sick drunk--survive that?
As a very very sick man of 60 years of age, I came into the rooms and was hugged, given phone numbers, invited to "come with us, go where we go, do what we do, and get what we've got." Later, I was to see that the 10th Step instructions talked about a code of "love and tolerance." Still later, I was to read that Dr. Bob had said that the steps, simmered to their essence, were simply about "love and service." Still later, I learned that though Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob certainly had different views about God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, both had a Christian upbringing. Both had studied the Bible. Both had become or were Christians. Both had turned to Amighty God for deliverance. All called early A.A. a "Christian Fellowship." So did the Rockefeller people who investigated A.A. and concluded: "Why this is First Century Christianity at work."
But as I began traveling around the U.S. speaking, interviewing, and researching, I encountered an entirely different picture. In more than one room, a speaker has been interrupted if he mentioned God, Jesus Christ, or the Bible. In more than one Central Office, a group has been denied a "listing" because some self-appointed governor said, "You can't study the Bible" or "You can't study Emmet Fox," or "You can't talk about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount." And bristling letters fromn a few A.A. cops, on A.A. stationary, began issuing from Central Offices and GSO to the same effect.
Almost always, the nonsense blockades were phrased as if A.A. had a Gestapo and the Traditions were a Mein Kampf dictated by Wilson. Or, despite the fact that there was no "General Service Conference" to approve or disapprove anything until 15 years after A.A.'s founding; and that there never was such a thing as "Conference-Disapproved" literature, these true straw man pillars seemed to form the foundation for intimidation, insult, rudeness, authoritationism, and everything but the freedom of drunks to focus on getting sober and relying on the power of God, as the early AAs did.
How do you survive this today? Well, how did I survive it for 26 continuous years and still wind up liking A.A., speaking at A.A. meetings and conferences, working with newcomers to this day, and devoting 22 plus years to unearthing and reporting the history of Alcoholics Anonmous--warts and all. I believe it is because I hardly expected great courtesy or kindness or love or forgiveness from a band of former drunks, derelicts, foul-mouthed friends, thieves, druggies, and drug dealers--let alone proper speech amidst the foul language and focus on sex at the local level. I didn't expect these things, probably because I had long before seen the dark side in the Army, in the courts, in my college fraternity, and amongst the lawyers with whom I contested. If you want to hear about sex and foul language, just join the Armed Forces. And drink as well.
Yet. What a refreshing thing to enter a fellowship--sicker than a dog. What a refreshing thing to answer to no authority. What a refreshing thing to see the words God, Creator, Maker, Heavenly Father, Father of Lights splattered all over the Big Book some 400 times in one form or pronoun or another. What a refreshing thing to find so many caring people who had overcome the humps but still helped others over them. What a refreshing thing not to be judged for my sins past or my sickness present. What a refreshing thing to find how much fun we AAs had at outings in Yosemite Valley, the Russian River, the Redwoods, the amusement parks, the dances, the barbeques, the movies, the comedy shows, the musical events, the conferences, the speakers, and the mirth.
I know why I survived. I loved AA and gave it all I had. I loved God and tried to give Him all I had. I loved helping others and never stopped doing that. I loved the idea of cleaning house, the idea of amends, the idea of daily cleanup and daily prayer. And once I learned the history of A.A., I saw that the early AAs all believed in God, accepted Jesus Christ, studied the Bible, prayed together, broke bread together, socialized together, had quiet time together, converted others together, and devoted lots and lots of time to helping others - together. What the bleeding deacons did in the rooms was really none of my business unless I was looking for a scrap or taking them too seriously or forgetting that when they pointed one finger at me, there were three fingers pointing back at them.
That's why I survived.
And when naysayers call someone an "evangelist," or call A.A. "spiritual but not religious," or talk about their "higher power as a doorknob or chair," or denounce someone for mentioning God or Jesus or the Bible, I just look at the history (44 books and 1000 articles later) and - one by one - try to tell others the best of A.A. Because A.A. was best for me 26 years ago. And nothing and nobody can stop me from doing what I've done from the beginning--trusting God, cleaning house, and working with others. One good reason is because that's exactly what Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, and A.A. Number Three Bill Dotson did - for the rest of their lives. Not too shabby for a bunch of former drunken sots.
