"Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one of course." (The opening sentences of Bill W.'s "12 & 12")
"There are not many who have been willing to follow Luther as he is 'forced to confess' the captivation of the will...Yet what a vast difference it makes for a preacher to stand before a congregation and assume their will are bound rather than to stand before a group and assume their wills are merely in need of motivation." (Paulson, from p. xi of Forde's "The Captivation of the Will", introduction)
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4 comments:
These are wonderful words of true hope, Mr. Camp. The issue seems to be: Does Jesus save, or does he lead by example? If he does not the former, how dreadful the latter.
Great words John! Keep fighting the good fight!
Its amazing how this truth of the bound will can change one's preaching for the better. I know its been true for me. It allows me to speak from where my parishioners are (which is the same place I'm in) and, therefore, preach realistically to what they are dealing with. Even though I dont have great public speaking skills like you dad for example, I can speak to the heart of the matter, and that makes ALL the difference.
Alex
STEP ONE
Powerlessness, Twelve-Steppism, and the Siege Mentality
"We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable."(2)
The idea that he is powerless over alcohol lets the user off the hook by absolving him from personal responsibility for his addiction while simultaneously granting ultimate power to the addiction itself, power so great as to be invincible by human standards. Only the supernatural is credited with having power enough, not to defeat the addiction, but to hold the monster at bay under caveat that the individual must completely relinquish personal autonomy or die of his addiction. The drug itself, in this case alcohol, is anthropomorphized. It is not only characterized as being powerful, but is imbued with the skills to be cunning and baffling. These concepts are so basic to Twelve Step theology that they have become ritualized and are read at the opening of virtually all A.A. meetings. This flawed premise, impotence of the individual, forms the basis of all A.A. indoctrination and must be reinforced constantly, not only in group meetings, but also in the day to day lives of the membership at large.
"AAers seek a relationship with the supernatural in order to cease managing their own lives...The AA concept of control differs significantly from the concept of control presented to drunkards by the rest of society...AA...tells the newcomer that his life is unmanageable and that it is ridiculous for him to try to manage it....By deliberately denying the ability to control their lives, Aaers' former drunken situations are [hypothetically] brought under control...Most importantly, abstinence is not considered a kind of control...Aaers insist that abstinence is possible only when powerlessness is conceded. AA offers supportive interaction in which powerlessness comes to be positively valued." (3) (4)
Firmly entrenched in this irrational mind-set, the AAers circle the wagons, rigorously proscribing all communication which may question cult teachings, even to the point of ritualistically defining the method of expression and framework within which anything may be said in a meeting. "People disagreeing with [the] ideology...are likely to be criticized, punished, and eventually excluded or shunned by the group."(5)
I, MICKY, AM A GIFT TO ALL PEOPLE!!
MICKY - http://michael-micky.blogspot.com/
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