"Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?" (Jeremiah 23:29)
Kenneth Copeland declared, “Standing in the Office of the Prophet of God, I execute judgement on you, COVID 19.” Three times he demanded “a vaccination to come immediately.”
Copeland prophesied, “It is finished. It is over. And the United States of America is healed and well again, sayeth the mighty Spirit of peace…”
“Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. (Ezekiel 22:28)
According to Fox5ny.com:
TAMPA, Fla. – The pastor of a Tampa megachurch is facing charges after refusing to close its doors despite a “safer at home” order in effect in Hillsborough County, meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. The sheriff of Hillsborough County says one of two Sunday services had up to 500 people in attendance.
Sheriff Chad Chronister and State Attorney Andrew Warren on Monday announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne. Continue to article and video…
Related: Rodney Howard Browne, the heretic who laid hands on Trump by Pastor Bill Randles
Alcoholics Anonymous “slowly exposed people to the notion that they could get the power of God [higher power] without the dogma, the doctrine, and the outdated rules. Without the church, in fact. It was a kind of mini-Reformation, cutting out yet another middleman between ordinary people and God. Only it just wasn’t the pope being eliminated this time. It was the preacher and the Bible and tradition.”
Source: Christine Wicker, The Fall of the Evangelical Nation, pg.139
Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You. (Psalm 119:38)
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” (John 4:34)
Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. (Psalm 95:6)
A great resource in these times. So many great videos on discernment, apologetics, questions about the Scriptures, and more. Take a quick look.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:20)
Okay, so, who had rights to royalties from the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, and other books written by A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson?
According to Pulitzer Prize winner Nan Robertson, “Royalties from [A.A. co-founder] Wilson’s books would ultimately give him and [wife] Lois a comfortable home.” (Getting Better: Inside Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 69)
Robertson notes there was also “…1.5 percent for Helen W., Bill’s last and most enduring mistress.” (pg.69) (emphasis mine)
Bill Wilson wasn’t a Christian. He never portrayed himself as one. That, unfortunately, never stopped now deceased pro-A.A. author Dick B. and others from claiming this. The stakes are high over this incorrect assertion. Until we understand where the 12 Steps came from, and the non-Christian spirituality of both Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, nothing will change.
Francis Hartigan was the secretary for Lois Wilson, Bill’s wife, for thirteen years. He had many conversations with Lois about Bill. Hartigan writes:
“[A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson’s] belief in God might have become unshakable, but he could never embrace any theology or even the divinity of Jesus, and he went to his grave unable to give his own personal idea of God much definition. In this sense, he was never very far removed from the unbelievers.”(emphasis mine) (From the Francis Hartigan book, Bill W., pg. 123)
“But twelve-step programs made one critical change in Christian ideas. They switched from God to a ‘Higher Power’ of each person’s understanding, which doesn’t necessarily mean any god anyone else has ever seen or thought of. This Higher Power, this made-up god, has healing force that had previously been reserved only for known gods. Sometimes twelve-step leaders, in trying to explain how loose this concept is, will say, ‘That doorknob could be your god.’”
Source: Christine Wicker, The Fall of the Evangelical Nation, pg.139
Thus says the LORD, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16)
Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. (Jeremiah 2:11)
Why have so many rejected the Christ of the Bible? Why have so many created a god of their own understanding? What happened?
Emergent leader Phyllis Tickle, now deceased, knew one key reason.
“As Phyllis Tickle has noted, the development of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) probably did as much as other, more celebrated events to undermine our concept of religion. Emerging in the late 1930s, AA made it acceptable to talk about a generic God–a ‘higher power.’” (emphasis mine)
You can find the above statement in A Heretic’s Guide To Eternity, by Spencer Burke (The Ooze) and Barry Taylor, pg. 34-35, foreword by Brian McLaren.
Burke and Taylor further note what AA has brought on us. Of course, they see it as a good thing: “Consequently, a generation of people began speaking about God in new ways not previously sanctioned by the consensual illusion–and traditional religious perspectives began to change as a result.”
Yes. And what a change it has been.
