Sources of the Twelve Steps
What Bill Wilson said, Dr. Bob Said, and
Rev. Shoemaker Contributed
Dick B.
Copyright 2011
Anonymous. All rights reserved
How A.A.’s Cofounders Bill W. and Dr. Bob Expressed It
Bill Wilson said
in the article published in The Language
of the Heart, pp. 297-298:
[Step One] “So, then, how did we first
learn that alcoholism is such a fearful sickness as this? Who gave us this
priceless piece of information on which the effectiveness of Step One of our program so much
depends? Well, it came from my own doctor, “the little doctor who loved
drunks,” William Duncan Silkworth. .
. he told Lois and me what the disease
of alcoholism really is.”
[Step Twelve] “This is a sickness of the spirit: a sickness for
which there must necessarily be a spiritual
remedy. . . “Having had a spiritual awakening. . .” Who, then, first told
us about the utter necessity for such an awakening, for an experience that not only expels the alcohol obsession, but makes
effective and truly real the practice of spiritual principles. . .It came
through William James. . . following my
own remarkable spiritual experience of December, 1934. William James also
heavily emphasized the need for hitting bottom. Thus did he reinforce Step One
and so did he supply us with the spiritual
essence of today’s Step Twelve.”
[Steps Two through Eleven] “Where did
early AAs find the material for our remaining ten Steps? Where did we learn about moral inventory, amends for harms
done, turning our wills and lives over to God? Where did we learn about
meditation and prayer and all the rest of it?” The spiritual substance of our remaining ten Steps came straight from
Dr. Bob’s and my own earlier association with the Oxford Groups as they were
then led in America by that Episcopal
rector, Dr. Samuel Shoemaker.”
Dr. Bob said in
his last major address in 1948, published in The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their
Last Major Talks, 1972, 1975, pp. 13-14:
[The Original A.A. Program] “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. To some of us older ones, the parts we found absolutely
essential were the Sermon on the
Mount, the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James.”
[Bible Basics in the Steps] 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.”
The distinct difference between the early Akron A.A. program and the
1939 Big Book Program
[The Akron Program Was Based on the Bible. See DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, the Amos Report, page 131]. It
stressed belief in God, coming to Him through Jesus Christ, reliance on God,
obedience to God, and growth in fellowship through Bible study, prayer
meetings, Quiet Time, reading of Christian literature, helping others,
fellowship with like-minded believers, and attendance at a religious service
each week.
[The Big Book Program of Steps Came Primarily from Rev. Sam Shoemaker.
See Robert Thomsen: Bill W.,
1975, p. 261] “. . . in addition to his gratitude he [Bill W.] felt a
tremendous fondness for Sam Shoemaker. It was Sam who had been there, who had
opened doors and made him see that belief in a higher power would not only
change his thinking and feelings, but could become a living force in the world.
Indeed, all the principles, all the
foundation stones of the structure he and Bob were trying to shape, had come
directly from Sam Shoemaker’s Oxford Group.”
[Bill’s Original Big Book Approach stressed reliance on “the God of the
Scriptures.” See Alcoholics Anonymous
Comes of Age. 1957, pp. 166-167; Robert Thomsen, Bill W., 278; The Language of
the Heart, 284]. When Bill first
started writing the Big Book, Bill incorporated both Christian and biblical
materials. Robert Thomsen wrote, in Bill
W.: “Bill sat down at his desk in Newark each morning and talked simply,
honestly, unashamedly, using the
language of religion where it applied. With no hesitation he described
his surrender at Towns Hospital,” p. 278. In complete candor, Bill’s Grapevine
Article in The Language of the Heart, described
what Bill had experienced when he had his blazing “white light” experience and
then got well. Bill wrote: “And then a great thought burst upon me: ‘Bill, you
are a free man. This is the God of
the Scriptures. And then I was filled with a consciousness of a
presence.’” In Alcoholics Anonymous Comes
of Age, 160: “We were still
arguing about the Twelve Steps. All this time I had refused to budge on these
steps, I would not change a word of the original draft, in which, you will
remember, I had consistently used the word “God,” and in one place the
expression “on our knees,” p. 166.
[Then Came the Great Compromise. See Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. 1957, pp. 166-167]. Bill yielded
to the temptation to appease atheists and agnostics. He did so just before the Big Book manuscript with
its Twelve Steps went to press. Here is the description in his own words:
“Just before the manuscript was
finished an event of great significance for our future took place. At the time
it looked like just another battle over the book. The scene was Henry's office
in Newark, where most of the writing had been done. Present were Fitz, Henry,
our grand little secretary Ruth, and myself. We were still arguing about the
Twelve Steps. All this time I had refused to budge on these steps. I would not
change a word of the original draft, in which, you will remember, I had
consistently used the word "God," and in one place the expression
"on our knees" was used. Praying to God on one's knees was still a big
affront to Henry. He argued, he begged, he threatened. He quoted Jimmy to back
him up. He was positive we would scare off alcoholics by the thousands when
they read those Twelve Steps. Little by little both Fitz and Ruth came to see
merit in his contentions. Though at first I would have none of it, we finally
began to talk about the possibility of compromise.
