I find it so cool that AA still holds strongly to biblically-supported Christian principles ... in a world that expects the Church itself to compromise.
NoCode....
AA does work by the principles of the Bible. However, as an organization, they do not insist that these principles be recognized as coming from the Bible. Even though it is very plain and obvious that the founders got them there.
This to me is a greater testament of the practicality of the Bible and how God works. It works so well, that even people who do not fully believe it in context can benefit.
Many of us in "The Program" are Christians. Yet we do not feel that the fact that others who are effectively using Biblical principles have to conform to our interpretation of the Bible. Thus the wording of step 3 "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God as we understood him".
The original writing of this step did not have the last part. Many people who did not or could not believe in God as Christians understood him felt they could not participate in this incredible way to recover from Alcoholism. Until one day when an agnostic said "Well.... I dont really understand or believe in God like you guys do but I will just try the best I can and assume there may be a God and that he may be able to help".
Interestingly, he got sober and stayed sober. So have many, many other non-christians who apply the step in this way. Yet, do we all not know God only "as we understand him"? Is this not how any person starts his journey of Christianity.... believing in God as we understand him?
The fact that these people do not conform to the Christian understanding of God does not compete with my faith. Their understanding of God is sufficient to get them sober and help them live a better life. Nothing says that it is enough to give them everlasting life. Everlasting life is outside of AA's stated primary purpose. AA's stated primary purpose is to "Help alcoholics achieve sobriety". It is not a bait-and-switch program of evangelism (unlike Teen Challenge... a topic I dare not get started on).
Yet many Christians find this offensive. Many find it competing with their faith. Many take it personally that their system of beliefs is used for something other than their understanding of how the Gospel should be prosthelitized.
They overlook the fact that miracles happen. Drunks get sober. Drunks that medicine, science and yes, even churches could not help!
The Bible is so real, so true, so effective that it can even be used miraculously by non-believers. The beauty is that when one stops and gives their head a shake, they often come to realize that God has touched them, saved their lives, healed them through AA and thereby become believers in God as the bible describes Him. Yet many don't. But is that not any different than an evangelistic crusade? I am sure that event Billy Graham does not have a 100% closing ratio?
I say the Billy Graham thing tongue in cheek as I do respect him as a sincere minister with a simple and true message.
Anyway... to me... and many others.... the effectiveness and outworking of the 12 steps as discovered by AA is an experssion of God as I understand him and only proves all the more that the Bible is true and meaningful.
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It was the DivorceCare program that drew (the majority of) us together and got us to start healing, and got us to start looking out for one another as we struggled through our ordeals.
You are right... this is very much like an AA meeting. People joining together for a single, simple, focused primary purpose. Recovery from a crisis. Where one sufferer/recoveror helps another and journeys together. The primary purpose keeps it simple, workable and effective. This, I believe is "having church".
Can you imagine if your little group decided to have departments, titles, salaries, overhead, and an advertising budget? And while you're at it, take a position on the Federal election? How much time would your group members have to find the recovery that they originally showed up for?
Another AA tradition states that we function by "attraction rather than promotion". A far cry from where church has gone with its TV broadcasts, Websites that sell its "resource materials", and advertising budgets. I am sure in your group that people are there because they are "attracted" to what happens there....healing, understanding, fellowship... etc.
Now that I have said that... we have DivorceCare in our area. Maybe this would be a place for me to start?