As a very very sick man of 60 years of age, I came into the rooms and was hugged, given phone numbers, invited to "come with us, go where we go, do what we do, and get what we've got." Later, I was to see that the 10th Step instructions talked about a code of "love and tolerance." Still later, I was to read that Dr. Bob had said that the steps, simmered to their essence, were simply about "love and service." Still later, I learned that though Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob certainly had different views about God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, both had a Christian upbringing. Both had studied the Bible. Both had become or were Christians. Both had turned to Amighty God for deliverance. All called early A.A. a "Christian Fellowship." So did the Rockefeller people who investigated A.A. and concluded: "Why this is First Century Christianity at work."
But as I began traveling around the U.S. speaking, interviewing, and researching, I encountered an entirely different picture. In more than one room, a speaker has been interrupted if he mentioned God, Jesus Christ, or the Bible. In more than one Central Office, a group has been denied a "listing" because some self-appointed governor said, "You can't study the Bible" or "You can't study Emmet Fox," or "You can't talk about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount." And bristling letters fromn a few A.A. cops, on A.A. stationary, began issuing from Central Offices and GSO to the same effect.
Almost always, the nonsense blockades were phrased as if A.A. had a Gestapo and the Traditions were a Mein Kampf dictated by Wilson. Or, despite the fact that there was no "General Service Conference" to approve or disapprove anything until 15 years after A.A.'s founding; and that there never was such a thing as "Conference-Disapproved" literature, these true straw man pillars seemed to form the foundation for intimidation, insult, rudeness, authoritationism, and everything but the freedom of drunks to focus on getting sober and relying on the power of God, as the early AAs did.
How do you survive this today? Well, how did I survive it for 26 continuous years and still wind up liking A.A., speaking at A.A. meetings and conferences, working with newcomers to this day, and devoting 22 plus years to unearthing and reporting the history of Alcoholics Anonmous--warts and all. I believe it is because I hardly expected great courtesy or kindness or love or forgiveness from a band of former drunks, derelicts, foul-mouthed friends, thieves, druggies, and drug dealers--let alone proper speech amidst the foul language and focus on sex at the local level. I didn't expect these things, probably because I had long before seen the dark side in the Army, in the courts, in my college fraternity, and amongst the lawyers with whom I contested. If you want to hear about sex and foul language, just join the Armed Forces. And drink as well.
Yet. What a refreshing thing to enter a fellowship--sicker than a dog. What a refreshing thing to answer to no authority. What a refreshing thing to see the words God, Creator, Maker, Heavenly Father, Father of Lights splattered all over the Big Book some 400 times in one form or pronoun or another. What a refreshing thing to find so many caring people who had overcome the humps but still helped others over them. What a refreshing thing not to be judged for my sins past or my sickness present. What a refreshing thing to find how much fun we AAs had at outings in Yosemite Valley, the Russian River, the Redwoods, the amusement parks, the dances, the barbeques, the movies, the comedy shows, the musical events, the conferences, the speakers, and the mirth.
I know why I survived. I loved AA and gave it all I had. I loved God and tried to give Him all I had. I loved helping others and never stopped doing that. I loved the idea of cleaning house, the idea of amends, the idea of daily cleanup and daily prayer. And once I learned the history of A.A., I saw that the early AAs all believed in God, accepted Jesus Christ, studied the Bible, prayed together, broke bread together, socialized together, had quiet time together, converted others together, and devoted lots and lots of time to helping others - together. What the bleeding deacons did in the rooms was really none of my business unless I was looking for a scrap or taking them too seriously or forgetting that when they pointed one finger at me, there were three fingers pointing back at them.
That's why I survived.
And when naysayers call someone an "evangelist," or call A.A. "spiritual but not religious," or talk about their "higher power as a doorknob or chair," or denounce someone for mentioning God or Jesus or the Bible, I just look at the history (44 books and 1000 articles later) and - one by one - try to tell others the best of A.A. Because A.A. was best for me 26 years ago. And nothing and nobody can stop me from doing what I've done from the beginning--trusting God, cleaning house, and working with others. One good reason is because that's exactly what Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, and A.A. Number Three Bill Dotson did - for the rest of their lives. Not too shabby for a bunch of former drunken sots.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
The 4 Vital AA Tools for Learning Accurate AA History
NOTE:
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original First Edition, with Introduction by Dick B.
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original First
Edition, with Introduction by Dick B.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Stick with the Winners Book and 27 Video Classes
Dick B. and Ken B.’s Newest Title:
Stick with the Winners!
How to
Conduct
More
Effective 12-Step Recovery Meetings
Using Conference-Approved Literature:
A Dick B.
Guide
for Christian
Leaders and Workers in the Recovery Arena
(Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc.,
2012)
Contents
Introduction: “Old-School” Christian Recovery
Ch. 1: Resources for “Old-School” 12 Step Recovery
Meetings
Ch. 2: Conference-Approved Literature Foundations
Ch. 3: The Real Akron A.A. Program
Ch. 4: 16 Key Practices of the Real Akron A.A.
