Alcoholics
Anonymous, Its Christian Endeavor
Root, and A.A. Co-founder Dr. Bob
By
Dick B.
Copyright 2005. All rights reserved
A
New Historical Research Challenge
Whenever
I find some solid evidence about A.A.
history that no historian has mentioned,
I become interested and challenged.
Further, whenever I find that neither
Bill W. nor the current A.A. publishing
group has made mention of the item,
I become even more interested and
challenged. Finally, when I see that
the evidence has a direct bearing
on the early A.A. program in Akron,
as reported to Rockefeller by Frank
Amos – our trustee-to-be – the challenge
becomes a priority. And if no one
mentions a challenge that smacks of
religious, church, Christianity, Bible,
or alcoholism cure, I know that I’m
on to an investigative quest that
will be welcomed by the many who just
plain want to know. That’s the case
here.
The Christian Endeavor root of A.A.
is such a challenge. No AA historian
other than Richard K. and I seems
to have mentioned it at all. Nor did
Bill Wilson or his latter-day, well-paid
publishing crew. More and more forcefully,
the “headquarters” crowd began pushing
the idea “A.A. is not a religious
society, since it requires no definite
religious belief as a condition of
membership” (See 44 Questions. New
York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services,
Inc., 1952, p. 19). This revisionist
theme has nonetheless been rejected
by the many courts that have ruled
on its flaws.
Yet A.A.’s reticent co-founder Dr.
Bob certainly pointed to the Christian
Endeavor root.. First, in an almost
negative context, Dr. Bob said in
his personal story in the A.A. Big
Book:
“From childhood through high school
I was more or less forced to go to
church, Sunday School and evening
service, Monday night Christian Endeavor
and sometimes to Wednesday evening
prayer meeting”
(Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p.
173)
The foregoing was supplemented with
Dr. Bob’s further statement that he
resolved thereafter “never to darken
the doors of a church” except where
circumstances made it seem unwise
to do otherwise.” However, more than
a decade after A.A.’s founding, Dr.
Bob commented as to Bill and himself
(The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous:
Biographical Sketches Their Last Major
Talks. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc., 1972, 1975, pp. 11-14):
“We
had both been associated with the
Oxford Group, Bill in New York, for
five months, and I in Akron, for two
and a half years. Bill had acquired
their idea of service. I had not,
but I had done an immense amount of
reading they had recommended. I had
refreshed my memory of the Good Book,
and I had had excellent training in
that as a youngster. . . .
“I’m somewhat allergic to work, but
I felt that I should continue to increase
my familiarity with the Good Book
and also should read a good deal of
standard literature, possibly of a
scientific nature. So I did cultivate
the habit of reading. I think I’m
not exaggerating when I say I have
probably averaged an hour a day for
the last 15 years. . . .
“At that point, our stories didn’t
amount to anything to speak of. When
we started in on Bill D., we had no
Twelve Steps, either; we had no Traditions.
But we were convinced that the answer
to our problems was in the Good Book.
. . .
“It wasn’t until 1938 that the teachings
and efforts and studies that had been
going on were crystallized in the
form of the Twelve Steps. I didn’t
write the Twelve Steps. I had nothing
to do with the writing of them. .
. . We already had the basic ideas,
though not in terse and tangible form.
We got them, as I said, as a result
of our study of the Good Book.”
I
found after much further research
that his statement does not square
with the facts—facts still under further
extensive investigation by my colleague
Richard K. Nor were the facts presented
in full or in the context as to Dr.
Bob’s other statements and views about
the Bible, his training as a youngster,
and the ideas which he later promulgated
as he worked with over 5,000 alcoholics
subsequent to A.A.’s 1935 founding.
I will only summarize here my previously
published detailed evidence about
Dr. Bob’s youth and his statements
about the Bible, his training in the
Bible and Bible study, his prayer
life, his quiet times, and his church
life. In outline form, here are the
points:
Dr.
Bob’s stated that he had attended
three or four church services and
meetings in week at the North Congregational
Church in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
He said that when he resumed his religious
studies, he had refreshed his memory
of the Bible and had received excellent
training in that in church and through
Christian Endeavor as a youngster.
His son told me his father had read
the Bible completely through three
times in his “refreshment” period.
His daughter told me her father read
the Bible every day. Dr. Bob told
his son he had read for an hour every
night, drunk or sober, for many years.
Dr. Bob spoke of the immense amount
of literature he read. Scads and scads
of books were found in his home, under
his bed, and in the homes of his kids
after they were alleged to have been
thrown or given away. And we now know
the broad scope of the Biblical, devotional,
Christian literature he read, just
by looking at the remnant books we
have found mentioned by family and
friends or found in possession of
his children. There is no doubt that,
from early AA’s beginnings, Dr. Bob
set aside a quiet time three times
each day for Bible study, prayer,
and reflection. He read and circulated
a large number of Christian books
on the Bible, Jesus Christ, prayer,
quiet time, the sermon on the mount,
the Book of James, and 1 Corinthians
13. We also have Dr. Bob’s own frequent
statement as to the “absolutely essential”
study by AAs of the sermon, James,
and Corinthians. Also, Bob’s statement
that AAs started the day with James,
Corinthians, and the Sermon. We also
have examined with care Dr. Bob’s
specific interest in The Runner’s
Bible where James is much discussed,
his interest in at least four well-known
commentaries on the Sermon on the
Mount, and his enthusiastic circulation
of Henry Drummond’s The Greatest Thing
in the World.
I have a news article from The Tidings
(A Roman Catholic paper) printed some
eight years after A.A.’s founding.