Who first suggested the actual
compromise words I do not know, but they are words well known throughout
the length and breadth of A.A. today: In Step Two we decided to describe God as
a "Power greater than ourselves." In Steps Three and Eleven we
inserted the words "God as we
understood Him." From Step Seven we deleted the expression "on
our knees." And, as a lead-in sentence to all the steps we wrote these
words: “Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a Program of
Recovery.” A.A.'s Twelve Steps were to be suggestions only.
Such were the final
concessions to those of little or no faith; this was the great contribution of
our atheists and agnostics. They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer
might pass through, regardless of their belief or lack of belief.
God was certainly there in
our Steps, but He was now expressed in terms that anybody—anybody at all—could accept and try. [italics in original]
Explaining Why the Similarities Between Twelve Step Ideas and Shoemaker
Language
Big Book Approaches Originating with Shoemaker
“Self surrender
has always been and must always be regarded as the vital turning point of
religious life.” New Light on Alcoholism,
160, 161.
“God is God, and
self is not God—that is the heart of it.” New
Light, 157. “Self-sufficiency and the independence of God—that is, for the
Christian, the major sin of all,” New
Light, 156. “For most men, the world is centered in self, which is misery,”
New Life, 162.
“Let us rely on
God much.” New Light, 160. “Put
yourself in His hands.” New Light, 156.
“Let go and let
God.” New Light, 156.
“What you want
is simply a vital religious experience. You need to find God. You need Jesus
Christ.” Shoemaker, Realizing Religion, 9.
“I have spent a lot of time on this initial finding of God, because I am
convinced that there are thousands of people in the churches and out of them
for whom God is an inspiration, and not a fact.” New Light, 155.
“God is, or He
isn’t.” “God is God.” New Light, 153.
“O God, if there is a God, help me now because I need it.” New Light, 157. “God will come through to you and make Himself
known.” New Light, 157. “Willingness.”
New Light, 157.
“They prayed
together, opening their minds to as much of God as he understood.” “Surrender
to whatever you know about Him, or believe must be the truth about Him. . . .
Far more important that you touch Him than that you understand Him at first.” New Light, 157. “To as much of God as he
understood.” New Light, 156. “Begin
honestly where you are. . . . Pray to the dim God, confessing the dimness for
honesty’s sake.” “New Light, 156.
“God is and is a Rewarder of them that seek Him.” New Light, 161.
Bill Wilson
wrote Shoemaker calling him a “Cofounder of A.A.”
Having in mind that the basic ideas for the Twelve Steps came from the
Bible, that the Original biblical program was replaced by approaches that came
from Shoemaker’s Oxford Group, and further, that Bill had shifted his emphasis
from the Creator to some “higher power,” here are the discernible original
ideas in Big Book Twelve Step language that bear close resemblance to the
life-changing ideas Bill regularly heard from Shoemaker:
The Steps Themselves: Twelve Step Language
and Shoemaker Language Parallels
[One] Bill’s “Powerless” idea replaced
“We admitted we were licked.” It fit into Bill’s concept that lack of power was
the problem, and Shoemaker’s solution was “finding God” and using Shoemaker’s
often described idea that the alcoholic needed to find a “Power greater than
ourselves” [A Shoemaker synonym for the Creator of the heavens and the earth] in
Step Two. “Unmanageable” derives from the Oxford Group, Shoemaker, Anne Smith
prayer: “O God, manage me because I can’t manage myself.”
[Two] “Power greater than ourselves” parallels this language used by
Shoemaker: (1) “A vast Power outside themselves,” “A Force outside himself,
greater than himself.” New Light on
Alcoholism, 153, 165, 170. “Only God, therefore, can deal with sin. He must
contrive to do for us what we have lost the power to do for ourselves.” New Light, 165.
[Three] “The decision to cast my will and my life on God.” New
Light, 157. “She surrendered to God. . . . and . . . . turned over to Him
her life for His direction.” New Light, 158.
“Thy will be done.” New Light, 158.
[Four] “Christ. . . . said, ‘Then shalt thou see clearly to pull the
mote [speck] that is in thy brother’s eye.’ He set the requirement before it,
because the object was so important: ‘Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam
out of thine own eye.’ Begin with yourself.” New Light, 167. “It would be a very good thing if you took a piece
of foolscap paper and wrote down the sins you feel guilty of. Don’t make them
up—there will be plenty without that. . . . One of the simplest and best rules
for self-examination that I know of is to use the Four Standards, which Dr.
