All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The Christian life is one of mountains, valleys, streams, and deserts. Times of communing with God and times of reaching for Him. Times of abounding happiness and times of depression and suffering. Times of victory and times of being attacked. But in Christ there is always joy. Because we must be in this world for a period of our existence we are given the Word to revive us, restore us and keep us on the narrow path of Christ. From The Language of the Heart (Bill W's Grapevine Writings): (This book is a collection of articles that Bill Wilson published in The Grapevine, AA's international journal). Page 278, (An excerpt from a letter to Dr. Carl Jung). Clear once more of alcohol, I found myself terribly depressed. This seemed to be caused by my inability to gain the slightest faith. Edwin T. again visited me and repeated the simple Oxford Group's formulas. Soon after he left me I became even more depressed. In utter despair I cried out, "If there be a God, will he show himself." There immediately came to me an illumination of enormous impact and dimension, something which I have since tried to describe in the book Alcoholics Anonymous and also in AA Comes of Age, basic texts which I am sending to you. Obviously, whatever entity Bill Wilson believes illuminated him during this experience was in no way God because only through Jesus Christ does anyone have access to the Father. Yet another complete contradiction to the teachings of scripture.
From The Long Haul (Chicago, IL, Chicago area Alcoholics Anonymous): Pg. 6, Some religious organizations label the alcoholic a sinner and attempt to solve his drinking problem by saving his soul, but with little success. Based on the scriptures, the alcoholic is indeed a sinner and the wages of sin is death. But through the grace of the free gift of God we can have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Once again, the demonically inspired writings of AA strive to place themselves above the one true God and His Holy Word! Galatians 5:19-21, Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Courtesy of 1 Cross 1 Way Ministries ** B.B. refers to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. 12X12 refers to the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
1. You are going to know a new freedom as you make-up/choose/invent your very own personal god – and call it whatever you want. (B.B. pg. 12, 46, 47, 55, 59, 93). (12x12 pg. 27, 35). (Ex. 20:3–7, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Matt. 1:21, Col. 1:21–23). 2. You will not regret the past because it’s not really your fault, it’s your diseases/maladies/illnesses fault. (B.B. pg. 33, 85, 30, 114). (2 Cor. 5:17., John 8:36, Ezekiel 36:26, 27). 3. You will come to believe you have an incurable disease/malady/illness, not a sin issue. (B.B. pg. 18, 23, 30, 33, 44, 64, 85, 92, 107, 114, 115, 118, 132, 139, 142). (12x12 pg. 15, 23, 104, 114). (Gal. 5:19-21). 4. You will come to believe you are a victim. (B.B. pg. 50, 58, 115, 146). (12x12 pg. 22, 39). (Rom. 3:10-12, 3:23). 5. You will have no hope of ever becoming free from the bondage of this so-called disease/malady/illness. (B.B. pg. 30, 33, 85, 114). (12x12 pg. 15, 23, 104, 114). (Ps. 146:8, Jn. 8:31, 32). 6. You will learn how to water-down your sin, in order to quiet your conscience. (B.B. pg. 46, 64, 67, 71, 78, 82). (12x12 pg. 44, 67, 68, 86). (Proverbs 1:23, Jer. 8:6, Mt. 3:2, Mk. 1:15). 7. You will adhere to “their message.” A different gospel. (B.B. pg. 60, 89). (12x12 pg. 8, 17, 24, 106, 109, 110, 111, 113, 130, 142, 150, 151, 181, 190). (Gal. 1:6-12, 2 Cor. 11:4.) 8. You will know peace with 'a god'. However, NOT with the God of the Bible because Christ is not mentioned for forgiveness of sin in the A.A. Literature. (B.B. pg. 63). (12x12 pg. 32, 107, 98, 105, 125). (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Col. 1:20, Eph. 2:14-16, 2 Cor. 5:18-20, Rom. 5:1). 9. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will be replaced by a love for SELF that will be greater than ever before. (12x12 pg. 129). (James 4:6, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 14:12, 1 Cor. 10:7, 14). 