christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
31
was anything else. As Christians come alongside and love addicts and help
them with their deepest needs, they will start to see God in a different way
and, hopefully, one day accept Christ or return to Him in a tangible and
intimate relationship.
One final, but essential, point must be made regarding the issue of
higher power. There are many believers who have said for years they
are Christians, but have missed out on a very godly concept. Though
professing to be Christians, they have failed to truly make God their
higher power. Some make religion their higher power, while others are
led and run by huge egos following after their own self-developed agenda.
Rather than complain about the concept of a “higher power” being used in
recovery meetings, we need to see the term as a starting point that can lead
many to accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.
Recovery Groups are Not Christian
In working with addicts for more than 30 years and seeing the miraculous
changes in those who utilized the 12 steps, we are amazed at how many
addicts still resist attending a recovery group because it is not Christian.
We have seen people who will drive drunk, pull into their driveways, fall
out of their cars violently sick and sleep there all night, but still resist going
to a recovery group because it is not labeled a Christian meeting. These
addicts may lose everything—many already have—because they are not
connecting with people who have been in the same desperate position.
Thankfully, in recent years, Christian Life Recovery programs have been
developed, as well as many other types of Christ-centered groups.
Most do not know that the 12 steps were formulated from the Bible.
Bill Wilson’s co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was a physician
known as Dr. Bob. I was privileged to hear his last speech and obtain the
transcript. In the talk he gave to hundreds of AA members, he told the
story of how the 12 steps were developed, “We got them from the Good
Book. There were three passages that were particularly important in the
development of the steps: The book of James, the Sermon on the Mount,
and 1 Corinthians 13.” It was stunning to hear… and makes a lot of sense.
If you look at the themes and principles in the 12 steps, they are very
reflective of these passages. This is why no one has ever found anything
anti-Christian in the steps. Just think of the principle of James 5:16,
“Confess your sins one to another and pray for each other that you may be
healed….” This admonition is seen all through
the steps, and plays itself out in millions of meet-
ings around the world every day.
It is also important to remember that the
concept of AA rose out of those attending
the Oxford Groups. These were Christian
Bible study groups all over the world. Once
the steps were defined, there were many argu-
ments over whether to refer to Jesus Christ or
a more inclusive reference to God. Since their
primary mission was to help as many alcoholics
as possible—some Jewish, some atheists, and
some with other beliefs—the decision was made
that using the name of Christ would impede the
mission by being too exclusive in the beginning
of recovery. However, it is important to note that
the decision not to use the name of Jesus was
not motivated by disbelief, but instead a desire
to help anyone and everyone who wanted to
stop drinking. That decision was not made by
heathen unbelievers or New Age followers; it was
made by believing Christians.
All that is Needed is One Step
Another frequent statement we have heard over
the years is that someone’s resistance to attending
a recovery group is because the 12 steps are not
necessary. They state that for a real Christian, the
only step needed is accepting Christ as Savior.
Of course, this essential step should be taken,
but it is not a stopping point for anyone. If
sanctification was accomplished when a person
first accepted Christ, there would be no need
for other steps or choices. For any addict, it
is a process that occurs over time and is never
completed. The 12 steps can be seen as a sancti-
fication path leading to the transformation called
If you understand
addiction, no one
gets off the hook. If
I say I am an addict,
then I am signing
up for long-term
involvement in the
recovery community,
working the steps,
and painfully growing.