Robert E. Speer said represented the summary of the Sermon on the
Mount—Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness, and Absolute
Love.” New Light, 167. “Review your
life in their light. Put down everything that doesn’t measure up. Be
ruthlessly, realistically honest.” New
Light, 168. “What is our real problem? . . . Isn’t it fear, dishonesty,
resentment, selfishness?” The Oxford
Group, 352 “If, then, I want God to take control of my life, the first
thing I must do is produce the books. A good way to begin this examination of
the books is to test my life beside the Sermon on the Mount. The Oxford Group, 352. “If when a trader
finds his way into bankruptcy court, it is revealed that for years he has not
taken stock, he is very severely censured. The
Oxford Group, 352. “Moral recovery starts when everyone admits his own
faults instead of spot-lighting the other fellow’s The Oxford Group, 353.
[Five] “A.A. literature strongly suggests that James 5:16 was the
foundation for the Fifth Step. That the James verse was in fact the root of
A.A.’s confession Step is born out by the fact that the Oxford Group often
cited James 5:16 in connection with its “sharing for confession.” So did Sam
Shoemaker. And Anne Smith three times mentioned this verse in connection with
admitting one’s faults or sins.” “The Fifth Step concept of being honest with
God, with another, and with yourself in your admission of shortcomings, was
also a well established Oxford Group principle”—specifically mentioned by
Shoemaker and Anne Smith. The Oxford
Group & Alcoholics Anonymous, 312. Shoemaker wrote: “We are usually
guided to share our part in the wrong. The other person may have been primarily
responsible for the trouble, but if our resentment, anger, self-pity was wrong,
let us share that.” New Light, 168.
[Six] In many ways, the “Five C.’s” (Confidence, Confession,
Conviction, Conversion, and Continuance) were at the heart of the Oxford
Group’s “art”—a practical program action for changing lives. These five C’s were
embraced by Shoemaker. They are mentioned in A.A.’s own Conference-approved
literature. The Oxford Group,
312-313. They were, in my opinion, the heart of Bill Wilson’s Steps. A.A.’s Sixth
Step had to do with “repentance” or “willingness to be changed.” Some
historians, including Dick B., believe the Oxford Group’s “Conviction” idea was codified in A.A.’s Sixth Step. And it meant
that, after doing the first Five Steps, the newcomer needed to be ready to
let God remove all things he has admitted to be objectionable. The newcomer
had become “convicted” and convinced of, and his conceded, his sinful or
objectionable behavior; and he was ready to turn to God for help in getting rid
of them. The Oxford Group, 312-313.
“Any remnant of resentment, hatred or grudge blocks God out effectively.” The Oxford Group, 352.
[Seven] This step can be traced to origins in the Oxford Group’s
fourth “C”—Conversion. Anne Smith and
the Oxford Group suggested God can remove
sins or shortcomings. And the idea of humility—humbly
asking God’s help in such a problem—was a common one in the Bible and in Sam
Shoemaker’s thinking. Shoemaker linked the request to the injunction in James
4:7: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.” The
life-change, transformation, or conversion that took place when one
“surrendered” and “gave his life to God” was much discussed and possibly little
understood in early A.A. Frank Buchman made it simple for his Oxford Group
followers. He spoke of “Sin, Jesus Christ, and the result, a miracle.” For
those who chose to speak in New Testament terms, surrender and conversion were
rooted in John 3:3-8—being born again of the Spirit. The Oxford Group, 313-315.
[Eight] Anne Smith’s Journal spoke of making a list. The Oxford
Group frequently spoke of “restitution,” but at least one writer specifically used
the word “amends.” A number of Bible verses were quoted in connection with
restitution. Several came from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The starting point
seemed to be Jesus’ statement: “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou
art in the way with him. . .” Once again, the concept of “willingness” was
involved. The Oxford Group, 315-316.
“The first necessity is to get straight with all other people, those we have
written off our list, those we dislike and disapprove of, those with whom we
come into daily but not always wholly loving and honest contact.” New Light, 166.
[Nine] “What reception we
find in the other person is not our responsibility—only that we go to him in
love and in honesty and clear away any wrong on our side.” New Light, 169. “He sees himself being rooted out of the
comfortable old ruts, like blaming other people. . . instead of taking
responsibility himself.” New Light, 169.
“To give up sin men must do four things: Hate, Forsake, Confess, Restore.” The Oxford Group, 342. “Have you looked
back into your life and carefully considered every wrong you have ever done to
anybody and endeavored to set it right?” The
Oxford Group, 343.
