In honor of my friend Terry who went home to be with the Lord.

Death, are you ready for it?

When someone dies we should reflect on the reality of death. What happens when we leave this physical existence?

"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

By Chad Prigmore

The Book Alcoholics Anonymous or the "Big Book" as it's called by members of AA is the bible of Alcoholics Anonymous which introduces its recommended program of recovery and the Twelve Steps.[1]

The following are excerpts from the book Alcoholics Anonymous compared to Christian doctrine in the scriptures.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 12: "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"

It's not up to us to create our own conception of God. God tells us in His word who He is.

• Isaiah 9:6-7, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
• Isaiah 42:8, I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other...  

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 13: "There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch. I have not had a drink since."

There is no forgiveness of sin outside of faith in Jesus Christ.

• 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. 

Alcoholics Anonymous Pages 13&14: "My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements."

Alcoholics Anonymous teaches that by following its program anyone can come into a relationship with God, this is a false teaching in direct contradiction to the truth of salvation only through Jesus Christ.

• John 14:6, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
• Act 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 46: "We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men."

The above statement is heresy. There is no way to reconcile this statement with what Jesus teaches in John 14:6 and Matthew 7:13. This one statement alone should compel any true believer and follower of Christ to reject Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps.

• John 14:6, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
• Matthew 7:13, Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Alcoholics Anonymous Page 58: "Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves." (This is part of a portion of Chapter 5 which is read at every AA meeting).

How is it possible to obey the command of the Lord in Mark 12:30 and then completely give oneself to a program of recovery?

• Mark 12:30,  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Endnotes:

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition (New York: A.A. World Services, 2001)

Thank you Recovery Reformation for all the work you do to bring the Truth of God's Word to people who are lost in the darkness of the recovery movement/industry. I attended over 300 aa meetings myself over the years and never once found any true or lasting peace in "the rooms". The twelve steps - the entire program! - construct a perpetual circle of guilt and shame. It is a system with no conclusion, you are always "in recovery", no matter how much "clean time" you have. It is a complete satanic distortion of reality. But PRAISE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, today I am free. Through God's Divine Design, I was saved from aa. I have lived the reality of Jeremiah 29:11-14. This Friday, January 5, 2017 will be 4 YEARS since the Good Lord set me free from the bondage of alcoholism after 31 years of pure hell. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY!! My only ambition in my new life of freedom is to help bring the truth of God's Word to as many people as I can. God has allowed me to pursue a university degree (at age 51), and I am currently putting my own story/testimonial in writing with the goal of publishing it to the widest possible audience. God has brought me from park benches and homeless shelters to a life of peace, strength, and joy. A true miracle. I will spend the rest of my days spreading The Word to the many, many desperate souls who can be saved by no other power than that found in Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible! Amen!

Bryan
Toronto, Canada

​My name is Kevin I am in the Charlotte NC area recently left AA after the Matt Slick talk show was speaking of how its a cult and directed me to your website.  How I didn't see this before is amazing.  I am looking for other people maybe in my area....lost my support group one thing about AA that is...well convenient...first I sold my soul to drink and drug then I sold it for sobriety.  Everything you have said makes perfect sense...I have abused alcohol...drugs mostly cocaine...gambling porn and food...5 habitual sins that kept me in bondage...after I stopped drinking could not get away from porn and gained weight thanks to the sugar feast available at my home group.  I Just left a relationship that I started in the program...Got saved through Faith in Jesus Christ April thanks to my roommate.  I started praying to Jesus but had this feeling that something was not right...looking around at the hate of that "higher power" in the groups. My Sponsor must have been sent by God..an unsaved angry man who died 5 months ago literally due to anger...was very argumentative when he saw what he considered not AA behavior...had a blowout...got kicked out of his home group...the last meeting I saw him at he called the group a bunch of hypocrites because we were supposed to be non religious but recite the Our Father prayer...then stormed out of the room started arguing in the parking lot the next day he died...the reason I say he was sent by God was because he told me this was not a Christian program...told me I was in a cult....we would make jokes...and really did not like Bill Wilson at all as he called him an egomaniac....a womanizing hypocrite...and "The most famous anonymous person of all time".   Also told me to research the history of it...that is where it really gets scary...also the similarity with Aleister Crowley and the AA coin and his group named AA also...powerlessness and all that nonsense.  Then the fact that the Oxford Group and Frank Buchman and that cult being the basis for the cult of AA.  Occult, masonic like practices of seances, conjuring the dead and Ouija boards and his "burning bush" moment in the hospital 1934 where he "saw god"  who appears on command for old Bill while going through DTs under the Belladonna treatment full of a cocktail of various drugs and barbiturates...and high levels of mercury.  Also love how people who suffer from "terminal uniqueness' have to get with the program, we are all garden variety drunks....that statement REEKS of hypocrisy in that we all all sinners...and need Jesus...but don't think you are Unique in AA newcomer...hello you are in a satanic cult that has a whole program for one sin...so you can separate yourself because other people don't understand...and a 12 step program for every sin known to man...so if I get a coin for time abstaining from alcohol....then shouldn't I get coins for lengths of time I didn't commit other sins...please give my lifetime coin for not murdering please...I need my 3 month coin for not fornicating...and on and on.  To say it is a disease is a complete insult to someone who has a real disease like cancer.  If God sets you free you are free indeed, He does not wish that you identify yourself by or obsess over past behaviors you may have long since changed, those sins were paid for a long time ago.  Well looking forward to hearing from you soon...thanks and my God continue to bless your ministry...the real GOD that is...not a doorknob

By Chad Prigmore

​Are you a Christian in a Twelve Step program like Alcoholics Anonymous or it's spin off Celebrate Recovery, or a Pastor or Christian leader that believes the Twelve Steps are Christian in origin? Then please consider the following.

​From the Westminster Seminary:

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.

• Psalm 8:6, You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
• John 1:3, All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
• Ephesians 1:10, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
• Colossians 1:16, For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.
• Colossians 1:17, And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
• Hebrews 1:2, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
• Hebrews 2:10, For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
• Revelation 4:11, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

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.

• Philippians 2:10-11, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
• Luke 19:38-40, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

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.

• John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

So, if you are a Christian who believes that the Twelve 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?

• 2 Corinthians 12:9 states, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

​If God's grace is sufficient, then why would we ever need something outside of and contrary to God's word to overcome anything?​

This is the truth of the Twelve 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 Exposing Recovery page on this site that explains the facts pertaining to the origins of the Twelve 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 Twelve 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.