Program
Ch. 5: “Old-School” A.A. and First Century
Christianity
Ch. 6: “Old-School” Elements That Can Be Used Today
Ch. 7: How to Conduct “Old-School” Recovery Meetings
Conclusion
Announcing!
Dick B. and Ken B.’s New 27-Video
Class:
Video Title
00 Introductory Video for the
“Stick with the Winners!” Class
01 Where to Begin with a Newcomer
02 Show the Newcomer That the Cure
of Alcoholism Was Not Something New from A.A.
03 The
Vermont Youth of Dr. Bob and Bill W. Set the Stage for Early A.A.’s Emphasis on
God, His
Son Jesus Christ, the Bible, Prayer, Conversion, and Witness
04 How Bill W. Got Sober by Turning
to God
05 How Dr. Bob Got Sober by Turning
to God
06 How A.A. Number Three, Bill D.,
Got Sober by Turning to God
07 A Summary of How the Original
“Old-School” A.A. Program Was Developed
08 Frank Amos’ Seven-Point Summary
of the Original Akron A.A. Program
09 Part One: Practices One through
Eight of the 16 Practices of “Old-School” A.A. in Akron
10 Part Two: Practices Nine through
16 of the 16 Practices of “Old-School” A.A. in Akron
12 Part
One: Groups One through Seven of the Resources about the “Old-School” A.A.
Program
Available Today
13 Part Two: Groups Eight through
14 of the Resources about the “Old-School” A.A.
Program Available
Today
14 The
Starting Point: Mastering and Relying on Key Sections of Conference-Approved
Literature
15 Supportive Statements in Alcoholics Anonymous (“the Big Book”)
16 Supportive Statements in The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous
(# P-53)
17 Supportive Statements in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
18 Organizing and Conducting a
“Conference-Approved Literature” Group
19 Resources for Your Group and Its
Meetings
20 Topics for Your Group and Its
Meetings
21 A Sample Meeting Format
22 Using the Sample Meeting Format
with Other Topics
23 Putting It All Together: Some
Suggested Basic Approaches
24 The Helpful Personal Stories of
Four Early AAs . . .
25 Conclusion:
Here’s What Makes the International Christian Recovery Coalition and
These
Suggested Meetings Different
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Bill Wilson and A.A.: The rest of the Story
Alcoholics
Anonymous History
How Bill Wilson Came Firmly to Believe That Alcoholism Could Be Cured by Conversion to God through Christ
How Bill Wilson Came Firmly to Believe That Alcoholism Could Be Cured by Conversion to God through Christ
Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved.
© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved.
For many years during his childhood, Bill Wilson
repeatedly heard that his paternal grandfather William C. (“Willie”) Wilson had
been cured of alcoholism in a conversion experience atop Mt. Aeolus in Bill’s
home town village of East Dorset, Vermont.
Throughout his youth, Bill was exposed to the account of
his grandfather’s conversion and cure of alcoholism. And his exposure to the
Bible, to Christian religious training, and to spiritual growth was far more
substantial than has previously been known.
For example, Bill and his paternal and maternal families
attended the East Dorset Congregational Church. There they listened to sermons,
and recited the confession and creed. There were tent meetings and revivals,
and Bill witnessed conversions to God through Jesus Christ. Moreover, Bill and
his maternal grandfather, Fayette Griffith, read the Bible individually and
together. Bill also read the Bible with his friend Mark Whalon. Grandfather
Fayette enrolled Bill in the East Dorset Congregational Church Sunday school.
We are still investigating what transpired of a religious nature, if anything,
during Bill’s residence in Rutland, Vermont. However, during his matriculation
at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont, Bill regularly attended the
daily chapel, and heard Scripture reading. He was required to attend the weekly
church service at the Manchester Congregational Church. He took a required,
four-year Bible study course at the Academy. And Bill was president of the
Academy Young Men’s Christian Associatio, while his girlfriend, Bertha Bamford,
was president of the Burr and Burton Young Women’s Christian Assocation. Both both
attended chapel together at the Academy, and also “Y” functions.
Some years later, Bill’s psychiatrist, Dr. William D.
Silkworth, explained to Bill that Bill could be cured by the “Great Physician,”
Jesus Christ. This explanation occurred during Bill’s third hospitalization at
Towns Hospital in New York, where Silkworth told Bill that there was a need in
recovery for a relationship with Jesus Christ, Silkworth using the term “the
Great Physician.” [Dale Mitchel, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved
Drunks (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2002), 50].