In the ground-breaking article by Jack Alexander, an article which is now official “A.A. General Conference-approved literature,” here is how the “god” of Alcoholics Anonymous can be defined: “Any concept of the Higher Power is acceptable. [The alcoholic] may choose to think of his Inner Self, the miracle of growth, a tree, man’s wonderment at the physical universe, the structure of the atom, or mere mathematical infinity. Whatever form is visualized, the neophyte is taught he must rely on it and, in his own way, to pray to the power for strength.”(emphasis mine)***
The article notes that even a tree can be worshiped. Interestingly, the Bible refers to this: Who say to a tree, “You are my Father,” And to a stone, “You gave me birth.” For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. (Jeremiah 2:27)
In The Fall of the Evangelical Nation, secular author Christine Wicker credits Alcoholics Anonymous with “hastening the fall of the evangelical church.” (pg. 134-138)
Wicker states A.A.’s Twelve Step program “slowly exposed people to the notion that they could get the [higher power] without the dogma, the doctrine, and the outdated rules. Without the church in fact.” This has removed the authority and influence of “the preacher and the Bible and tradition.” (pg. 134-38)
Heretic Brian McLaren attacks biblical understanding, and tries to revise both God and the Bible in his book, A New Kind of Christianity. In his chapter on reinterpreting God’s Word, he notes, “Even for those of us on this quest, breaking out of centuries-old habits won’t be easy…” (A New Kind of Christianity pg. 85-86) In the same paragraph, McLaren makes an interesting statement. “No wonder those of us who want and need to change our approach [to the Bible] may need to form twelve-step groups to deprogram our thinking.’” (Ibid., pg. 85-86)(emphasis mine)
McLaren knows this has already happened–and is continuing to happen–through both Christian and cultural acceptance of 12 Step spirituality. Unlike numerous Bible-believing pastors who allow 12 Step groups to meet in their churches, the Emergent leaders are clearly aware of what Alcoholics Anonymous has brought about.
Can we just admit it? Alcoholics Anonymous teaches precisely what Jesus Christ warns against: The Broad Way.
According to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book (the A.A. “bible”), “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of the Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God.” (pg. 55) (emphasis mine)
The Lord tells us, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13)
Give credit where credit is due. The false church will have contemplative roots, perhaps even Catholic roots, but we have not yet realized the spiritual destruction Alcoholics Anonymous has birthed.
*** The Jack Alexander article with the anti-biblical higher power definition can be read here.
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)
This excellent radio ministry is reportedly being shadow-banned by Facebook, probably because they are bold, biblical, and continue to Stand Up For The Truth. Many of us have some extra time at home these days–why not use it to support the ministry by tuning in? The show is one hour per day. Live or podcast, and with the FB page as well. Strong in discernment, apologetics, and with excellent guests.
According to SUFTT’s website:
“Twelve-Step programs are in essence…[a]rchetypical precursors of a one-world religion,” write Martin and Deidre Bobgan. [1]
Three anti-biblical principles are percolating away in Alcoholics Anonymous. We find them in the 12 Steps. These are: 1) denial of the biblical Savior, Jesus Christ; 2) generic, Christ-less versions of “sin” and “repentance”; and 3) the use of (unholy) meditation.
So, where is all this in Alcoholics Anonymous theology? Let’s take a look:
Spiritual Principle Number One: Alcoholics Anonymous promulgates the “higher power” concept (3rd Step). This can be anything from a bird to Buddha to bubble bath; a spirit, a new age “jesus,” the universe or … you get my point here. In A.A. theology, Jesus Christ is reduced to one higher power among many. In other words, it does not matter what you believe in, only that you believe in something.
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11)
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Spiritual Principle Number Two: The twelve steps feature generic replacements for biblical repentance and sin (5th, 6th, and 7th Steps):
Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the nature of our wrongs.
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects or character.
Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove all these defects of character.
Through the dominance and proliferation of twelve step programs, we already have millions of “spiritual, not religious”* people who have been taught it is okay to design or imagine a higher power; and who believe they are right with their “god” because they have confessed “wrongs” and asked the higher power to remove “defects of character.”
The biblical Savior, sin, and repentance are unpopular subjects in the vast majority of twelve step meetings.
Yet, without Christ, there is no forgiveness of sin. The Bible tells us: For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Spiritual Principle Number Three: Meditation (A.A.’s 11th Step).