The article reported on the speeches
by Dr. Bob and Bill on the same platform
in Los Angeles before 4500 at the
Shrine Auditorium. There, and once
again, Dr. Bob explicitly urged that
AAs should cultivate the habit of
prayer and of reading the Bible…
Despite incomplete and erroneous reporting,
we now know that Dr. Bob not only
attended Protestant Christian churches
frequently—first as a youngster and
later in Akron at St. Lukes, Westside
Presbyterian Church, and finally St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron.
I
particularly want to mention here
again the two illuminating statements
Dr. Bob made about clergy and churches.
His son made the statements to me
personally. Smitty, his son, said:
(1) Dr. Bob’s real beef was with “sky
pilots”—a not uncommon, derogatory
statement about preachers of that
day. (2) Dr. Bob was far more interested
in the “message” than the “messenger”—an
interesting declaration of Dr. Bob’s
avowed preference for Bible study,
prayer and the seeking of guidance,
reading Christian literature, and
using devotionals And I believe these
comments may explain his alleged aversion
to church and his patent involvement
in Bible study, prayer, guidance,
Christian literature, and using devotionals
like The Upper Room, Daily Strength
for Daily Needs, and My Utmost for
His Highest. It may also explain his
infrequent mention of his church—though
he and Anne were charter members of
the Presbyterian Church in Akron,
though he tooks his kids to Sunday
School, and he recommended that early
AAs attend church..
The challenge? Did Dr. Bob’s younger
days in church, his prayer meetings,
and Christian Endeavor impact on his
later beliefs, actions, A.A. ideas,
and the “fixing” of drunks in Akron
AA.? Another challenge: What was the
background of Christian Endeavor itself;
and what ideas of that society bear
resemblance to those of pioneer AA?
Still another challenge: What, in
context, was Dr. Bob’s real view of
church, of clergy, of prayer, of prayer
meetings, of the Christian Endeavor
program, and of the Bible itself?
Some of the answers will be forthcoming
in the forthcoming months of research
and writing.
Preliminary Glimpses at Christian
Endeavor
From its Founding Through the days
of Dr. Bob’s Participation
The Genesis of the Christian Endeavor
Society
The first society was organized on
February 2, 1881. (See Francis E.
Clark. Christian Endeavor in all Lands.
Boston, MA: The United Society of
Christian Endeavor, 1886, pp. 35,
41, 621).
Rev. Francis E. Clark, pastor Williston
Church in Portland, Maine, formed
the society in the parlor of his home
at 62 Neal Street—the parsonage of
Williston Church. Members consisted
of boys and girls in the “Mizpah Circle”—a
missionary circle for young people
which was led by the pastor’s wife.
During the February Mizpah meeting,
Clark framed a constitution for the
society and called it “Williston Young
People’s Society of Christian Endeavor.”
The “greatest stress was on the religious
features.” The society was to be “an
out-and-out Christian society” The
activities “were to centre around
the weekly young people’s prayer meeting.”
W. H. Pennell, the teacher of the
Young Men’s Bible Class, carefully
explained the society and its constitution
and led all the young people present
in signing the new constitution. Several
clauses of the constitution are historically
instructive and bear repeating here
(For the foregoing points and the
constitution, see Francis E. Clark.
Memories of Many Men In Many Lands:
An Autobiography. Boston, MA: United
Society of Christian Endeavor, 1922,
pp. 77-87):
“Object.
Its object shall be to promote an
earnest Christian life among its members,
to increase their mutual acquaintance,
and to make them more useful in the
service of God. . . .
Officers. The officers of this society
shall be a President, Vice President
and Secretary. There shall also be
a Prayer meeting Committee of five
a Social Committee of five, and a
Lookout Committee of Five.
Duties of Officers. . . . The Prayer
meeting Committee shall have in charge
the Friday evening prayer-meeting;
The Prayer-meeting. It is expected
that all the members of the society
will be present at every meeting unless
detained by some absolute necessity
and that each one will take some part
however slight in every meeting. The
meetings will be held just one hour
and at the close some time may be
taken for introductions and social
intercourse if desired. Once each
month an Experience meeting shall”
[no further portions shown in autobiography].
About
Christian Endeavor Founder Francis
E. Clark
Francis Edward Clark was born on September
12, 1851 in the village of Aylmer,
Province of Quebec, or Lower Canada,
as it was then called. His ancestors,
however, had lived in “the Old Bay
State” for two centuries. His ancestral
lineage was peopled with deacons and
pastors and descendents who were members
of the Orthodox Congregational Church.
His young parents went to the Canadian
frontier on other pursuits, but both
died when Francis was quite young.
He said, “All of my boyhood was spent
in two Puritan families. . . . My
mother and brother were members of
the Presbyterian church, in which
I, too, was dedicated to God’s service.”
However, very soon after his mother’s
death, his uncle, Rev. Edward Warren
Clark, of Auburndale, Mass., came
to Aylmer and took him to the Auburndale
home. The uncle was the first pastor
of the newly-formed Congregational
Church in Auburndale. Because of ill
health, his uncle was obliged to give
up his pastorate. But he was elected
chaplain of the Massachusetts Senate
and Overseer of Harvard College, soon
becoming chaplain of the Forty-seventh
Regiment of Volunteers in the Civil
War.