Then Bill’s old friend, Ebby Thacher, made a visit to
Bill. Ebby related to Bill that the celebrated psychiatrist, Dr. Carl Jung, had
made a statement—“the one which saved Rowland Hazard’s life and set Alcoholics
Anonymous in motion. . . . ‘Occasionally, Rowland, alcoholics have recovered
through spiritual experiences, better known as religious conversions.’” [Bill
W.: My First Forty Years (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000), 125]. Ebby also
told Bill that he had been lodged at Calvary Rescue Mission on the East Side in
New York. [Bill W., 131]. Ebby was sober. He said to Bill, “I’ve got
religion.” [Bill W., 133]. He touched upon the subject of prayer and
God. [Bill W., 133-34]. And then, as Bill stated in his own words, “My
friend sat before me, and he made the point-blank declaration that God had done
for him what he could not do for himself. His human will had failed. Doctors
had pronounced him incurable. Society was about to lock him up. Like myself, he
had admitted complete defeat.” [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed.
(New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), 11].
I found a manuscript at Stepping Stones which, at lines
935-942, told of Bill’s further statement: “Nevertheless here I was sitting
opposite a man who talked about a personal God, who told me how he had found
him, who described to me how I might do the same thing and who convinced me
utterly that something had come into his life which had accomplished a miracle.
The man was transformed; there was no denying he had been reborn.” [See Dick
B., Turning Point: A History of Early A.A.’s Spiritual Roots and Successes
(San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1997, 99-100.] Bill also
pointed to a further statement by Ebby, and said, “But my friend sat before me,
and he made the point-blank declaration that God had done for him what he could
not do for himself. His human will had failed. Doctors had pronounced him
incurable. Society was about to lock him up. . . . That floored me. It began to
look as though religious people were right after all.” [Alcoholics Anonymous,
4th ed., 11].
Bill’s next move was to go to Calvary Rescue Mission. He
stated, “Remembering the mission where Ebby stayed, I figured I’d go and see
what did they do, anyway down there. I’d find out. . . . There were hymns and
prayers. Tex, the leader, exhorted us. Only Jesus could save, he said. . . .
Then came the call. Penitents started marching toward the rail. . . . Soon I
knelt among the sweating, stinking penitents. Maybe then and there, for the
first time, I was penitent too. Something touched me, I guess it was more than
that. I was hit.” [Bill W.: My First Forty Years, 136-37].
Several witnesses confirmed what Bill did at the altar:
(a) Mrs. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., talked with me on the telephone and told me
she was present when Bill made his decision for Christ at Calvary Mission.
[Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research
Publications, Inc., 2006), 61]. (b) Bill’s wife, Lois Wilson, confirmed Bill’s
decision for Christ. Speaking of Bill’s trip to the altar at the Mission, Lois
Wilson said: “And he went up, and really, in very great sincerity, did hand
over his life to Christ.” [“Lois Remembers: Searcy, Ebby, Bill & Early
Days.” Recorded in Dallas, Texas, June 29, 1973, Moore, OK: Sooner Cassette,
Side 1]. (c) Rev. Sam Shoemaker’s assistant minister, W. Irving Harris, wrote
this: “It was at a meeting at Calvary Mission that Bill himself was moved to
declare that he had decided to launch out as a follower of Jesus Christ.” [Dick
B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d ed.
(Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999), 533-35.]. (d) Bill
twice made a further statement of great interest. It is not clear whether Bill
was referring to his decision for Christ at the Calvary Mission altar or to his
subsequent spiritual experience after calling on the “Great Physician” at Towns
Hospital not long thereafter. But Bill Wilson twice wrote, “For sure I’d been
born again.” [See Bill W., My First Forty Years, 147; Dick B., Turning
Point, 94-98; and Dick B., A New Way In (Kihei, HI: Paradise
Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 61-62)]. (e) At Stepping Stones, I (Dick
B.) personally found a letter that Bill had written to his brother-in-law
stating that he [like Ebby] had “found religion.” [Dick B., The Conversion
of Bill W., 62]. We now have in our possession a copy of Bill Wilson’s
signature on a book he gave to a distinguished Christian religious writer. Bill
signed it, “In Christ.”