• James 1:13, Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

As the temptation is lifted the Twelve 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. The book Alcoholics Anonymous says on page 46, "We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men."

• John 14:6, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
  
• Matthew 7:13, Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

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

R. Scott Clark, D.Phil*
Associate Professor of Church History and Academic Dean
Westminster Theological Seminary in California

Introduction
The Twelve-step movement and the language of co-dependency has become an accepted part of evangelical church life. It has not always been so nor is the status quo necessarily right and good for the church. This essay is a plea for reconsideration of this trend in the light of Biblical teaching and Christian doctrine.

The Program
Alcoholics Anonymous was born in the midst of the religious turmoil in the 1930's, in the midst of a great ecumenical fervor, growing anticipation of a war in Europe, and a fight between Fundamentalists and Modernists for the religious and theological soul of the nation's Christians.1
In 1935 in Akron, Ohio, a "sudden spiritual experience" relieved one stockbroker of his obsession with alcohol.

Following a meeting with an alcoholic friend who had been in contact with the Oxford Groups of that day....Though he could not accept all the tenets of the Oxford Groups, he was convinced of the need for moral inventory, confession of personality defects, restitution to those harmed helpfulness to others, and the necessity of belief in and dependence upon God.2That broker and his physician friend armed with a description of "alcoholism and its hopelessness" created their own synthetic spiritual remedy for their malady. What followed was an explosion in popularity any church growth program would envy. By 1939 membership had reached 800, with the support of Harry Emerson Fosdick, and the Episcopalian magazine Liberty. In 1940 John D. Rockefeller declared his support for AA By 1941 AA had 2000 members and the support of Jack Alexander in the Saturday Evening Post "The mushrooming process was in full swing. AA had become a national institution."3

In this same time period the group began to formulate its creeds and confessions known as the Twelve Steps and Traditions.4 In 1939 they produced their authoritative book: Alcoholics Anonymous called by the group the Big Book.5

Some forty years after its seminal meetings the group has blossomed to 50,000 groups world wide in 110 countries and membership is conservatively estimated at well over 1,000,000. Its strength lies not only in numbers but in the attractiveness of its program, i.e., its anonymity, and its eclecticism. There are very few alcoholism treatment centers not wholly controlled intellectually by the theology and methodology of AA.

It will be useful to know a little bit more about the Oxford Groups from which AA has borrowed its methods. The Oxford Groups were founded by a Lutheran minister, Frank Buchman, in the early twenties. They gained their nickname from informal house parties around Oxford University. They called themselves the "First Century Christian Fellowship." Their emphasis was upon mystical guidance, akin to the Pentecostal Word of Knowledge, if not as dramatic, surely as subjectivist.6

Focus was not upon the Bible as the revealed Word of God, but upon personal experience. The movement later became known as "Moral Rearmament" when Buchman declared that the nation could not save itself (1938) with guns but with guidance from God.7

Much of his evangelism in the USA was centered around Park Avenue and had its headquarters in a local New York City Episcopal parish. There is also an intellectual connection with modern positive thinking movements such as that led by Norman Vincent Peale and later Robert Schuller. There were four absolutes upon which he insisted:
1.Perfect Honesty
2.Purity
3.Unselfishness
4.Love
"Five C's" for which the group is known are:
1.Confidence
2.Confession
3.Conviction
4.Conversion
5.Continuance.8
It was a relatively simple matter to adapt the nine points listed above to the self-help methodology of AA.9 It has also been a regular practice of AA to borrow liberally from the Bible and the Christian tradition while denying their substance and meaning.10

One cannot doubt that AA considers itself a religion. The very words of the founder, Bill W., are quite clear in this respect.

I had always believed in a Power greater than myself. I had often pondered these things, I was not an atheist...I had little doubt that a mighty power and rhythm underlay all. How could there be so much of precise and immutable law, and no intelligence? I simply had to believe in a Spirit of the Universe, who knew neither time nor limitation....With ministers and the world's Religions I parted right there....To Christ I conceded the certainty of a great man, not too closely followed by those who claimed Him...My friend suggested what seemed a novel idea. He said, Why don't you choose your own conception of God? That statement hit me hard...I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make a beginning ...There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. (italics original).11The Big Book is a combination of the Bible and Augustine's Confessions for Alcoholics Anonymous. Just as the Christian turns to the heart warming story of Augustine's conversion after that great intellectual struggle with the foolishness of the Gospel, so this collection of stories stands as an even more authoritative account of the spiritual journey of the Founding Fathers and authors of the Big Book.12 The Big Book is, authoritative for AA because it was written by alcoholics for alcoholics and most of all because, in their words, "it works."13

The Disease?
How should Christians understand the behavior of the alcoholic? Is alcoholism the result of an allergy (their early explanation) or a disease (their more recent explanation) which makes the drinker not responsible for his abuse, or is it sin? Alcoholics Anonymous interprets Bill's problem as a disease. Modern medicine has never been able to find any solid evidence of a viral or bio-chemical cause for alcoholism.14

Whatever the cause, they assert that only certain people who can treat the alcoholic's problem: other alcoholics. In AA this is accepted dogma. The first thing an AA member learns is that his problem is unique, that he has a disease, and that no one else understands him but other alcoholics. These are the cornerstones of the first tradition and the first step.15

Biblical Data
What does the Lord say? Drunkenness as we all well know is condemned universally in the Bible. Not drinking. We think immediately of the injunction: Be not drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5.18) In fact there are at least thirty separate passages dealing with drunkenness and drinking in some way. Scripture is very realistic in its portrayal of drunkenness. It describes what behaviors accompany it, what it leads to, what a drunkard is like and how he will be punished.

Proverbs 23.29-35 warns vividly of the folly of drunkenness. Earlier in the chapter we are warned of the consequences of excess. These are not ivory tower descriptions. The writer speaks of the attraction of the wine, how it sparkles, and the morning after red eyes, bed spins, hang over and the repetition of such behavior. The prophet Isaiah describes the filth of vomit such that there is no clean place, and drunkenness such that no one wishes to do the work of the Lord (Isaiah 5.11; 24.2; 28.1-7). One of the marks of a rebellious son is drunkenness (Deuteronomy 21.20). Israel's sin is described in terms of drunkenness (Ezekiel 23.42; Joel 1.5).