10. Your whole attitude and outlook on life will ultimately submit to the A.A. literature and program (Big-book, 12x12), not the sufficiency of God’s Word, The Bible. (B.B. pg. 58). (Matt. 22:37, 2 Tim. 3:16). 11. All ‘fear of The Lord’ will eventually leave you, if you continue to adhere to A.A. literature and program. (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:33, Ecc. 12:13). 12. You will earn God’s grace/favor as you practice A.A.’s ‘works’ salvation program. (12x12 pg. 32, 46, 107). (Eph. 2:8,9). +1. You will begin to believe A.A.'s false 'salvation message' (a different gospel), and that you are 'heaven bound' (eternally secure). Sadly, you very well may not be. (B.B. pg. 63, 60, 89). (12x12 pg. 27, 32, 93, 98, 105, 107, 125). (Mark 1:15, John 8:36, Acts 20:21, 2 Cor. 5:17, 11:4, Gal. 1:6-12, Ezekiel 36:26,27). If you are reading this it's not too late: http://www.1cross1way.com/content/TheGospel.html Are you a Christian in a Twelve Step program, or a Pastor or Christian leader that believes the Twelve Steps are Christian in origin? Then please consider the following. From the Westminster Seminary: The Church has been entrusted with the great commission to make disciples, even of alcoholics. AA constitutes a field of hurting, gospel needy people, white for the harvest. The question is, are we hungry enough to harvest? If you are a Christian and have made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, then you must believe that He is the center and reason for absolutely everything that has ever existed or will ever exist. All of God's creation from the beginning in Genesis 1 until the end of time as we know it – and on into eternity, it all has been for the glory of Jesus Christ. He is on every page of the Holy Bible from, “In the beginning,” in Genesis 1, to “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.,” in Revelation 22:21. Jesus is on every page of scripture in some way. All of history revolves and is centered on Jesus Christ and nothing exists that does not do so without His sustaining power. He holds all things together.
Every part of who you are as a human being is about Jesus Christ – even if you don't believe in Him. He is inescapable. One way or another, every human being who has or will ever exist will know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the human race and of all creation. It's just a matter of when and how each human being finally comes to know and accept the truth of Jesus Christ.
All of God's Word in scripture, all that the prophets down through the ages spoke of is to reveal to us His magnificent, glorious, and mysterious plan to save mankind through the sacrifice of His only begotten and perfect Son. God did this to save us from eternal damnation and separation from Him because He loves us far beyond our capability as humans to fully understand.
So, if you are a Christian who believes that the 12 steps are Christian in origin how do you answer this question: if God did all of this, then why would he inspire two alcoholics in the 1930's to create a way to obtain sobriety – and never have His Son Jesus Christ be any part of it?
This is the truth of the 12 steps – they are a brilliant plan conceived by demonic forces that keep millions from coming to a true relationship with Jesus Christ, (If this seems far fetched to you then please read the articles page on this site that explains the facts pertaining to the origins of the 12 steps). Satan and his demon's have convinced people seeking sobriety to follow a “God of their own understanding.” Then, as they become drawn into the 12 step cult Satan begins lifting the temptation to drink, use drugs, whatever the sin is. Yes, Satan can remove the temptation to sin because he is the one that put it there in the first place. God does not tempt us.
As the temptation is lifted the 12 step follower is drawn deeper into the cult by believing that a “God of their own understanding” is helping them. Satan now has his victim far off the narrow path that leads to salvation through Jesus Christ and onto a wide path of destruction. The poor soul seeking sobriety has been completely duped. Notice the glaring contradiction between the false message of salvation claimed on page 46 of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (The Big Book), and the true message of salvation through Jesus Christ as conveyed through God's Word in scripture.
