‘My name is Paul, and I am an alcoholic.’
With these words I introduce myself to the meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous that I have attended for the last 16 years.
They are significant words. They imply difference and that implied difference often has church members (and leaders) feeling out of their depth when confronted by an individual alcoholic. But I want to suggest that the little known Oxford Group (not to be confused with the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement), from whom modern AA emerged in the 1930s, can help evangelical churches recover the issue for Christ.
Beyond getting drunk
Proverbs 23.29-35 shows that the Bible is fully aware of the problem that today we call alcoholism. It is a vivid description not only of the ill effects of getting drunk, but also of the craving that results from persistent alcoholic drinking. It ends with the words every alcoholic will recognise: ‘When will I wake up so I can find another drink?’ Much of the AA 12-step programme is drawn from biblical principles which they received from the Oxford Group. From them they got the idea that alcoholism is a spiritual malady requiring a spiritual solution. If they are right (and I think they are), then why is the church not providing that solution?