On the uncle’s return from the war,
the family moved to New Hampshire;
and the young Francis attended Claremont
academy. From there, Francis was enrolled
in Kimball Union Academy in Meridian,
New Hampshire. On graduation in 1869,
he entered the Dartmouth class of
’73. He graduated number 12 in his
class and had received a Phi Beta
Kappa “key.” Incidentally, Francis
commented at some length on the excessive
drinking during his years at Dartmouth—something
that is part of the Dr. Bob story
at Dartmouth as well. In 1873, Francis
decided to study for the ministry
and entered Andover, which he characterized
as “the great theological seminary
of New England.” Andover was Congregational
in denomination. Near the end of his
senior year at Andover, he was called
to the pastorate of the Williston
Church of Portland, Maine (For the
foregoing materials, see Clark, Memories,
supra, pp. 1-66).
A Brief Digression To the
Period of Dr. Bob’s Youth.
Perhaps not by accident, A.A. literature
has chosen to report little about
Dr. Bob’s youth. This may be a blessing
for those of us who are taking a fresh
start, a fresh approach, and a fresh
viewpoint. The question concerns just
exactly what Dr. Bob did as a youngster
in the North Congregational Church
at St. Johnsbury and just exactly
what he was seeing, hearing, learning,
and practicing in the Christian Endeavor
Society at his church and even elsewhere.
Those questions are being researched
right now!
Here’s what AA does tell us about
Dr. Bob’s youth. The facts provide
an adequate start and framework that
can point us toward his early religious
years and religious training.
Robert Holbrook Smith was born August
8, 1879 in the family home at Central
and Summer Streets in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont. Judge and Mrs. Walter Perrin
Smith were his parents. The Judge
had a distinguished career as Probate
Judge, state’s attorney, state legislator,
superintendent of St. Johnsbury schools,
director of one bank, and president
of another. He died in 1918; and he
had taught Sunday school for 40 years!
Dr. Bob’s mother was said to have
felt “that the way to success and
salvation lay through strict parental
supervision, no-nonsense education,
and regular spiritual devotion.”
From 1885 to 1894, Bob went to Summer
Street elementary school, two blocks
from his home. In 1894, Bob was 15
years old and entered St. Johnsbury
Academy—an independent secondary school
“for the intellectual, moral, and
religious training of boys and girls
in northeastern Vermont.” In his senior
year at St. Johnsbury, he met his
bride-to-be Anne Ripley Smith at a
dance in the academy gym. Seventeen
years later, they were married. Bob
graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy
in 1898. He then set off for four
years at Dartmouth College, sixty
miles south at Hanover, New Hampshire.
He graduated in 1902 and by that time
was an illustrious graduate of the
college drinking “fraternity.” Sadly—by
comparison with the endless biographies,
stories of, by, and about Bill Wilson
and his life—A.A. has devoted only
23 pages to the foregoing general
facts in the official biography of
Bob’s life (See DR. BOB and the Good
Oldtimers: A Biography, with recollections
of early A.A. in the Midwest. NY:
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.,
Inc., 1980, pp. 1-23). Regrettably,
most of these pages contain little
more of religious and spiritual significance
than a Dr. Bob drunkalog, not even
in the words of Dr. Bob.
As to Bill Wilson, Bill himself, A.A.,
and a host of biographers have provided
us with details about Wilson’s birth
behind a bar, his renunciation of
church, his grandfather, his boomerang,
his violin, his first love, his second
love and then wife Lois, his Burr
and Burton Academy, a hobo motorcycle
ride, stock market meanderings, Lois’s
Swedenborgian religion, the pair’s
marriage in the Swedenborgian church,
and a some information about Bill’s
Army days and law school attendance.
When it comes to reporting details
about Dr. Bob, A.A. has been favored
with nothing about Judge Smith’s religious
convictions and teachings to Bob;
Grandma Smith’s religious beliefs,
activities, and communications with
her son; the family’s membership in
St. Johnsbury’s North Congregational
Church, its prayer meetings, church
services, Bible studies, and quiet
hours; the status of its Christian
Endeavor Society there; and the CE
activities of that particular church
society. Nor has it even mentioned
what Bob learned from the church,
from the Bible, from Christian Endeavor,
from his parents, and from the religiously-
oriented academy he attended. And
that is where part of our research
is now beginning.
Christian Endeavor Growth
From 1881 to 1902—the date of Dr.
Bob’s graduation from college at Dartmouth.
The growth of Christian Endeavor from
its twenty member society in Williston
Church in 1881 to its status at the
time of Dr. Bob’s graduation from
college in 1902 is absolutely astonishing.
Though Congregational in origin, Christian
Endeavor met the needs of youth and
the need of churches of various Protestant
denominations to court, encourage,
and instruct the young people in the
service of Christ. Its influence on
churches and youngsters became world-wide
in span and duration.
By the time its founder Dr. Francis
Clark had written his autobiography
in 1922, Christian Endeavor could
say that eighty thousand organizations
bore its name (Clark, Memoirs, supra,
p. 699). It could and did say that
three hundred thousand people attended
one hundred and fifty different sessions
at its 1899 Convention in Detroit
(Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
p. 368). It could and did estimate
that about 250,000 Endeavorers every
year join the evangelical churches
of the world (Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, p. 338).
Let’s compare, as to historical significance,
Wilson’s much-discussed Washingtonian
Society of a century before A.A.’s
founding. Society membership, said
Wilson, “passed the hundred thousand
mark,” but, said he, it lost sight
of its goal of helping alcoholics.
It became embroiled in Abolition and
Temperance matters, quickly faded
from the scene after only a few short
years of activity, and had been long
dead for a good many decades before
A.A. was founded (See Wilson’s remarks
quoted in Pass It On. NY: Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1984,
pp. 325, 354, 366-367; Twelve Steps
And Twelve Traditions. NY: Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1952,
pp. 178-179).