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
A proverb from “the Hindu spiritual tradition” [2] is the beginning of the popular A.A. meditation book, Twenty-Four Hours A Day by Richmond Walker. Walker’s book, published in the 1940s, encourages entrance into the contemplative silence. Much of Twenty-four Hours A Day is based on the blasphemous book, God Calling, which was written via the occultic practice of automatic writing.
Richmond Walker, like A.A. co-founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, had been a member of the ecumenical Oxford Group, which was at the heighth of its popularity in the 1930s.
Initially presented by pro-A.A. author Dick B. and others as a Christian movement, the Oxford Group should be viewed as an anti-biblical root of Alcoholics Anonymous.**
In his sermon, The Oxford Group Movement: Is It Scriptural? Pastor H.A. Ironside stated that the Oxford Group “appeals to people who reject the inspiration of [the Bible] as well as to those who profess to believe it; it appeals to people who deny the Deity of Christ as well as to those who acknowledge it; to those who deny the eternal punishment of sin as well as to those who believe in it. Here in our city it is openly endorsed by the Swedenborgians and by the leaders of the Unitarians.” [3]
Yet, in terms of influence upon A.A., it is the Oxford Group’s approach to meditation that has far too often been overlooked. H.A. Ironside also gave this warning: “Each [Oxford Group] member is urged … to sit quietly with the mind emptied of every thought … waiting for God to say something to them…. Sometimes they tell me nothing happens, at other times the most amazing things come. Tested by the Word of God, many of these things are unscriptural. They lay themselves open for demons to communicate their blasphemous thoughts to them.”[4] (emphasis mine)
Since early A.A. members came out of the Oxford Group, did this dangerous and deceptive meditation practice come with them?
“In A.A. circles however, ‘meditation’ also took on some of the characteristics of what the Oxford Group called ‘having a morning quiet time.’ So A.A. members might in fact, not only read and think about what the reading for the day said in their meditational book, but also spend a short time blanking out all their conscious thoughts and just remaining still and quiet in God’s presence, while waiting for God’s guidance to give them instructions for the day,” writes A.A. historian Glenn C. [5] (emphasis mine)
A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson encouraged alcoholics to seek meditative knowledge wherever it could be found–so this could be in Hinduism, Buddhism, distant libraries, the local Catholic church, or anywhere else. He states, “The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. The world’s libraries and places of worship are a treasure trove for all seekers.” [6]
Obviously, A.A. does not emphasize adherence to biblical meditation. During biblical meditation, the mind remains active as we ponder and ruminate upon Scripture. This is far, far removed from mind-emptying New Age/Eastern meditation and so-called “contemplative prayer.”
Contemplative prayer is essentially the same as New Age/Eastern meditation, but is presented with Christian terminology. In the New Age/Eastern/contemplative practice, the goal is to enter into the silence, and it is here that profound spiritual deception can occur. Not every single A.A. member engages in the wide-open meditation of the 11th Step.
Still, it should be understood that A.A.’s spirituality has torn through the culture and the Body of Christ, dictating for many the very understanding of God. Beware unholy meditation and “higher power” theology. Beware the 12 Step system of Alcoholics Anonymous, the modern temple of the gods.
I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8)
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; (Ephesians 5:11)
Endnotes:
1. Martin and Deidre Bobgan, 12 Steps to destruction, pg. 116
2. Richmond Walker and the Twenty-Four Hour Book by Glenn C.
3. The Oxford Group Movement: Is It Scriptural? (Sermon by H.A. Ironside)
4. The Oxford Group Movement: Is It Scriptural? (Sermon by H.A. Ironside)
5. Twelve-Step Meditation, Part 1, Meditation in traditional spirituality by Glenn C.
6. Bill Wilson, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 98
* This A.A.cliche has gone mainstream.
** Walter Houston Clark noted, “Neither is [the Oxford Group] concerned with what a person’s beliefs are or even that he have a belief at all. If a person remonstrates that he cannot believe in God, he is told to act as if there were one, and to see what happens. The Group practice of religion is highly pragmatic…” (Walter Houston Clark, The Oxford Group: Its History and Significance, pgs. 110-111)
The Word Like Fire 