Paul, in warning the Thessalonians to watch for the advent of Christ, reminds them graphically of the nocturnal life of the alcohol abuser(1 Thess.5.7).16 He warns the Corinthians that they ought to neither associate with drunkards nor should they expect drunkards to inherit the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 5.11;6.10)

These are not isolated patterns. This is the Bible's description of "addiction" to alcohol. There is a clear acceptance of the fact that if abused, alcohol can have devastating spiritual, social, and physical effects. The biblical writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were fully aware of the behavior which is now called alcoholism. Yet it is never once treated remotely like a disease. It is always classed with other sins: fornication, adultery, over-eating, homosexuality, murder, stealing etc. By implication, alcoholism does not appear to be considered a disease any more than the other sins mentioned along side it.

There are no Biblical grounds for distinguishing between alcoholism and what God's Word calls drunkenness and addiction to alcohol. It is true that we don't usually consider the high school senior who gets drunk for the first time on prom night an alcoholic. The Bible however doesn't distinguish between the professional drunk and the amateur. Is a sin any less a sin if it is committed once instead of a hundred times?

A given sin does take on a different character once it becomes habitual. The effects of one type of sin may be more devastating than the other. Still, there is no Biblical warrant for calling any transgression of the Word of God a disease simply because it becomes habitual and life dominating. As we will see, nearly any sin can take on that character. At the suggestion of John Murray and Jay Adams, we will take Ephesians 5.15-20 as our guide for the Biblical solution to the problem of excessive drinking.

Be very careful then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (NIV).Paul's words are the revealed will of God, our rule and the rule for the alcohol abuser as well. Paul says to put off one behavior/lifestyle to put on another. It is not implied that it is a short or simple process, but only that, by the grace and Spirit of Christ, it must and can be done.

This is the consistent message of the New Testament. Colossians 3.10 says the same thing, put off the old and put on the new. There is a new creation, in Christ. There is growth in grace by the power of the Holy Spirit. All of Paul's commands assume the life giving work of the Spirit described in Ephesians chapter one. These are evidences of the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

Personal Responsibility and Religious Authority
AA's second tradition explains their view of religious authority. For AA, God's will is discovered either privately, or through the collective conscience of the local meeting. In this, AA substitutes its own rules for God's Word. AA's fourth step speaks of a "fearless moral inventory". Without God's Word, how can one make such an inventory? By the experience of others? By one's pre-alcoholic experience? There is no way to determine certainly what man is, or what life is, once one forfeits the biblical doctrine of man. The absence of an absolute standard against which to judge behavior results in moral and spiritual confusion.

The Doctrine of God
The reader will note an abundant use of the word "God" in the Twelve Steps and Traditions. A God concept is crucial to their system, as a regulative notion, or a useful idea. He is, however, quite unlike the God of the Bible, not a God who speaks. So when the second step says, "came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves..." AA does not mean the self-existent, Triune God of the Bible.

It is inescapably true that the very language of the second step, "a power greater than..." refers to an impersonal force. The anonymous god of AA is also mute. The god of AA cannot speak to humans because their god is an "it". In the nature of things, however, one can not have personal relations with an impersonal entity. Therefore to camouflage their implicit agnosticism, AA speaks of the god of AA as a "Him".

To any Christian who has ever said, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth", AA's agnosticism should be most obvious and disturbing.17 The Christian God is Triune. That is, he is one God in three persons, therefore he is the beginning of personality. Because he is personal, he speaks to us, he knows us and can be known by us. The God of the Bible is "...a Spirit, (John 4:24) infinite, (Job 11:7-9) eternal, (Ps. 90:2) and unchangeable, (James 1:17) in his being, (Exod. 3:14)wisdom, (Ps. 147:5) power, (Rev. 4:8) holiness, (Rev. 15:4) justice, goodness, and truth. (Exod. 34:6-7)"18

AA tells the Alcoholic to worship God "as we conceive of Him". This is the very thing the Bible does not want us to do. God's Word says, "I am the LORD your God...You shall have no other gods before me" (Deut. 5.6-7).19 What AA calls god, the Bible calls an idol. We are precisely called not to make up our own gods, but to turn away from them to the true and living God who made and redeems us.

The Doctrine of Man
Because God is personal, and we have been made in his image, we are persons. Hence one of the reasons AA is so harmful is that it ignores the Bible's teaching that man is created in the image of God. Ephesians 4.24 says that we were created in the image of God in knowledge, righteousness and holiness of truth.
The Christian faith is that he was crucified to restore us as the image of God, which image will be consummated at the last day. Man as the image of God is essential to Christianity, but not to AA. If, with AA, we deny this doctrine, Christ died for nothing. For Christians such an idea is blasphemous (Gal 2.21).

AA says that alcoholism is not sinful pattern of behavior, but a loss of sanity. There are grave consequences to describing sin as sickness. P. E. Hughes said, Sickness is not penalized: it is treated. ...Being sick and the victims of forces beyond their control, they must be sent off for "treatment." ...There is ample evidence of the way in which this therapeutic benevolence may be tyrannically extended beyond corrupt and violent persons to those who are politically or religiously out of line in the eyes of officialdom and who are consequently placed behind prison walls or in the wards of "mental" hospitals ostensibly for the purpose of being "treated" and "cured".20

The spiritual consequences of describing sin as sickness are even worse. To refuse to describe alcohol abuse as sin is to implicitly deny humanity to the sinner by robbing him of moral responsibility before God. We hold sinner accountable for their actions to because the responsible moral agents with a mind, and a will. To categorize sinners as victims is to rob them of their moral agency and hence their personality.
To refuse to describe alcohol abuse as sin is also to deny hope for the patient. A disease may be hopeless, but there is a Savior for sinners.
For these reasons God's Word pushes us away from thinking of any sin in terms of personal irresponsibility to personal responsibility. How can we ask of the person struggling with the sin of alcohol abuse any less than that which God demands of him?
To deny that one drink led to another, and for whatever sinful motivation, the sin became habitual and life dominating, leading to other sins and disastrous consequences of all sorts, is not to deny the greatness of the sin, but rather it is to put that sin in its biblical perspective. If we neglect to put the problem of alcohol abuse in its proper terms, sin and redemption, then we deny needy sinners the help they so need and can find only in Christ.