So too, the “Oxford Group”—the much
discussed yet maligned “root” of Bill
Wilson’s A.A. steps. At the beginning,
in 1922, its members simply consisted
of a small group of Rev. Frank Buchman’s
traveling friends who had formed what
they called “A First Century Christian
Fellowship” which soon faded away
(See Garth Lean. Frank Buchman: A
Life. London: Constable, 1985, p.
97).
Now, let’s look at a timeline of Christian
Endeavor from its founding in 1881
to the time of Dr. Bob’s graduation
from Dartmouth in 1902. The growth,
tremendous size and outreach, and
endurance of this Christian fellowship
surpass anything else in the pre-AA
history scene.
1881 – February 2, the first society
was organized in Williston Church.
October 8, the second society organized
in the North Church, Newburyport,
Mass.
Before 1882 dawned, there were at
least three or four other societies—one
in a
Christian church in Rhode Island;
another in the St. Lawrence Church
of Portland; another in Burlington,
Vermont.
1882 – June 2 – the first convention
was held in Williston Church with
six societies of less than 500 members
represented and others known to exist.
1883 – 1891 – Societies were rapidly
formed in Canada, Hawaii, Ceylon,
Foochow, Africa, England, Australia,
Turkey, Japan, Spain, France, Samoa,
Mexico, and Chile. With large conventions
in those years and many societies.
1892 – Eleventh Annual Convention
was held at Madison Square Garden.
Attendance: 30,000.
1893 – 1896 – Societies and conventions
involved China, Japan, the Army, South
Africa, Switzerland, Germany, Laos,
Scotland, Marshall Islands, India,
Hawaii, Guatemala, the Caroline Islands,
Italy, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Burma.
1897 – Sixteenth International Convention
in San Francisco. 25,000 journeyed
across the continental United States
to be a part of the outreach and activity.
1898 – 1902 – Societies and conventions
were organized and met in India, Russia,
Philippines, Jamaica, Portugal, and
Persia.
The Washingtonians were washed up
in only a few years and long before
AA was a twinkle in Bill Wilson’s
eye.. The Oxford Group gained world-wide
notice through the 1930’s; faced stiff
opposition from the Roman Catholic
hierarchy; ran afoul of some political
ideas; was a basically a one-man charisma
show; and soon found itself splitting
in several directions a decade thereafter.
Yet, in the twenty years beginning
with1891, Christian Endeavor had stayed
afloat, grown, gained support in many
denominations, spawned similar groups
in others, and acquired tens of thousands
of identifiable adherents. It had
literature, books, periodicals, newspapers,
conventions, world conferences, offices,
officers and trustees, hymnals, summer
schools, training schools, and an
ever-increasing support and growth
rate. In sum, there was absolutely
nothing similar in form, content,
significance, and size in A.A.’s formative
years like the Christian Endeavor
Society which was to help instruct
and train Dr. Bob in his youth, and
which emphasized Bible, Church, Prayer
Meetings, Quiet Hours, God, Jesus
Christ, fellowship, service and witness
(For details, see Clark, Christian
Endeavor, supra, pp. 34-88, 621-628).
The Christian Endeavor Society
Pledge, Principles, and Practices
The Christian Endeavor Covenant and
Pledge
The active member’s pledge used in
most societies is as follows:
“Trusting
in the Lord Jesus Christ for strength,
I promise Him that I will strive to
do whatever He would like to have
me do; that I will make it a rule
of my life to pray and to read the
Bible every day, and to support my
own church in every way, especially
by attending all her regular Sunday
and midweek services, unless prevented
by some reason which I can conscientiously
give to my Saviour; and that, just
so far as I know how, throughout my
whole life, I will endeavor to lead
a Christian life. As an active member
I promise to be true to all my duties,
to be present at and take some part,
aside from singing, in every Christian
Endeavor prayer-meeting, unless hindered
by some reason which I can conscientiously
give to my Lord and Master. If obliged
to be absent from the monthly consecration
meeting of the society, I will, if
possible, send at least a verse of
Scripture to be read in response to
my name at roll-call” (Clark, Christian
Endeavor, supra, pp. 251-252).
Interesting
also are the first two of six covenants
in the prison-societies of Christian
Endeavor:
“First.
I will accept Jesus as my Lord and
Saviour.
“Second. I will try to learn and do
His will by forming the habit of praying
and carefully reading my Bible daily,
and by thinking, speaking, and acting
as I believe He would in my place.
. . .” (Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, p. 253).
Rev.
Clark said the covenant has thus been
analyzed:
“First,
I will read the Bible.
“Second, I will pray.
“Third, I will support my own church.
“Fourth, I will attend the weekly
prayer-meeting of the society.
“Fifth, I will take some part in it,
aside from singing.
“Sixth, I will perform a special duty
at the consecration-meeting if obliged
to be absent” (Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, pp 244-245).
Amos
R. Wells, a prolific Endeavor writer,
editor, and leader, wrote the following
in his book The Endeavorer’s Daily
Companion:
“Don’t
believe in daily prayer and Bible-reading?
“Don’t believe in taking part in prayer-meetings?
“Don’t believe in going to church?
“Don’t believe in supporting your
own church?
“Don’t believe in doing Christ’s will?
“Don’t believe in leading a Christian
life?
“Don’t believe in trying to do all
these things?
“Don’t believe in promising to try
to do them?
“Why, of course you do when it is
put that way! This is all you promise
in the pledge—just to try to do them;
and the pledge expressly says that
you are not to do them whenever you
think Christ would excuse you from
them. Certainly no less excuse should
satisfy you, pledge or no pledge”
(Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
p. 245).