[Ten] Shoemaker wrote: (a) “Conversion is the beginning, not the
ending of an experience of God. That experience continues when we use all the
means Jesus Christ put at our disposal for continuation—prayer, the Scriptures,
the Church and Sacraments, Christian fellowship and worship.” (b) “We believe
entirely that conversion is the experience which initiates the new life. But we
are not fools enough to think that the beginning is the end! All subsequent
life is a development of the relationship with God which conversion opened.”
(c) “There is need for rededication day by day, hour by hour, by which progressively,
in every Quiet Time, the contaminations of sin and self-will are further
sloughed off. . . . We shall need, in this sense, to keep surrendering as long
as we live.” (d) “Lastly, they want means to live this life of grace. . . . Let
us not forget the words of the shrewd and great-hearted Paul, that we should
give “not the Gospel of God only, but also our souls,” sharing our best, and
not hiding our worst—humble, earnest, frank, glad, and above all loving. It is
the greatest work in the world.” By the Power
of God, 121-122.
[Eleven] In the Big Book, essentially the process is divided into
four groupings: (1) What one does on retiring
in reviewing his or her day and how well the “continuance” in the Tenth Step
was practiced. (2) What one does on
awakening by seeking God’s further guidance. (3) What one does to grow in spiritual understanding by
way of church services, devotional time, prayer, and the use of helpful books.
(4) What one does all through the day
in order to abide by God’s will and seek His guidance—avoiding anxiety, doubt,
and frustration. Dick B.’s By the Power
of God quotes at length Shoemaker’s statements on this “Continuance”
“prayer and meditation” step: (a) “We have had altogether too much indefinite
exhortation to pray and read our Bibles, and too little definite information as
to how to do either.” (b) “The chief thing that I want to emphasize about our
use of the Bible is not so much the way each of us shall pursue our study of
it, as the setting apart of a definite time each morning for this, together
with prayer. . .” (c) “Whatever be one’s theories about prayer, two things
stand: man will pray as long as God and he exist, and the spiritual life cannot
be lived without it. . . . But it is an art—the art of discerning God’s
will—and one must learn it.” (d) “I plead again for the keeping of the “Morning
Watch.” (e) “A full-orbed Quiet Time means Bible study, prayer, ample time to
wait upon God in quiet, writing down what is given to us.” (f) “Let great
prayers help you to pray. Make frequent use of books of prayer.” By the Power of God, 128.
[Twelve] Sam Shoemaker contributed many ideas on “spiritual
experience” and Bill’s substituted language of “spiritual awakening,” both of
which phrases and ideas were part of the Oxford Group lexicon. Here also, the
Big Book segregates the Twelve Step ideas into parts. The three parts are: (a)
Spiritual experience. (b) Carrying the message. (c) Practicing the principles.
And here, in sketch form, are Shoemaker’s ideas and where you can find them:
(a)
The awakening:
(1) Establishing a relationship with God. A spiritual experience. Consciousness
of the presence of God. (3) God’s Coming into our lives. (4) Ye must be born
again. (5) “Ye shall have power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you”
By the Power of God, 135.
(b)
Carrying the
message: (1) “I told him that the only way to keep religion is to give it
away. . . . Give what you can right away; it will increase as you give it.” (2)
“Get them into the stream of God’s will and God’s grace, till they ask Him to
use them to reconcile others. They will not keep this unless they give it
away.” (3) “The best way to keep what you have is to give it away, and no
substitute has ever been found for personal Christian witness.” By the Power of God, 136. (4) “The
deepest thing in the Christian religion is not anything that we can do for God,
it is what God has already done for us.” (5) “Do not marvel at what God has
done through you, for you may wind up merely marveling at you; but marvel at
what God has done for you, for He has had compassion on you and is saving you
unto eternal life.” By the Power of God, 139
(c)
Practice these
principles: (1) The Four Absolutes: “Dr.
Robert E. Speer, in one of his books, had said that the essence of the Sermon
on the Mount was the Four Absolutes: Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love.”
”He gave me the four absolutes principles of Christ: honesty, purity,
unselfishness and love, and asked me how my life stacked up beside them.” By the Power of God, 141. (2) The Sermon on the Mount: “Seek ye first
the kingdom. . . and all these things shall be added” became living to me as
part of my own experience.” “It will be a great day for the Christian cause when
the world begins to realize that “Thy will be done’ does not belong on
tombstones, but ought to be graven into the lives of eager men and women who
have enlisted in God’s warfare beyond return and recall.” By the Power of God, 141. (3) 1
Corinthians 13: “Love never faileth.” By
the Power of God, 143. (4) The Book
of James: “ [C]an you visualize
our people, as Franklin urged, ‘humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understandings.’” By the Power of God, 144.
Having in mind that the basic ideas for the Twelve Steps came from the
Bible, that the replacements came from Shoemaker’s Oxford Group, and further,
that Bill had shifted his emphasis from the Creator to some “higher power,”
here are the discernible sources of Big Book Twelve Step language:
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