Christ and Redemption
Christianity is centered in the incarnation (taking on our humanity), obedient life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the second person of the Trinity.21 Because Christianity is so Christ-centered, it is necessarily exclusivist and intolerant of other religions. Jesus taught us to think this way when he said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me" (John 14.6).22

AA, in contrast, is simultaneously universalist (embracing all world religions) and exclusivist (rejecting all other world religions except their own). On the one hand they speak as if there is no one true faith. On the other hand, they also say that they alone have the true way of deliverance from addiction to alcohol. This makes them effectively the one true religion.23 Either claim (universalism or AA's exclusivism) is patently incompatible with Christianity.

AA also never describes the human condition in terms of sin and therefore never speaks of redemption in Christian terms. In contrast, the Christian religion begins with Adam and our fall in him. It finds salvation for sinners in Christ and his righteousness for us, received by faith (trusting Christ) alone.
If there was no first Adam, whose fall and sin is imputed to us, there is no need for a second Adam, Christ, whose obedience and righteousness is imputed to us. AA's apparent rejection of the heart of Christianity is the most serious (and most disheartening) consequence of their teaching.

Christians and AA
Many Christians, including Evangelical and even Reformed Christians, have said that the disease model is sufficient to explain the success of AA and its offspring. Several writers have even tried to justify the synthesis of the pragmatism of AA with various Christian forms. One notable attempt was the late G. A. Taylor's A Sober Faith (1953). Taylor is remembered in Reformed and Presbyterian circles as the editor of the Presbyterian Journal.

In the preface, Russell Dicks called Taylor a friend of both the Church and AA.24 This is only half true. Taylor wished to be a friend to both, but such is impossible. One cannot have two masters. He must love the one and hate the other.25 Taylor fails to make necessary and biblical distinctions between AA and Christianity. Christianity is God's covenant relation to and redemption of his people from their sins, but AA is not.
Taylor says,

In its own unique way it [AA] goes about leading men and women to God who never before gave Him much thought. I hope the more conservative of my brethren who may feel inclined to question AA's theology at this point will withhold their judgment for the moment. AA's success constitutes a powerful recommendation for its methods.26.With all due respect, Christians cannot withhold theological or moral judgment upon a vaguely utilitarian basis. Other sects, e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses, also claim to lead one to god, but it is clearly not the God of the Bible. Isaiah complains about hand made idols, Paul complains about those whose god is their belly. If the god to whom one is brought is not the Lord Jesus Christ then it is vanity. There are no intermediate steps to God.

In fact, AA is not the worship of the true and living God but is specifically applied peer pressure to alter a particular behavior pattern, often by replacing one addiction for another, in the nature of the case, bottle support for group support.27

Taylor's claim that, at some point, every serious member of AA is confronted by necessity with Christianity is simply not true.28 In fact the leading currents of thought are moving away from the more overtly religious emphasis of years past to a more mechanistic and secular faith. The authority of Bill and the other founders of AA is also waning. After all isn't one persons experience just as normative as anyone else's? Agnosticism reigns in AA. "God as we conceive of Him" and the authority of God "as He is expressed in our group conscience", has taken its natural course. If someone became sober without any god, then god isn't strictly necessary. Of a course the god which began as a useful idea gives way to bare agnosticism.

Taylor admitted the parallels between Christianity and AA. Rather than chalking these apparent similarities up to plagiarism, Taylor says that there is just the right amount of religion in AA to make it effective without scaring this diseased person away from Christianity. After all, he says, alcoholics are notorious for their bad feelings about religion. Taylor thinks AA is a good introduction for Alcoholics to Christianity.29

Taylor's biggest error was to deny the biblical teaching regarding human responsibility for sin. By saying as he does, with AA, that alcoholism (or any other excessive behavior for that matter) is a matter of treating a disease then one has removed the problem from the proper sphere of reference (sin and redemption) and conceded that biblical revelation, the work of Christ and the means of grace (preaching of the Word and sacraments) are insufficient for redemption and the Christian life.

God's Word consistently describes our lot differently. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3.23). All hold down the knowledge of God in unbelief (Romans 1.18). All are prone, by nature, to hate God and their neighbor. The Christian view of the matter is that the alcoholic, no matter how tragic his case, has no advantage over the average son of Adam in that respect. The answer does not lie with a synthesis of obvious Christian behaviors and doctrines (or facsimiles thereof) with modern disease models.
The answer lies in real repentance and faith in the living God, the second person of the Trinity, the Jesus who died for sinners and was raised again for our justification and who through the Holy Spirit effectively calls us to faith and who gives us new life and who makes us holy in himself.

What is the real difference between addictive sexual behavior and alcoholism? Once one becomes addicted to the sensations of orgasm he does not want to quit and will order his life around it. The question is not how much, but why, the inappropriate and damaging behavior continues? The "why" of the behavior is the same. All human beings are addicted to sin. Who of us in our old life was not? This is not to deny that alcoholism is not damaging, but to assert that all sin has its own form of fallout. The affects are different in some regard, but the progressive nature of the addiction begins with the will to sin. The effects of sin do not justify calling a sin a disease. In which case habitual drunkenness is no more a disease than habitual use of pornography. Neither sin is excusable no matter what the cause.

A 1982 book by A. C. DeJong, Help and Hope for the Alcoholic, is little improvement over Taylor. DeJong takes the middle road. DeJong's approach is very similar to Taylor's because his belief is that the Bible does not speak about the abuse of alcohol, (or that what it says is outdated), that Alcoholics Anonymous is a useful adjunct to the Church, and most importantly that alcoholism is not sin, but a disease.30

DeJong says that he once thought that alcoholism is sin, but since his own recovery (from alcoholism) he has come to see the error of that position.31 The reason for the change in his position was not exegetical (determined by detailed study of the Word of God) but experiential. DeJong, on the strength of his experience and assumptions, recommends all his alcoholic parishioners to AA and to all its subsidiary organizations.32

Like Taylor, DeJong argues that to call alcoholism a sin is not helpful. DeJong says that if the effects are this devastating, and no rational person would inflict this much damage upon himself and loved ones, not even a sinful one, then the cause must be disease over which the alcoholic had no control. DeJong admits that there is no known cause of the disease and that the origin of the disease is a mystery.33 DeJong still claims that for a non-alcoholic to call alcoholism sin is prideful.34

DeJong wants us to believe that AA is Biblical. He uses Scripture to support each of the Twelve Steps.35 DeJong admits that the alcoholic starts out in sin but he says that, in the end, the alcoholic is really a victim and not a sinner.36