There is only one way to God and that is through His Son Jesus Christ – you must believe in Him, accept Him, and follow Him completely with no variance. Christ can do much more than enable you to maintain sobriety. He is sufficient to meet all of our needs in a way beyond what we could ever imagine. Please, do not be fooled into believing that anything in this world can offer you a solution for any sin that holds you in bondage. The only way to be reconciled to God, the only way to be freed from the bondage and pain of sin is through faith in Jesus Christ. The only joy there is - is in Jesus Christ. You only must believe in Him and follow Him. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. - John 8:36 Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 22:37 that, "You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." If we love the Lord that much then anything that insults Him or is contrary to His word and commands should repulse us. 1. Bill Wilson personally insulted Jesus Christ by claiming that he was "completing the works that Christ didn't finish" and he claimed himself to be "a reincarnation of Christ." (From a letter written in 1952 by Bill Wilson's Secretary, Henrietta Seiberling). 2. On page 58 of the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions a direct insult to and denial of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins is made. The claim is made that, "Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too." That directly contradicts Jesus Himself when He said in Matthew 26:28, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” 3. At most AA or other Twelve Step meetings the Lord's prayer is recited aloud by the entire group. This is an insult to Jesus Christ because His holy prayer is recited by those in the room that deny Him and participate in a false religion (AA) that denies His divinity. It is also in direct defiance of the command to Jesus' followers to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 states, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?" 4. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Yet Bill Wilson (co-founder of AA) and the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Step program insult Jesus Christ by rejecting the truth that Jesus taught in John 14:6 and instead claiming on page 98 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions that, "Now and then we may be granted a glimpse of that ultimate reality which is God's kingdom. And we will be comforted and assured that our own destiny in that realm will be secure for so long as we try, however falteringly, to find and do the will of our own Creator." 5. Once again Jesus is insulted by the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions when the doctrine of salvation by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone is completely denied on page 34 of that book which states, "Like all the remaining Steps, Step Three calls for affirmative action, for it is only by action that we can cut away the self-will which has always blocked the entry of God - or, if you like, a Higher Power - into our lives. Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives. Therefore our problem now becomes just how and by what specific means shall we be able to let Him in? Step Three represents our first attempt to do this." This directly contradicts the teaching of the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23-25, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." This is only a small sampling of hundreds if not thousands of the Christ denying insults and apostasy that permeate the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Step program and it's accompanying literature. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 In the many faceted and beautiful narrative of Jesus and the woman of Samaria we focus here on how the Holy Spirit works in bringing a person to Christ through the power of the gospel. Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) - John 4:1-9 We read in the gospels of Jesus preaching to multitudes, but in this story the Savior takes time to speak to one woman - a sinner, a Samaritan who Jews would normally not associate with. She was a lost sheep and through the working of divine providence the Lord brought her to the well in the middle of the day rather than the normal time of early morning. She may very well have come in the middle of the day in order to avoid the other women who may have looked down on her because of her multiple marriages and infidelities. We never know how or why or by what methods God’s plans will be carried out and we see here how providence brought her through her circumstances and condition to meet Christ face to face. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." - John 4:10-15 “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” What a profound and wonderful statement Jesus makes here, but the woman does not yet know the gift of God or who it is that is speaking to her - she hears the words of Christ with ears that are spiritually dead and not yet opened to divine truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. So she responds as a natural worldly person does to the Word of God. The lost sinner cannot see beyond the literal, the veil, the words on the page of scripture until the Holy Spirit opens the heart to the divine Word on the page. Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." - John 4:16-26 When the woman asks for the living water that Jesus told her of the Lord responds in a way that opens her eyes to the sin that keeps her from seeing and knowing the truth of the living water that can only be had through and in Jesus Christ. Jesus brings her sin out into the open by asking her to go and call her husband, and then He opens her eyes more to the truth of who He is by making clear the fact that he already knows of her sin - He is moving toward the cross that will atone for it. Let’s step out of the story for a minute and try to imagine what this woman may have been like today. Was she insecure? Was she constantly seeking comfort from different men? Was she stable and secure emotionally? Maybe she was past her prime and had been through so many failed marriages that she now just shacks up with the latest guy. Maybe she has developed a drug or alcohol problem in an attempt to cope. Maybe she is one of those people with the barely suppressible anxious panic because it seems it’s all slipped too far to ever be redeemed. Or that person with the overly enthusiastic personality and constant joking who can’t hide the glint of terror in their eyes. Or someone who has become numb and is just living out days without meaning, direction, or purpose. Of course this is all just speculation in order to make a point and bring the story to light in a modern context. But one thing is for sure - she was a sinner as we all are. Everyone has been battered and stained by sin and