Alcoholics Anonymous History
And the greatest of these is
Love
Alcoholics Anonymous History:
Alcoholics Anonymous History -- the origins, the roots, and the early tools can be your special, simple, inexpensive way of reading, studying, learning, and applying three of the early A.A. Christian Fellowship program's absolute essentials--as Dr. Bob called them. The three, in the order of your holiday study of A.A, can be (1) The Book of James in the Bible. (2) Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the Bible, and (3) 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible--the so-called chapter on love.
Studying Each Chapter in the Bible along with A.A. Literature - one portion at a time
Your study can be easy. You can take one Bible chapter at a time. You can use one of Dick B.'s commentaries on the segment and the chapter. And you can have the Big Book and Steps at your side.
Asking Guidance from God, and Learning A.A.'s Roots in the Bible
The starting place, of course, is seeking God's guidance as to what He wants you to read, absorb, and apply from the particular chapter of what Dr. Bob called "the Good Book." See: Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible. www.dickb.com/goodbook.shtml. You can order it online.
Alcoholics Anonymous and 1 Corinthians 13 – the greatest of these is “love.”
The word “charity” is more properly translated “love.” But we quote the King James Version, which is the version used in early A.A. and quoted in the Big Book. 1 Corinthians 13 concludes:
“And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Dr. Bob highly recommended 1 Corinthians 13. He said old-timers considered it absolutely essential to the early program. He strongly recommended that early AAs read Professor Henry Drummond’s The Greatest Thing in the World. Drummond wrote this essay on the nine ingredients of love. That study, and those nine ingredients, are covered in www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml. The James Club book sets forth the nine Bible ingredients, then Drummond’s descriptions of each, and then the language in A.A. literature which corresponds to the nine—one by one. Bill Wilson also spoke of the early A.A. interest in “Corinthians.”
Relevant Items to Look for:
The nine ingredients of the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation are—as Drummond described them:
(1) Patience
– “Love suffereth long.”
(2) Kindness
– “And is kind.”
(3) Generosity
– “Love envieth not.”
(4) Humility
– “Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.”
(5) Courtesy
– “Doth not behave itself unseemly.”
(6) Unselfishness
– “Seeketh not its own.”
(7) Good
temper – “Is not provoked.”
(8) Guilelessness
– “Taketh not account of evil.”
(9)
Sincerity – “Rejoiceth nt in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the
truth
Since we first featured this piece of history, many AAs, Christian and otherwise, have formed Big Book/Bible Study groups. Some called "James Clubs."
Your Specific A.A. Guide: The James Club and the Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials:
Use this all-important guide by Dick B., The James Club and the Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials. www.dickb.com/JamesClub.shtml. This guide book covers each of the nine “essential” Bible segments considered absolutely essential. And therefore it is a great guide to A.A. and why 1 Corinthians 13 and Drummond’s essay were so valued.. You can order this online.
You'll find a verse by verse, comparison of portions of 1 Corinthians 13, with the writings of others on this chapter, and with significant Big Book and other A.A. literature.
Four Suggested Study Tools:
Your study tools: The Thirteenth Chapter of 1 Corinthians, The James Club and the Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials, Henry Drummond’s The Greatest Thing in the World, and The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible. All available to you on line.
dickb@dickb.com, 808 874 4876.
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