Defense of the Gospel None could deny that A.A. has taught hundreds of thousands of alcoholics to live in continuous sobriety. But a bigger question is, “By what means—and with what consequences—does A.A. accomplish this minor miracle?” Could we, for example, lay A.A. literature side by side with Scripture and conclude the two are in steady harmony? Or could it actually be possible that they contradict one another? And if that were the case, would we be wise to point to our continued sobriety as proof we have also been reconciled with God? By contrasting what Scripture has to say on the subject of addiction, this book will uncover A.A.’s teachings at great depth. Simultaneously it will help you to precisely diagnose the deception of Alcoholics Anonymous. Followers of Christ, A.A. members, and their families can ill afford to miss dozens of eye-opening revelations as David Simmons delivers his compassionate message of hope. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy… Colossians 2:8 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Defense of the Gospel None could deny that A.A. has taught hundreds of thousands of alcoholics to live in continuous sobriety. But a bigger question is, By what meansand with what consequencesdoes A.A. accomplish this minor miracle? Could we, for example, lay A.A. literature side by side with Scripture and conclude the two are in steady harmony? Or could it actually be possible that they contradict one another? And if that were the case, would we be wise to point to our continued sobriety as proof we have also been reconciled with God? By contrasting what Scripture has to say on the subject of addiction, this book will uncover A.A.s teachings at great depth. Simultaneously it will help you to precisely diagnose the deception of Alcoholics Anonymous. Followers of Christ, A.A. members, and their families can ill afford to miss dozens of eye-opening revelations as David Simmons delivers his compassionate message of hope. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy Colossians 2:8 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

This book aims to help readers appreciate the many-faceted relationship between Christianity, one of the world’s major faith traditions, and the practice of psychiatry. Chapter authors in this book first consider challenges posed by historical antagonisms, church-based mental health stigma, and controversy over phenomena such as hearing voices. Next, others explore both how Christians often experience conditions such as mood and psychotic disorders, disorders in children and adolescents, moral injury and PTSD, and ways that their faith can serve as a resource in their healing. Twelve Step spirituality, originally informed by Christianity, is the subject of a chapter, as are issues raised for Christians by disability, death and dying. A set of chapters then focuses on the state of integration of Christian beliefs and practices into psychotherapy, treatment delivery, educational programming, clergy/clinician collaboration, and treatment by a non-Christian psychiatrist. Finally, there are chapters by a mental health professional who has been a patient, a Jewish psychiatrist, a Muslim psychiatrist knowledgeable about Christianity and psychiatry in the Muslim majority world, and a Christian psychiatrist. These chapters provide context, diversity and personal perspectives. Christianity and Psychiatry is a valuable resource for mental health professionals seeking to understand and address the particular challenges that arise when caring for Christian patients.

This book explores the relationship of clergy to Twelve Step programs. Field research of pastors in the Florida Keys found that they are unsure if addiction is a disease or a sin, and whether the Twelve Steps are based on Christianity. Lessons learned include the validity of both traditional Twelve Step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Christ-centered programs such as Celebrate Recovery, the coherence of sin and disease explanations of addiction, and the significance of modern addiction theory. The specific outcome of this study is the development of a course syllabus for clergy on addiction recovery through Twelve Step philosophy.

The story of A.A.'s birth at Dr. Bob's Home in Akron on June 10, 1935. It tells what early AAs did in their meetings, homes, and hospital visits; what they read; and how their ideas developed from the Bible, the Oxford Group, and Christian literature. It depicts the roles of A.A. founders and their wives, and of Henrietta Seiberling, and T. Henry & Clarace Williams. Foreword by John F. Seiberling Finally--a history that ties together the events in New York and Akron during A.A.'s formative years from 1931-1939. It tells of the Bud Firestone Miracle and the 1933 Oxford Group events in Akron. Then of the early meetings in New York and Akron. It details the specific contributions to A.A. that T. Henry and Clarace Williams, Henrietta Seiberling, Bill Wilson, and Dr. Bob and Anne Smith made at A.A.'s Akron birthplace. It covers the when, where and how of A.A.'s birth. There are details as to surrenders, hospitalization, meetings, literature, Bible study and prayer and meditation, and what the Akron people did in their homes. And there are precise traces from the Bible, the Four Absolutes, Christian writers, and the Oxford Group into the Twelve Steps and the Big Book. This book is about what Akron gave to A.A. and what A.A. can attribute to its Akron birthplace.

Many have worried that the ubiquitous practice of psychology and psychotherapy in America has corrupted religious faith, eroded civic virtue and weakened community life. But an examination of the history of three major psycho-spiritual movements since World War II – Alcoholics Anonymous, The Salvation Army's outreach to homeless men, and the 'clinical pastoral education' movement – reveals the opposite. These groups developed a practical religious psychology that nurtured faith, fellowship and personal responsibility. They achieved this by including religious traditions and spiritual activities in their definition of therapy and by putting clergy and lay believers to work as therapists. Under such care, spiritual and emotional growth reinforced each other. Thanks to these innovations, the three movements succeeded in reaching millions of socially alienated and religiously disenchanted Americans. They demonstrated that religion and psychology, although antithetical in some eyes, could be blended effectively to foster community, individual responsibility and happier lives.

Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous: God's Role in Recovery Confirmed! by Dick B. and Ken B. presents many quotations from the 29 personal stories included in the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. Those stories by many of A.A.'s pioneers testify to roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in early A.A.'s astonishing successes with "medically-incurable" alcoholics.

This is the first book-length study of one of the most talented and exciting American playwrights working today. Stephen Adly Guirgis has said that "God is the starting point and the finish line" of his work, and this book identifies him as a playwright with a distinctly Christian sensibility who uses the technique of "inculturation" to translate the gospel for a secular audience. Critics have noted that his plays are peopled with poor, suffering minority figures, but few have also noted that these figures bear a remarkable similarity to the dispossessed with whom Jesus identifies in Matthew 25. Beginning with his early play Den of Thieves and proceeding through each of his dramas, this work examines Guirgis's plays within a biblical context. While noting that Guirgis is a writer of the "post-Christian age" who staunchly resists identification as a "Christian playwright," the book situates him within the tradition of the "drama of ideas" as a powerful writer employing a dialectical method to inculcate the New Testament ethos and transform the theater space into a place of sacrament.

This book straddles the divide between personal story and period history. In his finely researched account, Jay D. Moore follows the life of a driven, genius stock analyst brought to the brink of insanity by alcohol. A second thread traces the story of a physician humbled and bewildered by the same struggle. Finally, the story traverses the path through life of an unimaginably wealthy man, telling how he decides to use his treasure to benefit others. It has been said that there are no new ideas, only history we have not yet learned. No new ideas were brought to the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, for everything the co-founders and early members did had been done before. What they managed to change, however, was to stick to their knitting. The facts presented here help separate the truth from legend, as the story of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Rockefeller connection is presented with more depth and analysis than has been brought to the subject before.

When Thomas asked him 'How can we know the way?' Jesus replied, 'I am the way, the truth and the life.' This book will serve as a guide for all who seek to walk with Jesus on their Christian journey. This book gradually leads one through the many layers of Catholic Christianity as the way, the truth and the life.