it’s evil fruit. The stain is just different colors on different people. “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet…” The Lord has begun to open her eyes to divine truth as He must do for all of us. The supernatural divine glory of Christ and His truth begins to shine into the darkness of her sinful reality. Without the working of the spirit opening our eyes to the truth of who Jesus is we will never come to Him. And then the Lord shares with her the greatest truth there is, “I who speak to you am he.” He is the long awaited for Messiah. Here we see the transition from a spring of living water - the grace of the gospel, to the terrible bondage that keeps the woman and all others from it - the bondage of sin, to salvation in Jesus Christ. This is a model that Jesus is giving us of how the gospel works in the human heart. Jesus shares with her an image of the boundless grace and glory that is in Him, then He brings to light the sin that keeps her from redemption and eternal life springing up as living water, and then He shows her the way out of sin and into eternal glory which is Him. It is a grave and destructive error to detour around the gospel and try to come to the message of salvation through a method or program of man’s own creation. To cast aside the reality of sin may be to cast aside the reality of salvation in Jesus Christ. Have faith in the gospel and proclaim it as Jesus did and as He commands us in His Word to do. Never back down from the truth. Stay on the narrow path in our life, our ministry, and our witness. Jesus brought her sin to light in a gentle and loving way - as we all must do because we all are sinners. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb - Revelation 22:1
The Alcoholics Anonymous disease concept leads the un-discerning away from much needed repentance of sin at the cross and into a life long maintenance program of trying to maintain a disease that does not exist. 2 Corinthians 7:10 addresses this worldly error directly: "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." Alcoholics Anonymous is one of Satan's most brilliant deceptions that at best traps those without knowledge for salvation into accepting a false salvation message and conceptual Christ that is in contradiction to the Christ of John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." In years of ministry I have never ONCE seen a disciple of Alcoholics Anonymous - claiming to be Christian provide a contextually accurate Bibical defense of AA. Christianity and Alcoholics Anonymous are simply not compatible when viewed through the lens of scripture. From a Christian perspective, opinions about AA are futile if they are not substantiated by scripture. Yet the only thing disciples of Alcoholics Anonymous ever seem to offer are personal opinions with a complete disregard for God's Word. If Jesus is a person's Savior and Lord than anything that contradicts His Word should be repulsive to that person. Yet so many who profess to be Christians defend the blatant heresy of AA to the point of absurdity without seemingly any concern for bringing glory to the Lord and lifting up His name and forsaking all that opposes Him. That is taking the Lord's name in vain. For more on this topic visit the Articles page on this site.
By Chad Prigmore Jesus tells His followers in Matthew 22:37 that, "You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." If we love the Lord that much then anything that insults Him or is contrary to His word and commands should repulse us. 1. Bill Wilson personally insulted Jesus Christ by claiming that he was "completing the works that Christ didn't finish" and he claimed himself to be "a reincarnation of Christ." (From a letter written in 1952 by Bill Wilson's Secretary, Henrietta Seiberling). 2. On page 58 of "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" a direct insult to and denial of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins is made. The claim is made that, "Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too."
3. At most AA or other 12 step meetings the Lord's prayer is recited aloud by the entire group. This is an insult to Jesus Christ because His holy prayer is recited by those in the room that deny Him and participate in a false religion (AA) that denies His divinity. It is also in direct defiance of the command to Jesus' followers to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
4. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
5. Once again Jesus is insulted by the book "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" when the doctrine of salvation by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone is completely denied on page 34 of that book which states, "Like all the remaining Steps, Step Three calls for affirmative action, for it is only by action that we can cut away the self-will which has always blocked the entry of God - or, if you like, a Higher Power - into our lives. Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives. Therefore our problem now becomes just how and by what specific means shall we be able to let Him in? Step Three represents our first attempt to do this."
This is only a small sampling of hundreds if not thousands of the Christ denying insults and apostasy that permeate the AA 12 step program and it's accompanying literature. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 By Justin James The question of whether or not a "recovery program" is needed gets asked a lot. People tend to think that we NEED a plan in order to achieve recovery. The fact is, we don't need a plan.... a plan will do nothing but give you another routine to follow, and hopefully keep you sober a little longer. What we need is faith. Isaiah 12:2 - “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” John 5:5 - Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Matthew 14:31 - Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Romans 10:9 - Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Psalm 116:1 - I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Matthew 21:21-22 - And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Luke 1:37 - For nothing will be impossible with God.” Mark 11:22 - And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Romans 8:31 - What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? All of these verses address something that I struggled with so much during my addiction. I just could not rely on the fact that I didn't have to do anything other than have faith in God, and desire grow in Him. It can be done without a program. It can be done without having to constantly worry about using again. It can be done without having to worry about who your hanging out with, or what bars are around. It can be done in peace, and it only gets better. These are just a few of the many verses that assure us that if we have faith in God and we rely on His word, He will give us a new life with Him.