Where Scripture and AA part ways, DeJong consistently follows the AA program. He makes the astonishing claim that alcoholism is not self inflicted. How then, one asks, did this catastrophe take place? He has already admitted that there is no known cause of the disease, nor any substantial medical support for the disease claim, so who or what secret and dark force foisted this disease upon him?37

In each chapter DeJong gives a summary of the meaning of one or more of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Chapter four deals with "unconditional surrender". The third of the Twelve Steps.38 He compares this surrender to the biblical descriptions of contriteness, repentance and brokeness of heart.39
On the surface this seems appropriate, but in fact it is distinctly unchristian. How? Even when the later steps speak of "our wrongs" and "character defects" they are not gauged against the Word of God which is the only standard against which sin can be judged (1 John 3.4; Romans 7.7). In the Bible, to repent of one's sins, to acknowledge the depth of one's sin and misery, entails fleeing to Jesus who lifts our burden and replaces it with His light yoke.

This is not what AA has in mind. One does not, when he admits that he is "powerless" over Alcohol, confess that he has held down the knowledge of the Covenant God in unbelief, sin, and rebellion. Instead what the alcoholic admits by this confession is his lack of moral responsibility for his situation. He confesses that his disease has gripped him to the point that it has begun to control him above all his other defects. Moreover he confesses these slips to a god of his own imagination--to himself ultimately! These are two fundamentally different confessions of faith.

DeJong makes another breathtaking claim, in contrast to Taylor, that AA is not a religious fellowship because it does not require subscription to a specific set of doctrines for membership. He also contradicts reality. The Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions are in fact a catechism and confession. AA is a confessional religion. There is not any non-religious or neutral confession of a god. Either one confesses the God of the Bible or he is an unbeliever.40

This helps us get to the heart of DeJong's problem. At every point he allows the alcoholic to remain in charge. The Bible simply forbids such an approach. DeJong has simply ignored the Biblical data we surveyed earlier. It is clear towards the end of the book, where he quotes the AA Big Book more and more, that his position is driven by a bible but not the revealed Word of God.

Never does the Word of God allow such self sufficiency. Clearly DeJong has somehow justified to himself the sacrifice of a biblical world-view for that of Alcoholics Anonymous. At every one of the Twelve Steps, important differences can be shown between what the Bible teaches and what each Step or Tradition teaches.

Your Church and the Alcoholic
Phillip Yancey calls AA "The Midnight Church". There are ways in which AA is like a local Church. What attracts alcoholics to AA is the fellowship, mutual support and acceptance they find in AA.41 Members are bound together by a common struggle against a common problem.

Like other para-church groups, AA grew up in a vacuum left by the church. In the past Christians have encouraged the growth of AA by looking down at alcoholics as sinners of a special sort. When Christians treat the alcoholic as though his sin was worse than ours, we've reinforced the idea that only alcoholics understand other alcoholics and that the church is irrelevant to the alcoholic.

It is not as if there is no alcohol abuse in the church. The truth is that there is more alcohol abuse and addiction than many recognize. By ignoring it and giggling about drinking problems, we have sometimes pushed the alcoholic into the arms of AA. Just as we have become sensitive to the needs of those facing the crisis of abortion, divorce, or spouse abuse, the church should make an effort to become aware of the specific symptoms of alcohol abuse so that we can spot it and address it in our own congregations. We cannot expect the alcoholic struggling with alcohol addiction and abuse to trust us, if we're not willing to admit that those who confess Christ sometimes fall into the sin of alcohol abuse.

To correct the problem Christians much first realize that it is God's will for sinners of all sorts to find their fellowship, acceptance, mutual support, and strength within the bonds of the local church, the Christ confessing covenant community, composed of confessing believers, redeemed sinners, saved by grace.
No one can confront any life-dominating sin apart from the saving grace of God in Christ. The first step toward freedom from alcohol abuse is to turn away from all sin and to place one's trust in the righteous obedience of Jesus Christ as our substitute and Savior (Acts 2.28-9; 10:43; Romans 1.16-7; 10.17; Gal 2.16).

The location of our life in Christ and the source of our daily help is the grace of God administered in the congregation through the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments.
In Ephesians 5.18-20 Paul gives explicit directions in this regard. Paul is assuming that in Christ we are a new creation with new life patterns and new friends. Paul suggests that part of the new life means being subject to our brothers and sisters in the visible body of Christ instead of alcohol.

Second, we Christians must make a commitment to accepting the alcohol abuser into our midst, as someone no more or less dependent upon God's grace than we. If we as the visible community of the redeemed truly see ourselves as lost sinners saved by grace, then how can we not accept other sinners into our midst? How can we distinguish between one type of pre-Christian behavior and another? We can't and neither should the alcohol (or other substance) abuser.

Notice how Peter classes alcohol abuse in 1 Peter 4.1-4.

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you (NIV).The Apostle Peter frankly recognizes the difficulty of leaving the old life behind and uniting with a new group of friends, the church. Verse four, "They think it strange..." seems to indicate even that some of the believers were being persecuted by their old drinking buddies. The verse also illustrates the need for the alcoholic to replace his old associations with new ones (cf. 1 Corinthians 15.33). The church is God's agency for the helping the alcohol abuser.

Third, we must make a commitment to dealing openly with one another about our sins. Here we need to reclaim territory we have conceded to AA. In an AA meeting there is usually a remarkable degree of openness in the meeting to one another. Pretense is difficult in a room full of people who have been doing exactly what you have been doing and telling the same lies. If someone is having a difficult time of it, he is encouraged to seek help from a qualified fellow member and even from the group as a whole. This seems to fit the situation envisioned by the Lord in Matthew 18.15-19 and by Paul in Colossians 3.16. and by James 5.16.

Fourth, we must become available to serve one another. We are all sinners. Any sin could be life dominating. It is not necessary to be an alcoholic to serve the spiritual needs of the alcoholic.

Part of that ministry requires the mature, sober alcoholic to go on call (much the way a doctor is on call) for a 24 hour period. When on call one's phone might ring day or night with call from a fellow member who is about to "fall off the wagon". Strong bonds of love and mutual encouragement are formed when one spends the night holding another's hand who is shaking and vomiting under withdrawal symptoms. Do we love one another in Christ as much as AA members love each other?