After his spiritual experience at the Calvary Rescue
Mission altar, Bill wandered drunk for a time and then staggered into Towns
Hospital for his last visit there. Bill said, “I remember saying to myself,
‘I’ll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I’ll call on
him.’ Then, with neither faith nor hope I cried out, ‘If there be a God, let
him show himself.’ The effect was instant, electric. Suddenly my room blazed
with an indescribably white light. . . . I became acutely conscious of a
presence which seemed like a veritable sea of living spirit. I lay on the
shores of a new world. ‘This,’ I thought, ‘must be the great reality. The God
of the preachers.’ . . . I thanked my God who had given me a glimpse of his
absolute Self. . . . Save a brief hour of doubt next to come, these feelings
and convictions, no matter the vicissitude, have never deserted me since.” [Bill
W.: My First Forty Years, 145-46]. As Lois Wilson’s biographer related the
situation, Bill said, “I thanked my God, who had given me a glimpse of his
absolute Self. . . . It was December 11, 1934. Bill had just turned
thirty-nine. He would never again doubt the reality of God.” [William G.
Borchert, The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough (Center City,
MN: Hazelden, 2005), 166].
When Bill consulted Dr. Silkworth after the experience,
Dr. Silkworth said to Bill, “You have had some kind of conversion experience.”
[Bill W.: My First Forty Years, 148]. And the recent biography of Bill
Wilson’s wife, written by William G. Borchert, tells the details of Bill’s
immediate, enthusiastic witnessing as follows:
“The doctor [Dr. Silkworth] always allowed Bill to share
his God-experience with some patients, hoping somehow it might help. And Bill
began learning about the mental and spiritual part of his alcoholic malady from
Dr. Shoemaker, who had now befriended the former Wall Street analyst. Dr.
Shoemaker encouraged Bill to spread the message of change and spiritual recovery
to others like himself.
“Bill took the preacher at his word. With Lois’s full
support, he was soon walking through the gutters of the Bowery, into the nut
ward at Bellevue Hospital, down the slimy corridors of fleabag hotels, and into
the detox unit at Towns with a Bible under his arm. He was promising sobriety
to every drunk he could corner if they, like he, would only turn their lives
over to God.” [Borchert, The Lois Wilson Story, 170]
And what was the simple message, as Bill explained
it to the wife of A.A. number three and set forth in his “Basic Text” (Alcoholics
Anonymous, 4th ed.) at page 191: “‘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.’”
Bill’s conviction about his permanent cure was so strong
that he arranged a meeting in December 1937 at the boardroom on the 56th
floor at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The meeting lasted five hours.
Four Rockefeller associates—Albert Scott, Leroy Chipman, W. S. Richardson, and
Frank Amos—were present. So, too, were Dr. Silkworth and Bill’s brother-in-law,
Dr. Strong. In addition, there was an array of what Frank Amos called “the
following ex-alcoholics, William G. Wilson, Henry G. Parkhurst, William J.
Ruddell, Ned Pointer and Bill Taylor, all of New York and vicinity; Mr. J. H.
F. Mayo of near Baltimore, Maryland; Dr. Robert H. Smith and J. Paul Stanley of
Akron, Ohio.” Frank Amos stated that Bill Wilson had briefly told Mr.
Richardson, “the story of how, after many vain attempts to discontinue the use
of alcohol, he had achieved what he believed was a permanent cure, through what
he termed a religious or spiritual process.” Dr. Silkworth stated “without
reservation that while he could not tell just what it was that these men had
which had effected their ‘cure’ yet he was convinced they were cured and that
whatever it was, it had his complete endorsement.” [The foregoing is contained
in the “History of the Alcoholic movement up to the formation of The Alcoholic
Foundation on Aug. 11, 1938.” I personally obtained, with permission, my copy
of this second report by Frank Amos at the Stepping Stones archives in Bedford
Hills, New York.]
For further details, please see Dick B., The
Conversion of Bill W.: (http://dickb.com/conversion.shtml)
Dick B.
PO Box 837
Kihei, HI 96753-0837
dickb@dickb.com
www.DickB.com
PO Box 837
Kihei, HI 96753-0837
dickb@dickb.com
www.DickB.com
Gloria Deo
Friday, May 11, 2012
Quotable Quotest of A.A.'s Dr. Bob, Founders Day, 2012
by Dick B., Copyright 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Despite the plethora of biographies, autobiographies, films, TV presentations, and other literature about A.A. Cofounder Bill Wilson and even his wife Lois Wilson, many an AA, codependent, 12 Step Fellowship member, clergyman, professional therapist, treatment program worker, and Christian leader simply knows virtually nothing about the enormous role and wise sayings of A.A. Cofounder Dr. Robert H. Smith of Akron (usually called "Dr. Bob").