by Debbie Dewart, M.A. AA ~ The Broad Road of AA "To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive, or forbidding...." Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46. Bible ~ The Narrow Road of Christ "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt 7:13-14). AA ~ Contempt for Sound Doctrine "Any number of alcoholics are bedeviled by the dire conviction that if they ever go near AA, they will be pressured to conform to some brand of faith or theology." As Bill Sees It, p. 201. Bible ~ Sound Doctrine "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…" (2 Tim 4:3-4). AA ~ "God-as-you-understand-Him": Any Name "We suggest that you find a substitute for this destructive power, alcohol, and turn to a Higher Power, regardless of the name by which you may identify that power. We suggest that you turn your will and your life over to God, as you understand Him." The Clergy Ask About Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 9. Bible ~ Jesus Christ: No Other Name "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). AA ~ Powerlessness "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable" (Step 1). Bible ~ Power in Christ No believer can claim to be powerless: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philip 4:13). AA ~ Spiritual Awakening "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps…" (Step 12). Bible ~ Spiritually Dead in Sin Man is spiritually dead, not asleep. He needs resurrection, not awakening. "Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ" (Eph 2:5). AA ~ The "Big Book": AA’s "Bible" Portions of the "Big Book," Alcoholics Anonymous, are read "religiously" at every AA meeting, much like Scripture readings at Christian worship services. Bible ~ Sufficient for Life & Godliness "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3). AA ~ Leadership: "Trusted Servants" "Our leaders are but trusted servants. They do not govern" (Tradition 2). Bible ~ Leadership: Elders AA’s leaders and individual sponsors usurp the role God has ordained for church elders to shepherd and "feed the flock of God which is among you" (1 Peter 5:2). AA ~ The "Moral Inventory" Step 4 requires a "searching and fearless moral inventory," essentially a detailed catalogue of past sins to be "confessed" to some other person to whom such confession is not biblically due. Bible ~ No Condemnation As Christians, our sins are fully covered by the blood of Christ. We confess our sins, as appropriate, to God and to those actually sinned against. New believers are nowhere in Scripture required to make a detailed list of all past sins. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). AA ~ "Birthdays" AA members celebrate annual "birthdays" based on the date of their last drink. They practice a "secular regeneration." Bible ~ Regeneration by the Holy Spirit Christians celebrate their new birth in Christ. AA ~ The Goal: Sobriety The goal of AA is abstinence from alcoholic beverages (sobriety). Other sins, such as sexual immorality, are commonly tolerated so long as the AA member isn’t drinking. Bible ~ The Goal: Sanctification "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom 8:29). AA ~ Fellowship/Unity: A Common Sin AA’s fellowship is built around the common sin of drunkenness. "Personal recovery depends upon AA unity" (Tradition 1). Bible ~ Fellowship/Unity: A Common Salvation "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph 4:4-6). AA ~ Carrying "the Message" "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs" (Step 12). Bible ~ Christian Evangelism Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt 28:19-20). AA ~ Incurable Disease AA’s literature is permeated with the dogma, taught faithfully to newcomers, that "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic." There is no "cure" offered, only continual abstinence from all alcoholic beverages. Forgiven Sin "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6:9-11). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor's note: Twelve-Step programs continue to grow in popularity both outside and inside the church. Many pastors and Christian leaders have bought into the idea that these originated from a Christian foundation. That shows how broad the term Christian has become-so broad as to include any deity "as you understand" him, her, or it and so wide as to include the occult, as well as the mentality of psychotherapeutic theories. In other words, most twelve-step programs are mixtures, rather than the pure doctrine and practice of Scripture. Our book 12 Steps to Destruction: Codependency Recovery Heresies contains valuable information regarding the unbiblical nature of the original Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and of the many programs built on these foundations. Debbie Dewart has given us permission to include her 13-page paper titled "A Response to the 12 Steps in a Christian Setting" with each order placed for 12 Steps to Destruction. (PAL V8N2 * March-April 2000) PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries, 4137 Primavera Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110 www.psychoheresy-aware.org |
Chad Prigmore is Pastor and President of The Way R122 Ministry USA & Kenya.
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