Would it not make a difference in one's life, when tempted to commit some sin for the thousandth time, one knew that there was a Christian friend one might call who would show the love of Jesus by giving encouragement, praying with one, taking one out for coffee and providing some redirection? I think it would.
Fifth, there are a many Christians who attend AA, who live a dual life, because they believe the Church will scorn them because of their past alcohol abuse. This is very sad. It is the Church who has the good news for alcoholics--sin will not have dominion over believers! (Romans 6.14).

Those Christians who are leading this double life must help the Church learn to deal openly with alcohol and drug abuse. Christians with an alcoholic past must trust their brothers and sisters in Christ enough to show them how to minister to the addict.

Conclusion
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?

It may be old fashioned, but we must describe to the alcoholic the depth of his sin and misery, how he can be redeemed from all his sins and misery and how he is to be thankful for such redemption.42 Obviously the presentation of the gospel must be sensitive and thoughtful and will vary from case to case, but the essentials, as we will see, cannot be compromised, even (or perhaps especially) for one as desperate as the alcoholic. We dare not throw too short a rope to a drowning man. Only the gospel rope will do.

Courtesy of 1 Cross 1 Way Ministries

By Chad Prigmore

​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:

​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.

• Psalm 8:6, You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
• John 1:3, All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
• Ephesians 1:10, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
• Colossians 1:16-17, For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
• Hebrews 1:2, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
• Hebrews 2:10, For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
• Revelation 4:11, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

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.

• Philippians 2:10-11, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
• Luke 19:38-40, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

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.

• John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

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?

• 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

If God's grace is sufficient, then why would we ever need something outside of and contrary to God's word to overcome anything?

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.

• James 1:13, Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

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.

• The Big Book of AA Page 46: We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.
• John 14:6, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
• Matthew 7:13, Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

​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

By Anthony Allgood

​Previously in part one of this article, we looked at Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. In this final installment we’ll look at others whose influence will give crucial insight into the substance of AA.​

Lois Wilson:
Lois Wilson, Bill’s wife, played an important part in starting Al-Anon, which was aimed at helping the spouses and family members of alcoholics. Al-Anon uses the same 12-step literature and program as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Mrs. Wilson was a professing Swedenborgian.[1] Swedenborgianism, also known as a The New Church and The New Church of Jerusalem, is cult that was started by Emmanuel Swedenborg in the 1700’s. They are not Christian because they reject the Trinity, they do not believe the Holy Spirit is God, Jesus’ death did not atone for sin, and that salvation comes by practicing what you believe regardless of your religion.[2] 

Dr. Bob Smith:
Dr. Bob Smith, known amongst AA circles simply as Dr. Bob, was co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous with Bill Wilson. Less is known about his beliefs and thoughts on God than that of Wilson, but we do know that he was given a very religious upbringing by his parents at their Congregationalist church.[3] Many Congregationalist churches during the late 19th century were ravaged from all sides by heresy, with many succumbing to Unitarianism, the Social Gospel movement, liberalism, ecumenism, and universalism.[4, 5] Despite the turning of many churches to apostasy, some remained faithful to God’s word. The state of the church his parents attended during his childhood currently remains unknown, but further research may reveal this in the future. In either case, Smith described his upbringing this way:

Clearly, he rejected whatever he learned in his religious upbringing, resolving not to go to church again unless it was advantageous to him somehow. This he did for forty years.

Smith was likely the one who introduced Wilson to the occult practices he was involved in for years.[7] Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers records Smith’s son as saying, “He felt that in far distant centuries, the science of the mind would be so developed as to make possible contact between the living and the dead.”[8] The text goes on to say that mystical experiences were a particular interest that he pursued for some time and recounts tales of séances, vanishing beards, and the like.[9] One early AA member made the claim that at one point things became too intense for Doc’s involvement in the occult, saying that “Doc backed off, too.”[10] This is particularly interesting because there really is no mention of repentance from this sin, merely a “backing off” from the practice out of fear because it was getting too spooky.

Even more concerning for Smith is that he also embraced and promoted Emmet Fox’s heretical work Sermon on the Mount.[11] One early AA member claims that, “The first thing he did was get me Emmet Fox’s ‘The Sermon on the Mount’”.[12] This is problematic for all the same reasons mentioned in part one of this article relating to Bill Wilson. Along with his gravitation toward Fox’s heresy, he also made regular visits to a Catholic retreat in Cleveland for weekend stays.[13] He was also an avid reader and studied all sorts of various philosophies and religions. His son remarks that, “he read about every religion.”[14] Disturbingly, Smith’s study of various religions, including Christianity, did not lead him to truth, for he landed on the heresies of Fox, the Roman Catholic church, and the false religion he co-founded as his preferred avenues for spiritual concentration. There is no indication that his views of Jesus and God were anything but heretical.

Harry Emerson Fosdick:
Harry Emerson Fosdick was a pastor who enjoyed wide popularity during the time Alcoholics Anonymous was formed. His efforts propelled liberal theology and attacked historic fundamental Christianity, leading to the downfall of many churches. He rejected the idea that the Bible is the Word of God, the virgin birth of Jesus, God’s wrath against sin and the necessity of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus, the bodily resurrection of Christ, his physical ascension to heaven, and doubted whether Jesus ever even thought of himself as the Messiah.[15]

When AA began to have early success he apparently reviewed the program with approval.[16] For many, this is seen as evidence of AA’s Christian roots and serves to ease the conscience of any who may suspect that AA isn’t Christian. What many do not realize is that Fosdick was not a Christian, but a false teacher. One only has to ask the question to know its answer: should anyone be encouraged that a false teacher found nothing objectionable in the AA program and thus gave a good review? More information on Fosdick can be found by following the link below.

The False Teachers: Harry Emerson Fosdick

AA Literature:
The founders of AA certainly had some knowledge of the Bible. Unfortunately, that knowledge didn't lead to sound doctrine or to a saving faith in the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. This is most clearly reflected in the ideas expressed in AA literature and the resulting doctrines found that are contradictory to the clear gospel presented in Scripture. Dick B. even makes the open admission that AA is not Christian, but continues to endorse it by attempting to compare AA with the Red Cross, the Armed Forces and even the U.S. Constitution.[17] Of course none of these are actively attempting to teach their own spiritual doctrines or a path to God, so the comparison is meaningless. A truer comparison would be like encouraging a Christian to join a cult like Mormonism or the Jehovah Witnesses. Several articles addressing the false teachings of the AA program can be found on this site and will not be referenced as part of this article.

