Is AA's Higher Power the God of the Bible?

AA's own literature says you can make the group your higher power. In meetings, people say it can be a doorknob. So when AA says "higher power," is it talking about the God of the Bible or something else entirely?

In part one of this conversation, Adam, Pastor Carl, and Sarah look at what AA actually teaches. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions tells the unconvinced newcomer they can make AA itself their higher power, and AA's own materials state that belief in any particular conception of God isn't necessary. We trace where that language came from, including Bill Wilson's story, Carl Jung's influence, and AA's break from the Christian Oxford Group, and why "AA started as a Christian program" doesn't hold up.

Community can bring real benefit through God's common grace, but usefulness isn't the test of truth. God doesn't leave Himself up to our own understanding. He reveals Himself in Scripture and in Jesus Christ.

If God found you in AA or NA, this isn't meant to hurt you. It's meant to draw you closer to the One who created all things.

Did you hear "higher power" in the rooms? What did it mean to you? Let us know in the comments.

Chapters
0:00 - What does AA mean by "higher power"?
0:40 - "You can make AA itself your higher power"
1:43 - AA's official stance on God
1:54 - Where did "higher power" language come from?
5:26 - Bill Wilson, Ebby, and the bright light experience
9:21 - Carl Jung's influence on AA
12:02 - Was AA originally a Christian program?
15:22 - When the group or the doorknob becomes your higher power
16:36 - Common grace and why community still helps
18:01 - God is identified, not defined
18:30 - Sincerity doesn't equal truth
19:03 - A god of your own understanding is an idol
21:00 - Walking with someone who believes in "something"
23:29 - Part 2 preview: disease or idolatry?

Coming up in Part 2: Is addiction best described as a disease or as idolatry? And if a Christian recovery program simply swaps the name Jesus in for "higher power," is the problem actually solved?

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