Though
we are getting ahead of ourselves
in this article and as to later research,
we believe any real student of Dr.
Bob’s remarks will find that A.A.’s
co-founder was still doing the daily
prayer and Bible-reading, was still
conducting prayer-meetings, was still
going to church, was still supporting
his church, was still talking about
doing his Master’s will, was still
emphasizing the leading of a Christian
life, and was not only talking about
these things throughout his A.A. years,
but was urging these things on his
“pigeons”—as he called the new AAs.
There is no talk above of Oxford Group
Absolutes, of life-changing, of self-examination
and confession of sin, of conviction,
of restitution, or even of some favored
ideas in the Book of James, including
James 5:16. The pledge really describes
the simple early A.A. Akron program
in bright colors. And, if you add
to it, some other Christian Endeavor
principles and practices, you have
the very thing that Dr. Bob, his wife
Anne, Henrietta Seiberling, and the
Williams couple were holding forth
for the deliverance of those early
drunks.
The Christian Endeavor Principles
Rev. Clark believed that the following
four principles are the “roots of
the Christian Endeavor tree.” They
are, he wrote, the essential and only
essential principles of the Christian
Endeavor Society:
1.
Confession of Christ.
2. Service for Christ.
3. Fellowship with Christ’s people.
4. Loyalty to Christ’s Church.
As
to each of the four, Clark said following,
among other things:
“Confession
of Christ is absolutely necessary
in the Christian Endeavor Society.
To ensure this are the methods of
the Society adapted in every particular.
. . . The true Christian Endeavorer
does not take part to exhibit his
rhetoric, or to gain practice in public
speaking, or to show what a logical
prayer he can offer to God; but he
does take part to show that he is
a Christian, to confess his love for
his Lord; and this confession is as
acceptable made by the unlearned,
stumbling, lisping Christian as by
the glib and ready phrase-maker. .
. The covenant pledge is simply a
tried and proved device to secure
frequent confession of Christ. . .
. Our form of confession is the prayer-meeting.
Here we acknowledge our faith. . .
.”
“Another universal principle of Christian
Endeavor is constant service. If confession
is the lungs of the movement, service
is its hands and feet. . . . In ideal
society every member is responsible
for some definite, particular task.
. .a society whose ideal, like Wesley’s
is, ‘At it, and all at it, and always
at it.’”
“Again, I have learned that our fellowship
is an essential feature of Christian
Endeavor. . . . This fellowship is
not an accident or a matter of chance.
It is an inevitable result of the
movement. When the second society
was formed, nineteen years ago, the
fellowship began. Then it became interdenominational,
interstate, international, intersocial,
intercontinental, and, as some one
has suggested, since ‘Part of the
hosts have crossed the flood, And
part are crossing now,’ it has become
intermundane.”
Once
more, a universal essential of the
Society of Christian Endeavor is fidelity
to its own church and the work of
that church. It does not and cannot
exist for itself. . . a true society
of Christian Endeavor must live for
Christ and the church. Its confession
of love is for Christ, the head, its
service is for the church, His bride.
. .”
Which reminds me of Dr. Bob’s parting
remarks to the A.A. fellowship that
its steps and principles can be simmered
to their essence and called “love
and service.” Wonder where he got
that idea!
Clark concludes with this commentary
on the fundamental, necessary features
of the world-wide movement:
Confession of our love for Christ—devoting
ourselves to our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, so that we do not simply
rely on His work of propitiation,
finished on the cross, but view Him
as our living King, whose will is
law in every department of life.
Proof of it by our service for Him—receiving
constant religious training for all
kinds of service involved in the various
committees. . .
Fellowship with those who love Him—interdenominational
spiritual fellowship, through which
we hope not for organic unity, but
to realize our Lord’s prayer for spiritual
unity, that all who believe in Him
may be one.
Fidelity to our regiment in which
we fight for Him—strenuous loyalty
to the local church and denomination
with which each society is connected.
For more on the Christian Endeavor
principles, see Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, pp.
89-102.
The Bible – As Sourcebook,
Subject of Study, and as to Quotation
of Verses
In early A.A., the Bible was studied
to develop the basic recovery program
ideas. It was read and to be read
daily. Circulated literature centered
on the Bible. Bible study was stressed,
and the Bible was read at the beginning
of each meeting. When asked about
a program question, Dr. Bob would
usually say: “What does it say in
the Good Book.” He also frequently
quoted relevant verses to AAs and
their families. Until very recently,
Dr. Bob’s Bible (with inscriptions
by him, Bill Wilson, and Bill Dotson—A,A,
Number Three) was brought to the front
of the A.A. Number One (King School
Group) meeting room and there remained
until the meeting was over. Each AA
meeting had a topic, and the topic
was usually based on some Bible idea,
segment, or application (See Dick
B., The Good Book and The Big Book;
The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous;
Why Early A.A. Succeeded; When Early
AAs Were Cured and Why)
The Bible occupied no less a prominent
place in Christian Endeavor.
Its journal was called The Golden
Rule with Rev. Clark as its editor-in
chief (Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, pp. 82, 622; Memories, supra,
pp. 92, 97-98).
The covenant pledge was designed,
among other purposes, to secure “familiarity
with the Word of God by promoting
Bible-reading and study in preparation
for every meeting” (Clark, Christian
Endeavor, supra, p. 94). As mentioned,
the first point in the analysis of
the covenant is “I will read the Bible.”
The pledge itself says: “that I will
make it the rule of my life to pray
and to read the Bible every day. .
.” “Every Endeavor meeting has its
topic, with many Scripture references
and abundant helps.” “The Golden Rule.