Conclusion:
Much more could be said of many others who had influences on the early AA movement. Men such as Fulton Oursler, who rejected his Baptist upbringing to become agnostic at age 15 only to later convert to Roman Catholicism.[18] The false teacher Norman Vincent Peale whose influence can be found in terms like “higher power”.[19, 20] Even the humanist philosophies of Carl Jung and William James can be found in the 12-steps.[21] There is a wealth of information to be put forth on these and others which would further expose the ungodly streams that flow into the murky waters of AA philosophy, theology, and practice. At this moment, what has been laid out in this article is sufficient evidence to conclude that the major components of AA were derived from unregenerate minds and anti-biblical worldviews that twist and distort truth in the name of God.

By looking at AA literature and the beliefs and practices of early AA supporters, it should be clear that they were not Christians nor was the work they produced Christian. One might wonder why take such a critical look at the beliefs of these men. Let the reader be reminded of the warnings given by Jesus himself about false teachers who would come in his name (Matthew 24:5). Tragically, there are some such as Dick B. who continue to vigorously defend AA based on what they wish it could have been, but never was, and in doing so severely harm the body of Christ. These would have us believe that the Holy Spirit regenerated the AA co-founders, gave them a supposedly remarkable spiritual insight to help alcoholics, but never brought them to a clear and enduring conviction to worship the true God of the Bible. This is utterly inconceivable. God’s Word simply does not allow for that possibility. 

Thankfully, there is a better way. Instead of relying upon the testimony, teachings, and methods birthed from darkened minds, believers have God’s written word and the Holy Spirit living in them. We would do well to remember the Apostle Paul’s words:

The one true God has revealed himself as a Trinity of persons (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:8, Matthew 28:19, John 1:1-3, Galatians 1:1, Acts 5:3-4). Consequently, there is only one Jesus Christ who is worthy of anyone’s devotion, time, worship and prayer. This Jesus came to earth and took on human flesh, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a wrath bearing substitute for all believers, was physically raised on the third day, and ascended to heaven to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords (Acts 1:9-11, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 2:5-11, Revelation 17:14, 19:16). 

Dear reader, God’s word truly is sufficient and His power truly infinite. He has gone to great lengths to secure salvation for all who would call on his name (Romans 10:9-13). Turn to him, forsake the burden of AA and this world, and follow Christ alone.

Endnotes:

By Anthony Allgood

Was Alcoholics Anonymous started by Christians and based on the Bible? Many people think so, but is it true?

While it is true that there are some ideas found in Alcoholics Anonymous literature that are in agreement with Christianity, that doesn't necessarily mean that AA is fundamentally Christian or that its founders were Christian. There are many cults which share some common themes and truths found in Biblical Christianity but twist and distort essential Christian doctrine. As a result, they may be Christian in name, but not in substance. With this in mind, we must hold the claims of the AA founders and AA literature to the test of Scripture to see if the doctrines and practices of AA are in alignment with Biblical truth. 1 John 4:1 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Since there is a real possibility of deception by false prophets, it is wise to examine the teachings of AA and the beliefs of its founders and early supporters so that we can determine if AA is in fact Christian, or if it has followed the path of the cults. Beginning with Bill Wilson, who was the primary co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, this two-part article will attempt to address this question and offer a response to critics.

Bill Wilson:
While there were many contributors, Bill Wilson was the leading source for the basic text of AA - the book Alcoholics Anonymous. There is no evidence that Bill Wilson came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, most evidence seems to indicate otherwise.

Dick B., AA historian, professed Christian, and author of many books and articles defending AA, sets up his defense that Wilson was a Christian by making much of his church participation in his article titled, Why Bill Wilson Came Firmly to Believe That Alcoholism Could Be Cured by Conversion. In his article, he writes of Wilson attending church services with his grandparents, his enrollment in Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont where he regularly attended daily chapel and the weekly required church service, and his presidency at a local YMCA.[1] Yet none of these things, in and of themselves, make someone a Christian. That's not to say that these aren't things a Christian would do, but it's not conclusive evidence of Bill's own personal convictions and beliefs. Much of this experience had little, if any, positive effect on his beliefs.

In the Alcoholics Anonymous chapter titled “Bill’s Story”, Wilson's own reflection of his childhood sheds tremendous light on the state of his belief after all his religious exposure. While Dick B. gives the impression of a positive spiritual influence from Wilson’s grandfather, Wilson’s recollection seems to indicate otherwise. He recounts his grandfather’s "good natured contempt" for those in church and his continued denial of the preachers right to tell him he must listen (presumably to the gospel). After telling of his grandfather, Wilson goes on to say that he himself had always believed in a "Power greater than myself", but that he would become irritated and his mind would "snap shut" at the thought of a personal and loving God.[2] He then makes a statement which is particularly revealing about the state of his unbelief up to that point, "To Christ I conceded the certainty of a great man, not too closely followed by those who claimed Him. His moral teaching-most excellent. For myself, I had adopted those parts which seemed convenient and not too difficult; the rest I disregarded."[3] Essentially all of the religious exposure he had up to this point amounted to an amorphous belief in something greater than himself and a failure to acknowledge Jesus as the incarnate Son of God. Instead he opted for a view of Jesus as a mere human who was a good moral teacher. To further prove his rejection of God and Christ as revealed in Scripture, consider his thoughts relating to a statement by his friend just a few short paragraphs later:

In other words, instead of repenting of his refusal to receive God as he revealed Himself in Scripture, he chose to make up his own conception that he could handle. This is extremely important to keep in mind when examining Wilson’s statements that seem to be speaking of Jesus and the Lord as if they are the same as found in true Christianity. Any mention of God or Jesus is ultimately one of his own making.

Later in his article, Dick B. quotes Wilson's experience at Calvary Rescue Mission:​

​On the surface, this might appear to some as a true conversion. However, Wilson's documented behavior and beliefs cast serious doubt on the authenticity of his supposed conversion to Christianity. Virtually all evidence points to the reality that even though he may have claimed faith in Jesus, he never truly possessed it. Given his previously documented refusal to receive God as he has revealed himself, one can only wonder exactly who Wilson had in mind when he thought of Jesus.

