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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 The Historical Bible Study Primer for AAs and Twelfth Steppers Mar 28, 2008
Here's a book that meets my need for a simple, progressing, informative approach to studying the Good Book the way early AAs did. It briefly covers early A.A. history. Then it dives into a very valuable approach to studying the Bible to learn about God, the Bible itself, Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the renewed mind walk, and the important Christian principles and practices. There is a particular focus on the Creator's personal name--Yahweh. The roots and documentation in the Bible of this important name are clearly laid out in the text and the Appendix. Sometimes people are detoured from the Bible in recovery by expressions such as "I couldn't understand it." "I can never get beyond the begats." "I can't deal with the "Thee" and "Thou" language." "A.A. is spiritual but not religious." "You can believe anything you want about God or not god or no God at all." "The word 'God' scares away newcomers." Yet many want to learn about, use, and understand the new birth, the power of God, prayer, the Bible, and the Christian precepts that abound in A.A. history. It fits well with Dick's The Good Book and The Big Book and his later title The Good Book-Big Book Guide Book. It's a great tool I can use in recovery meetings, and do.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A real instruction book for believers on A.A. history, Bible roots, and Bible study Nov 20, 2006
A while ago I wrote a brief review of this book. Then I spotted a review which talked about "tolerance" but never even seemed to mention this book or its contents. But time marches on. Since my first review, there has been an intense new interest in A.A.'s Biblical roots and history. Here are a few of the things that have risen on the scene: (1) Regular heritage seminars each year by Dick B. at the Wilson House where Bill Wilson was born and where he went to Sunday School and then nearby lived with his grandfather Griffith. (2) Several nationwide A.A. history conferences sprang up where the real roots were presented by Dick B., by Dr. Bob's son Smitty, by Ray G.--archivist at Dr. Bob's Home, and by several veteran A.A. women who had not been called on before. (3) Dick was asked to speak at Archives 2000, the event at the International Convention in Minneapolis. His topic--the roots of A.A. (4) Several websites, including four of Dick's own, began posting all kinds of important truths about the real early A.A. and pulling no punches when it came to accurate reporting. Some included NICD, aabibliography, anonymousone.com, mental health matters, silkworth.net, Bible Study Notes, and others. (5) More excellent studies by people like Mel B., Hartigan, Tom White, Susan Cheever, Nan Robertson, Raphael, and the biographers of Silkworth and Lois Wilson. (6) The actual Bill Wilson autobiography that had gathered dust for years was covered in Dick B.'s Turning Point and then published in full by Hazelden. There have been lots more appearances of history. But all these gave rise to the need for a guidebook that would tell people where to start as they picked up their Bibles and wanted their studies to bear the same kind of fruit the early AAs plucked from this "absolutely essential" source. Dick has written other titles on this subject since, but this book stands as a one-stop start on A.A. history and the Bible AAs read and you can read--as I have.
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Tolerance Oct 25, 2005
ON CULTIVATING TOLERANCE
By Dr. Bob Smith
July 1944, AA Grapevine©
During nine years in AA, I have observed that those who follow the Alcoholics Anonymous program with the greatest earnestness and zeal not only maintain sobriety but often acquire finer characteristics and attitudes as well. One of these is tolerance. Tolerance expresses itself in a variety of ways: in kindness and consideration toward the man or woman who is just beginning the march along the spiritual path; in the understanding of those who perhaps have been less fortunate in education advantages; and in sympathy toward those whose religious ideas may seem to be at great variance with our own.
I am reminded in this connection of the picture of a hub with its radiating spokes. We all start at the outer circumference and approach our destination by one of many routes. To say that one spoke is much better than all the other spokes is true only in the sense of its being best suited to you as an individual. Human nature is such that without some degree of tolerance, each one of us might be inclined to believe that we have found the best or perhaps the shortest spoke.
Without some tolerance, we might tend to become a bit smug or superior - which, of course, is not helpful to the person we are trying to help and may be quite painful or obnoxious to others. No one of us wishes to do anything that might act as a deterrent to the advancement of another - and a patronizing attitude can readily slow up this process.
Tolerance furnishes, as a by-product, a greater freedom from the tendency to cling to preconceived ideas and stubbornly adhered-to opinions. In other words, it often promotes an open-mindedness that is vastly important - is, in fact, a prerequisite to the successful termination of any line of search, whether it be scientific or spiritual.
These, then, are a few of the reasons why an attempt to acquire tolerance should be made by each one of us.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A specific Bible Study Guide from early AA for Today's AAs Oct 03, 2001
I've long awaited this book. 9 months to be exact. It was to have been a manual for studying the Bible within A.A. and other 12 Step programs. It was delayed because of the author's surgery. At the end, it became a review of what early AAs said about Bible study, about what they studied in the Bible, about what the Bible itself is, about the Bible's statements as to our Creator and His name Yahweh and His son Jesus Christ, and then about what it has to offer in terms of releases we all need--from fear, guilt, shame, failure, despair, loneliness, and so on. The appendices are specific, scholarly studies of God's name Yahweh, of the parts of the Bible Dr. Bob considered essential, and about success in A.A. yesterday compared to today. Very useful!
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