. . offered as a premium at one time
the well-known ‘International Bible,’
a famous teacher’s Bible with notes
by eminent scholars.” (Clark, Christian
Endeavor, supra, pp. 244, 252, 261,
293).
Bible study was often the subject
of oratory at Christian Endeavor Conventions.
Speaking on some Christian Endeavor
Principles, Rev. Russell H. Conwell—a
favorite convention speaker—said:
“I believe that a pledge is a good
thing. . . . Hence I believe in the
Christian Endeavor pledge to speak
every week in the meeting; it makes
men. I believe in the advice of studying
the Holy Bible for itself; it makes
men” (Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
p. 606). Said to be the greatest preacher
in England of his time, the Rev. Dr.
J. H. Jowett said at the British National
Convention in Glasgow: “Let your endeavor
grow out of the great and studious
contemplation of the great mysteries
in Christ;” and Jowett was speaking
on “Christian Endeavor and Bible-Study”
(Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
pp. 608-609).
Writing on the non-denominational
and international character of Christian
Endeavor, Count Bernstorff, an eminent
German Christian, wrote: “There is
only one Christianity, because there
is only one Christ. Is it English
that one insists upon conversion.
. . . Is it English to avow a oneness
of spirit with Christians of other
denominations. . . . Is it English
that one should seek after holiness.
. . . Is it English that all Christians
should work together for the upbuilding
of Christ’s kingdom? All these things
are simple biblical truths, and should
be the universal spirit of Christendom.
Indeed, they constitute living Christendom”
(Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
pp. 618-619).
There is much more about the Bible
in the Christian Endeavorer’s life
and meetings; and some will be discussed
here, but most is being researched
right now.
The Prayer-Meetings – their
content and importance
Dr. Amos R. Wells was Editorial Secretary
of the United Society of Christian
Endeavor. His text-book on meetings
and methods tell us much about the
prayer meetings. He wrote:
“What are the results we may gain
from the prayer meeting? They are
five: original thought on religious
subjects; open committal to the cause
of Christ; the helpful expression
of Christian thought and experience;
the cultivation of the spirit of worship
through public prayer and through
singing; the guidance of others along
these lines of service and life.
“How can we get original thought on
the prayer-meeting topics? Only by
study of the Bible, followed by meditation
and observation. First, the Endeavorer
should read the Bible passage; then
he should read some good commentary
upon it; then he should take the subject
with him into his daily life for five
or six days, thinking about it in
his odd minutes and watching for experiences
in his own life, or the lives of others,
or of observing nature and looking
for illustrations on the subject from
all these sources.
“Are we to read Bible verses and other
quotations? Yes, all we please, if
we will make them the original expression
of our own lives by thinking about
them, and adding to them something,
if only a sentence, to show that we
have made them our own. Always give
the writer’s name, or the part of
the Bible from which you quote. Commit
the quotation to memory and do not
read it” (Amos R. Wells, Expert Endeavor:
A Text-book of Christian Endeavor
Methods and Principles. Boston: United
Society of Christian Endeavor, 1911,
pp. 9-11; Dick B., Dr. Bob and His
Library, p. 114; The Books Early AAs
Read for Spiritual Growth, 7th ed.,
pp. 13-17).
We now know that Dr. Bob’s wife said
the Bible was the main source book
of all and that not a day should pass
without reading it. We know that Dr.
Bob read it every day. We know that
it was read at every one of the pioneer
meetings and each morning at the quiet
times conducted by Anne Smith at the
Smith home. And we know how often
Dr. Bob quoted Scripture to make some
point. There were “topics” at the
early meetings, and many resembled
those suggested by CE. There were
some limited testimonies. And there
was group prayer to the extent that
the meetings were often Christian
Fellowship meetings that were, in
effect, “old fashioned prayer meetings.”—the
essence of the Christian Endeavor
program (See DR. BOB and the Good
Oldtimers, supra, pp. 56, 71-72, 96-97,
100-102, 111, 116, 118-119, 129-136,
139-142, 144, 150-151; Dick B., Anne
Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939).
The Quiet Hour – A regular
Endeavor observance and a required
AA pioneer practice
“Quiet Time” was a “must” in early
Akron A.A.; and, as trustee-to-be
Frank Amos reported it, “He [the alcoholic]
must have devotions every morning—a
‘quiet time of prayer and some reading
from the Bible and other religious
literature.” “The A.A. members of
that time did not consider meetings
necessary to maintain sobriety. They
were simply ‘desirable.’ Morning devotion
and ‘quiet time,’ however, were musts”
(DR. BOB, supra, pp. 131, 136. In
fact, Bill Wilson once said: “I sort
of always felt that something was
lost from A.A. when we stopped emphasizing
the morning meditation.” (Bill and
Lois themselves, however, continued
this practice together until his death
in 1971)” See DR. BOB, supra, p. 178).
Unfortunately, almost all A.A. writers
have mischaracterized A.A. quiet times.
Possibly because they were steering
wide of Jesus Christ and the Bible,
probably because they did not mention
or want to mention the requisite “born
again” part, and mostly because they
did not do their homework. First,
quiet time was and could be an individual
thing, a morning thing, or a group
thing; and it often was any or all
of these. Second, some of the Oxford
Group trappings of journaling and
listening and writing down and checking
were just not a significant, if even
relevant part, of Akron pioneer A.A.
Finally, almost invariably, A.A. revisionists
have left out the need for becoming
a child of God in order to pray to
and hear from our “Heavenly Father.”
See Dick B., Good Morning: Quiet Time,
Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early
A.A.; The Oxford Group and Alcoholics
Anonymous; New Light on Alcoholism.