This particular article will help make the 2012 Founders Day in Akron a great deal more understandable, meaningful, and significant. It will quote just a fewof the many remarks made by A.A. Akron leader, Dr. Bob. Made as he guided others to new lives. And these are they:
"Do you believe in God, young fella? Not a god. God" See DR BOB and the Good Oldtimers, p. 144.
"Your Heavenly Father will never let your down!" Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 2001, p. 181.
". . . we were convinced that the answer to our problems was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts that we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5, 6, and 7], the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James," The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks, p. 13 [From Dr. Bob's last major address to AAs in 1948].
"I have found that no one can be permanently happly unless he lives in harmony with the rules set down in the Good Book. Try it some time. You don't need to wait till you're down and out before you ask for help. There's help waiting for you right now, if you just ask God to help you," "I Saw Religion Remake A Drunkard," September 1939, Your Faith Magazine, p. 84.
"Dr. Bob was always positive about his faith, Clarence [Clarence H. Snyder] said. If someone asked him a question about the program, his usual response was, 'What does it say in the Good Book?' Suppose he was asked, 'What's all this First Things First?' Dr. Bob would be ready with the appropriate quotation: 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousners, and all these things shall be added unto.'" DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, p. 144. [Matthew 6:33]
"Dr. Bob, another founder of A.A., also addressed the Shrine assembly. As he was introduced, the audience rose to its feet in tribute. The fame of Dr. Bob is great in A.A. In soft, confident and unhurried words he too reiterated the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous: 'Read religious literature. Resume church attendance, cultivate the habit of prayer, and transmit the desires and principles of Alcoholics Anonymous to others.' He particularly recommended reading the Bible,
Tidings, Friday, March 26, 1948, p. 17.
Gloria Deo
Despite the plethora of biographies, autobiographies, films, TV presentations, and other literature about A.A. Cofounder Bill Wilson and even his wife Lois Wilson, many an AA, codependent, 12 Step Fellowship member, clergyman, professional therapist, treatment program worker, and Christian leader simply knows virtually nothing about the enormous role and wise sayings of A.A. Cofounder Dr. Robert H. Smith of Akron (usually called "Dr. Bob").
This particular article will help make the 2012 Founders Day in Akron a great deal more understandable, meaningful, and significant. It will quote just a fewof the many remarks made by A.A. Akron leader, Dr. Bob. Made as he guided others to new lives. And these are they:
"Do you believe in God, young fella? Not a god. God" See DR BOB and the Good Oldtimers, p. 144.
"Your Heavenly Father will never let your down!" Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., 2001, p. 181.
". . . we were convinced that the answer to our problems was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts that we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5, 6, and 7], the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James," The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks, p. 13 [From Dr. Bob's last major address to AAs in 1948].
"I have found that no one can be permanently happly unless he lives in harmony with the rules set down in the Good Book. Try it some time. You don't need to wait till you're down and out before you ask for help. There's help waiting for you right now, if you just ask God to help you," "I Saw Religion Remake A Drunkard," September 1939, Your Faith Magazine, p. 84.
"Dr. Bob was always positive about his faith, Clarence [Clarence H. Snyder] said. If someone asked him a question about the program, his usual response was, 'What does it say in the Good Book?' Suppose he was asked, 'What's all this First Things First?' Dr. Bob would be ready with the appropriate quotation: 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousners, and all these things shall be added unto.'" DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, p. 144. [Matthew 6:33]
"Dr. Bob, another founder of A.A., also addressed the Shrine assembly. As he was introduced, the audience rose to its feet in tribute. The fame of Dr. Bob is great in A.A. In soft, confident and unhurried words he too reiterated the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous: 'Read religious literature. Resume church attendance, cultivate the habit of prayer, and transmit the desires and principles of Alcoholics Anonymous to others.' He particularly recommended reading the Bible,
Tidings, Friday, March 26, 1948, p. 17.
Gloria Deo
Thursday, May 10, 2012
New Facts about the Church Life of A.A.'s Dr. Bob
A.A. Cofounder Dr. Bob and the Records
of His Church Affiliations
By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
Introduction
This piece on Dr. Bob will consist primarily of the record
of a meeting on Maui with a great Christian lady from Akron, and the
correspondence which she graciously undertook to flesh out the details of Dr.
Bob’s church life during the period the Smiths resided in Akron, Ohio.
Religious Data We Had Previously Researched and Recorded
Some of the initial details we had before this new
investigation came from my research in Akron. There I interviewed Dr. Bob’
daughter, Sue Smith Windows, as to churches her father and mother attended in
Akron, and the Sunday Schools she and her brother attended. I interviewed Dr.