One clue that reveals the direction of Wilson’s belief is his endorsement of Emmet Fox's book Sermon on the Mount. Fox was a false teacher, mystic and prominent New Thought leader operating as an ordained Divine Science Minister at The Church of the Healing Christ in New York city from 1931-1951.[6] In his book Sermon on the Mount, he firmly rejects essential Christian doctrines such as the deity of Christ, original sin, and a vicarious blood atonement. Even stating there was no such thing as a plan of salvation found in the Bible.[7] This book, with its damnable heresy, was given to newcomers of AA to read by both AA co-founders, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith.[8] AA defender Dick B. even admits that his writings were favored by them both.[9]

Despite the admission that the book was favored by AA’s co-founders, Dick B. makes this incredulous defense in one of his blog posts, "cherry picking this or that author or book and labeling it as representative of the Christian faiths, denominations, creeds, and beliefs of early AAs is just another path to the myths now being manufactured by some who are violently opposed to A.A."[10] There is a valid argument to be made here, and to be fair, Wilson did read books by many authors. Just because someone reads a book filled with heresy doesn't necessarily mean that they actually believe what is in the book (on a side note, this also applies when one reads books presenting orthodox Christianity). Yet vital questions remain. Which ones did he actively promote? Which authors seemed to have the most influence in the ideas expressed in the 12-steps? What Dick B. has either overlooked, or refused to accept, is that Bill and Dr. Bob didn’t merely read Fox’s book, they embraced it. So much so, that its ideas made its way into the 12-steps and they recommended it to newcomers. This simple fact alone is indicative that they agreed with what they found in it.

Further on in his blog post, Dick B. clouds the issue even more by citing Dr. Bob's suggestion to early AA members to read the Sermon on the Mount and other passages directly from the Bible.[11] Elsewhere he also acknowledges that "the Sermon on the Mount contained the underlying philosophy of A.A."[12] Unfortunately, this does little to alleviate the glaring reality that their view of Jesus' sermon was poisoned with deadly heresy when influenced by Fox's book of the same title. Even more concerning is that they gave it to newcomers as they began to sober up.

​In still another article where Dick B. scoffs at Christian concern about AA, he makes an attempt to invalidate all discerning investigation into Wilson’s faith:

Here he openly admits Wilson's wide ranging and ever shifting forms of unbelief, yet still attempts to defend Wilson’s status as Christian, despite only having positive affirmations of heresy and constant rejections of orthodoxy. These were not temporary lapses into sin by a believer, but sustained unbelief of someone who was never truly born again. Dick B.'s defense is problematic on at least four counts:

1. He takes for granted that when Wilson speaks of Jesus Christ and God, that he had in mind the same as described in the Bible, and not his own version. All evidence before and after this experience indicate that he rejected the true God in favor of a vague power of his own conception, though this conception appeared to be loosely based on Scripture. To reject the God of the Bible is to place one’s faith in a false god that can’t save at all, even if you call it by the same names found in the Bible. Wilson’s belief in idols is condemned in Romans 1:23.
2. By stating that an "anti-A.A. Christian writer" cannot judge Wilson's status as a Christian, he also opens the door of that argument to himself. By unequivocally declaring Wilson a Christian, he hypocritically fails to abide by his own argument. For if one cannot judge that someone is not a Christian, neither can they judge someone to be a Christian.
3. It appears to be founded on the false doctrine of the "carnal Christian". Despite his claim, there is no such thing as a carnal Christian. A refutation of this doctrine is outside the scope of this article, but for the purpose of this paper it should be stated that the idea of a carnal Christian reflects a gross misunderstanding of the nature of saving faith, insults the Holy Spirit's work in regeneration and sanctification, and has lulled many into a false assurance of salvation by relying upon a dead faith to save them.
4. It contradicts New Testament teaching about discerning false teachers and testing the spirits. If we cannot judge, either positively or negatively, whether one is a false teacher or a Christian, then we cannot possibly follow the Bible’s teaching on the issue. In addition to this, by using the false doctrine of the carnal Christian to defend Wilson, he makes it virtually impossible for a cult leader claiming to be a Christian to be labeled as a false teacher. Under this guise, they would just claim to be a Christian living carnally so there's nothing to worry about. Obviously, this contradicts numerous passages found in the New Testament warning of false teachers (Matthew 7:15-20, 16:11-12, 23:1-39, Acts 20:28-30, 2 Corinthians 11:3-15, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Timothy 4:3-4).

According to Wilson’s biography Pass it On, he also refused to “ally himself with any formal belief system.[14] His personal hang ups with organized religion, including Christianity, kept him from joining the church through faith in Christ and influenced his insistence that AA not be allied with any particular religious sect.[15] He obviously cared more about his false religion than the true church. To claim faith in Jesus while refusing to integrate and fellowship with his body in a local church seems more indicative of dead faith than true faith. To take an earthly example, it would be equivalent to a man saying he loves his wife, but will never see her or spend time with her and instead opts to spend his time with strange women. The wife would naturally understand that the man doesn’t truly love her. So it was with Wilson. While he claimed to love God and Jesus, he never spent time with the body of Christ in the local church and instead opted for friendship with the world and to love a strange god of his own making. For all their focus on the book of James, the early AA’s must have missed James 4:4, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Further action revealing Wilson’s unbelief was his extended practice of necromancy. Wilson first became involved in séances with Dr. Bob and his wife in 1935, four years before Alcoholics Anonymous was published.[16] This activity of attempting to talk to dead spirits continued on to at least the mid 1940’s and eventually evolved into what they called “spook sessions”. These spook sessions involved levitating tables, Ouija boards, and receiving messages from spirits while in a meditative state.[17] This is particularly problematic considering that God condemned people who practiced necromancy to death in the Old Testament and gave the Israelites harsh warnings concerning the practice (Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 27, Deuteronomy 18:10-14). In the New Testament, Paul writes that those who practiced sorcery would not inherit eternal life (Galatians 5:19-24). Clearly, Wilson’s spooking was a manifestation of the flesh, not a fruit of the Spirit which leads to eternal life.

The most reasonable conclusion to be made from the evidence is that Wilson was a false teacher and his life reflects the fruit of an unregenerate heart that does not have in mind the things of God (Mark 8:33).

​In part two, we’ll look at Wilson’s co-founder Dr. Bob Smith, his wife Lois Wilson, and other early Alcoholics Anonymous associates.
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Read Part 2 of this article: Was Alcoholics Anonymous Started by Christians? - Part 2

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