Expressed in very simple terms, early
AA “quiet time” involved these elements:
(1) Surrender first and being born-again
of God’s spirit. (2) Studying the
Bible. (3) Prayer-both group and individual.
(4) Using devotionals like The Upper
Room and The Runner’s Bible. (5) Seeking
God’s guidance for their lives.
And here are the guidelines which
were part of Dr. Bob’s Christian Endeavor
training as a youngster. Even more
can be found in materials by The Rev
Dr. F. B. Meyer. And Founder Dr. Francis
Clark wrote:
“Undoubtedly
the effort that has done most to impress
the deepest things of the Spirit of
God upon the Christian Endeavor movement
is the so-called ‘Quiet Hour.’ . .
. . Because there may be some who
read these pages who may not understand
the inner meaning of the Quiet Hour,
or what the old writers understand
by ‘practising the presence of God,’
the writer. . . tries to tell his
young friends just how the Quiet Hour
may be spent. ‘Our Bible is open,
perhaps to the familiar passage which
reveals the wondrous truth that man
dwells in God, and God in man, as
John records it. Seek to realize this
stupendous fact, for all Scripture
is a lie if it is not a fact. Say
to yourself over and over again: ‘God
is here. God is here. God is within
me. I am His child. God is my Father’.”
(Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
pp. 525-526).
“So
it was proposed that those who wished
should band themselves together in
a purely voluntary organization called
‘the Comrades of the Quiet Hour.’
The name was chosen rather than the
similar name of ‘The Morning Watch’
in order to give the utmost freedom
as to the time which should be devoted
to meditation and personal communion
with God, though the morning was strongly
recommended. Those who became “comrades”
agreed to spend fifteen minutes a
day not merely in Bible-reading and
petition, but in genuine personal
communion with the Unseen. . . . Quiet
Hour literature began to abound; ‘Quiet
Hours’ led by some of the most eminent
Christians in the land began to be
held in connection with the conventions
both State and national. Now more
than 40,000 have been definitely enrolled.
. .” (Clark, Christian Endeavor, supra,
p. 357).
The
Christian Endeavor/AA Emphasis on
Love and Service
There is very frequent mention in
Christian Endeavor literature of the
importance of love, service and ministering.
Dr. Clark wrote:
“Christian
Endeavor is a watch
Whose mainspring is love,
Whose movement is service.
Whose hands point to heavenly joys
on the dial of eternity” (Clark, Christian
Endeavor, supra, p. 316)
The
following is a relevant, succinct
description of Endeavor’s position:
"...it
is a fellowship based on a broad platform
of service, love to Christ, and work
for Him. On this platform all can
stand." (Francs E. Clark. World
Wide Endeavor: The Story of The Young
Peoples Society of Christian Endeavor,
From the Beginning and In All Lands.
[Philadelphia, PA: Gillespie, Metzgar
& Kelley], 1895, p. 263).
In
his last, very brief, and much quoted
address to AAs, Dr. Bob made the following
point—seemingly out of a discerning
memory of his youthful work in Christian
Endeavor:
“Our
Twelve Steps, when simmered down to
the last, resolve themselves into
the words ‘love’ and ‘service.’ We
understand what love is, and we understand
what service is. So let’s bear those
two things in mind” (DR. BOB, supra,
p. 338).
The
last paragraph of A.A.’s own biographical
sketch on Dr. Bob said:
“Dr.
Bob firmly believed that ‘love and
service’ are the cornerstones of Alcoholics
Anonymous” (The Co-Founders of Alcoholics
Anonymous: Biographical Sketches.
Their Last Major Talks). NY: Alcoholics
Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1972,
1975, p. 9).
The
Necessity for Believing on Jesus Christ:
The
Bible makes the following very specific
comments about the way to salvation,
the abundant life, and everlasting
life through Jesus Christ (and see
John 3:1-8, 14-17; 10:9-10; 14:5-6):
“This
Jesus hath God raised up, whereof
we are all witnesses. . . . Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly,
that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ” (Acts 2:32, 36)
“Be it known unto you all, and to
all the people of Israel, that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified, whom God hath raised
from the dead, even by him doth this
man stand before you whole. . . .
Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved” Acts 4:10, 12).
“That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
. . .For whoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans
10:9-10, 13}.
In
early A.A., a surrender to, and decision
for, Christ was a “must”—though you’d
hardly know it from reading almost
any history pertaining to Bill Wilson
or the fellowship as a whole. But
the following statements by several
A.A. pioneers in the Akron program
describe and verify the required early
A.A. “surrender to Christ”:
‘They
would not let you in unless you surrendered
to Jesus Christ on your knees” (From
a recorded telephone conversation
with Danny W. in Lancaster, California,
from A.A. old-timer Ed Andy of Lorain,
Ohio. The statement was made on January
9, 1993; see also, Dick B., The Golden
Text of A.A., p. 31).
“They took me upstairs to be a born
again human being and be God’s helper
to alcoholics” (Letter from Larry
B., A.A. old-timer from Cleveland,
Ohio to the author, dated September
18, 1992. Larry stated that this quote
correctly described his surrender;
see also, Dick B., The Golden Text
of A.A., p. 32).
Clarence
Snyder—who came into A.A. in February
of 1938 and was sponsored by Dr. Bob—said:
“[I] went upstairs to T. Henry Williams’s
master bedroom with Dr. Bob, T. Henry
Williams, and an Oxford Group member.