Bob’s son, Smitty, and his wife, Betty, to the same end. I also interviewed
Congressman John F. Seiberling and his two sisters to learn the churches
Henrietta and her children were affiliated with. And, by work with the daughter
of T. Henry Williams, I learned the Baptist and Methodist affiliations that T.
Henry Williams and his wife Clarace had in the pertinent years. Much of our
later findings about Dr. Bob’s early church years were obtained during a total
of three weeks that my son Ken and I spent in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, during
2007 and 2008 researching the Smith family’s membership, leadership, and
attendance at North Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury and its Sunday
school and Christian Endeavor society. We also learned of the extensive
Christian and Bible study exposure that Dr. Bob had with daily chapel, weekly
Congregational church attendance, and Bible study while he attended St.
Johnsbury Academy.
We had previously published the information about Dr. Bob’s
membership (and that of his wife Anne) in the Westside Presbyterian Church in
Akron; the attendance of the Smith children at several Akron Sunday Schools;
and Dr. Bob’s joining of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron a year or so
prior to his death.
Those earlier details are embodied primarily in the titles
Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library;
Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal 1933-1939;
Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics
Anonymous; and Dick B. and Ken B., Dr.
Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book as a
Youngster in Vermont. All can be found through Amazon or the titles pages
on my main Web site.
The New Findings about the Smith Family’s Presbyterian Affiliations
The following are
excerpts (with email addresses removed) concerning the recent investigation:
·
Aloha, Sally!
Thank you.
Dick B.'s son, Ken
Thank you.
Dick B.'s son, Ken
·
On Thu, May 10, 2012 at 4:34 PM, Sally Phillips
wrote:
Dick,
I hope this
info helps.
Sally
Phillips
- First
Presbyterian Church, pastor Mark Ruppert
- Office hours
are Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
- Our email
address is akronfpc@sbcglobal.net.
- Our fax number
is 330-434-5190.
----------
Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Thu, May 10, 2012 at 5:49 PM
Subject: Fwd: (no subject)
To: sgp
Date: Thu, May 10, 2012 at 5:49 PM
Subject: Fwd: (no subject)
To: sgp
From: marge.beatty
To: Margo
Sent: 5/10/2012 11:24:46 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: RE: (no subject)
To: Margo
Sent: 5/10/2012 11:24:46 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: RE: (no subject)
Hi Margo,
The
information you have about Dr. Bob and his wife Anne joining Westminster on
June 3, 1936, as charter members, by Letter of Transfer is correct. They
were suspended from the rolls on April 3, 1942 because of no attendance or
participation. We do not keep the Letters of Transfer and our records do
not show where they transferred from. However, on a hunch, I called First
Presbyterian Church on E. Market Street in Akron, Ohio to see if they could
have transferred from there. Westminster was a mission church of First
Presbyterian in the rapidly growing west Akron area before Westminster formed
in 1936 under its own charter. Their records show that Dr. Bob and his
wife Anne joined First Presbyterian on December 17, 1933, and then were
transferred in May of 1936. Their records do not show any information
other than when they joined and when they were transferred.
Marge.
From: Margo
Dolph
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 4:14 PM
To: Marge Beatty
Subject: Fwd: (no subject)
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 4:14 PM
To: Marge Beatty
Subject: Fwd: (no subject)
Hi,
Marge!
Congrats on your upcoming retirement.
I'd
bet you remember Sally Phillips, a former member of Westminster, who sent me
the following e-mail. She met Dick B. in Hawaii who is doing a book on
AA's roots in Akron. If you are able to answer any of the questions in the
latter part of Sally's e-mail below that would be great. I can forward them to
her or you can use her address you see below.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE!
Margo
From: sgp
To: Margo
Sent: 5/8/2012 10:41:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Re: (no subject)
To: Margo
Sent: 5/8/2012 10:41:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Re: (no subject)
Hi Margo,
Here's
the info that "Dick B",…. would like to have. His card reads
writer, historian, and retired attorney. I am willing to contact her if you run
out of time. I will handle questions 3 and 4. My mom is doing better. Thanks
for asking.
Any help
you can give would be great!
Thanks
Sally
PS- I
could meet with Marge on Friday, May 25 in the morning or run over at lunch
(time somewhat flexible)
Background on A.A.’s Dr. Bob
by Ken B.