These men told [me] to get on [my]
knees, and they joined me on their
knees around T. Henry’s bed. These
three men then led [me] through a
‘Sinner’s Prayer’ . . . which was
the very one Dr. Bob had used from
the beginning of A.A. surrenders in
Akron” (See Dick B., Turning Point,
pp. 140-142; The Golden Text of A.A.,
p. 32; That Amazing Grace, p. 27;
Clarence Snyder, Going Through The
Steps, p. 3; Mitch K., How It Worked,
pp. 58, 70).
One would expect to see in Christian
Endeavor literature countless examples
of a decision for, acceptance of,
or surrender to, Christ, and the resultant
born again standing as sons of God.
But that is not the case. Why? I am
of the opinion that the “altar call”
or similar invitation was not mentioned
with frequency because the Endeavorer’s
were already Christians, had already
made their profession of faith in
the church, and in fact were already
part of the body of Christ. The Christian
Endeavor pledge and program were designed
to keep young Christians fired up
in the church, keep them giving confessions
of Christ, keep them supporting their
church, and keep them serving their
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Nonetheless, there is certainly discussion
of decisions for Christ within Christian
Endeavor. See Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, p. 537. Note also what James
DeForest Murch wrote in Successful
C.E. Prayer-Meetings. The book was
designed to spruce up, diversify,
and multiply the various possible
meetings Endeavorers could hold. As
to possible evangelistic meetings,
Murch suggested:
“An
Evangelistic Meeting. Pattern your
program after that of a modern revival
meeting. A live leader of song should
have charge of the music. The songs
should be songs of soul-winning. Have
a number of church-members to give
brief testimonies and urge the young
people to make decisions for Christ.
The minister should be invited to
make a closing exhortation and hear
the confessions of faith, if such
is the usual order. Personal work
prior to the meeting itself will make
it more effective in every way” (James
DeForest Murch, Successful C.E. Prayer-
Meetings (Cincinnati, OH: The Standard
Publishing Company, pp. 66-67).
“A Front-seat Meeting. Or this might
be called a Reconsecration Meeting.
. . . At the close of the service
let your minister give an invitation
to all those who want to reconsecrate
themselves to their C.E. pledge to
come forward and occupy the front
seats. Those who wish to accept Christ
as their personal Saviour should be
included in this invitation. Those
who have taken the front seats should
then kneel in prayer” (Murch, Successful
C.E., supra, p. 72)
The
Reverend Dr. Charles M. Sheldon was
an enthusiastic Christian Endeavor
supporter (Clark, Christian Endeavor,
supra, pp. 283, 149, 330, 563, 595).
He wrote the famous In His Steps,
said to be the most widely-read religious
novel of all time, with over 8,000,000
copies sold. His book was owned, read,
and recommended by Dr. Bob, by his
wife Anne Smith, and by pioneer leader
Henrietta Seiberling. Speaking about
Christian Endeavor evangelism and
Sheldon’s suggestions, Rev. Francis
Clark wrote in Christian Endeavor,
supra:
“The
Sunday-evening after –meeting is another
rare opportunity for evangelistic
service, into which many pastors wisely
press their Endeavorers. Dr. Charles
M. Sheldon, as has been before stated,
advocates making this great young
people’s evangelistic service of the
week for the actual bringing of men
to a decision for Christ, and in his
own experience has proved the vast
usefulness of such a plan (p. 330).
The
Practical Test: What would Jesus do?
There is a recurring “underground”
expression uttered by A.A. old-timer
believers. You will encounter it from
time to time when they suggest as
a solution for a quandary, “What would
the Master say?” In his last major
address to AAs, Bill Wilson told this
“Dr. Bob story” on the point:
“For
example, a fellow came to Dr. Bob
and said, ‘I’m an alcoholic; here
is my history. But I also have this
other ‘complication.’ Can I join A.A.?
Bob threw it out to all the other
deacons, while the poor guy waited.
“Finally, there was some kind of hearing
on it among the self-appointed elders.
I remember how perfectly Bob put it
to them. He reminded us that most
of us were practicing Christians.
Then he asked, ‘What would the Master
have thought? Would he have kept this
man away?’ He had them cold! The man
came in, was a prodigious worker,
and was one of our most respected
people” (The Co-Founders of Alcoholics
Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their
Last Major Talks. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous
World Services, Inc., 1972, 1975,
p. 30).
There
is a similar vein in the approach
by Dr. Bob himself in his last major
address to AAs:
“I’m
talking about the attitude of every
one of us toward our Heavenly Father.
Christ said, ‘Of Myself, I am nothing—My
strength cometh from My Father in
heaven.’ If He had to say that, how
about you and me? Did you say it?
Did I say it? No. That’s exactly wht
we didn’t say. We were inclined to
say instead, ‘Look me over, boys.
Pretty good, huh?’ We had no humility,
no sense of having received anything
through the grace of our Heavenly
Father” (Co-Founders, supra, p. 19).
I
cannot declare that the “what would
Jesus do” idea in A.A. came from Christian
Endeavor language Dr. Bob had heard
again and again. But I can say emphasize
how popular Charles Sheldon’s book
was among the A.A. founders and pioneers.
I can say that the expression, “What
would Jesus do” can be found in several
important Christian Endeavor writings.
And I can say that nowhere is the
background idea and humility thinking
more evident than in Christian Endeavor
leader Sheldon’s In His Steps.
In fact, Sheldon begins his famous
best-seller by quoting 1 Peter 2:21:
“For
even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that ye should follow
his steps.”
Much
of his story is about Henry Maxwell,
pastor of the First Church of Raymond;
and early on, Sheldon quotes the preacher
as follows:
“I
want volunteers from the First Church
who will pledge themselves, earnestly
and honestly for an entire year, not
to do anything without first asking