Robert Holbrook Smith (A.A.’s “Dr. Bob”) was born on August
8, 1879, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. The church he was raised in was North
Congregational Church, St. Johnsbury. He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy
(the equivalent of high school) in the summer of 1898. He began his first year
at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in the fall of 1898 and graduated with
the class of 1902.
He made a statement on page 172 in his personal story
in Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”) that is of
considerable interest to us:
From childhood through high school
I was more or less forced to go to church, Sunday School, and evening service,
Monday night Christian Endeavor and sometimes to Wednesday evening prayer
meeting. This had the effect of making me resolve that when I was free from
parental domination, I would never again darken the doors of a church. This
resolution I kept steadfastly for the next forty years, except when
circumstances made it seem unwise to absent myself.
He was free from “parental domination” by no later than the
fall of 1898 when he left for college at Dartmouth. That would make 40 years
1938. But his statement was “forward looking”; i.e., he said “when I was free
from parental domination.” So the 40 years started sometime before he left for
college in the fall of 1898.
We know that Dr. Bob and his wife Anne were charter member
of the Westminster United Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio; and they joined
the church on June 3, 1936. We also know that they came to the Westminster
church by “letter of transfer.”
Question 1: What church did they transfer from?
Question 2: Can you get a photocopy of that “letter of
transfer” and mail it to us? Or, can you (or the church) scan the “letter of
transfer” and send it to us as an attached file by email to: DickB@DickB.com?
Question 3: If you able to get the facts as to the church
from which they transferred to Westminster, what details can you find about
when they first attended and/or joined the earlier church?
Question 4: As to the earlier church, can you get a
photocopy or scan of any written evidence of their attendance/membership at
that church?
Question 5: If you cannot get written evidence as to the
earlier church, could you please get the name, date, time, church position,
telephone number, email address, etc., of the person/people providing you with
the information so that we actually give a source that other people can check?
Thank you for any help you can give.
Dick B.’s son, Ken
Hi,
Sally!
Hope you've had a good week! Sure is flying!!
I wanted to check w/ you to make sure I was "barkin up the right
tree" on what you wanted me to check on at Westminster. Marge Beatty is
FINALLY retiring June 1 so I thought I'd better call this week w/your question.
Wasn't it---when/how long was Dr. Bob a member there? and anything else I
can find out.
Have a good week Ben will be home either really late Tues. after he graduates
or he'll wait and drive all day Wed..
Hope things are going a bit better w/your mom.
Margo
Synopsis of Dr. Bob’s Church Life as of Investigation in 2012 by Dick
B.
·
Dr. Bob, his parents Judge Walter and Susan Smith,
his grandmother, and his foster sister
all were frequent attenders and much involved
in North Congregational Church of St. Johnsbury up to the date of Dr. Bob’s
departure for Dartmouth in the fall of 1898.
·
Dr. Bob was active, as were his parents, in the
church’s Young People’s Society of
Christian Endeavor.
·
During his attendance up to graduation at St.
Johnsbury Academy (1894-1898), Dr. Bob regularly attended daily chapel,
regularly attended required Congregational church services each week, and regularly
attended Bible study each week.
·
Dr. Bob had said he had joined a church at the
suggestion of the Oxford Group people with whom he and Anne met beginning in
1933. But we had learned only that he and Anne had joined and become charter
members of Rev. Wright’s Presbyterian church in 1936.
·
Now we have confirmed what Dr. Bob said about
the earlier period. Dr. Bob and Anne joined the First Presbyterian Church on E.
Market Street in Akron on December 17, 1933, and were members there until “by
letter of transfer” they became charter members of Rev. Wright’s Presbyterian
Church in May of 1936. They remained affiliated with that church until April of
1942—long after A.A. was founded and after the Smiths had left their Oxford
Group affiliations and connections with T. Henry Williams behind them.
·
I know from my examination of church records
with the Rector Dr. Richard McCandless that Dr. Bob had become a communicant at
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron not long before his death. And the Eulogy
at his death was conducted by Rev. Dr. Walter Tunks of St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church.
·
I have also heard it said that Anne Smith joined
the St. Paul’s Church; but that information did not come from its rector Dr.
McCandless, nor from the church records I did examine. That question therefore
remains unresolved until and unless a further search of church records as to
Anne makes the facts clear.
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The first tool is the Holy Bible
The second tool is the Original First Edition of the Big Book with intro by Dick B.
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Original First Edition, with Introduction by Dick B.
http://www.amazon.com/Alcoholics-Anonymous-Original-Edition-Empower/dp/0486480593/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338068799&sr=1-4
The third tool is DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, 1980
The fourth tool is "The Cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks" designated Pamphlet P-53 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.