Do Christians need recovery? Or is recovery something needed by the church itself? Addiction-whether to a substance or to a behavior-is a problem within faith communities, just like it is everywhere else. But because churches are rarely experienced as safe places for dealing with addiction, co-addiction, or the legacy of...
Do Christians need recovery? Or is recovery something needed by the church itself?
Addiction-whether to a substance or to a behavior-is a problem within faith communities, just like it is everywhere else. But because churches are rarely experienced as safe places for dealing with addiction, co-addiction, or the legacy of family dysfunction, Christians tend to seek recovery from these conditions in Twelve-Step fellowships. Once they become accustomed to the ethos of vulnerability, acceptance, and healing that these fellowships provide, however, they are often left feeling that the church has failed them, with many asking: why can't church be more like an AA meeting?
Inspired by his own quest to find in church the sort of mutual support and healing he discovered in Twelve-Step fellowships, Stephen Haynes explores the history of Alcoholics Anonymous and its relationship to American Christianity. He shows that, while AA eventually separated from the Christian parachurch movement out of which it emerged, it retained aspects of Christian experience that the church itself has largely lost: comfort with brokenness and vulnerability, an emphasis on honesty and transparency, and suspicion toward claims to piety and respectability. Haynes encourages Christians to reclaim these distinctive elements of the Twelve-Step movement in the process of "recovering church." He argues that this process must begin with he calls "Step 0," which, as he knows from personal experience, can be the hardest step: the admission that, despite appearances, we are not fine.
$34.99
or 4 interest-free payments of $8.75 with
Order today for it to arrive in 6-8 weeks
Note: This item is a backorder. Purchase now and we’ll notify you when it’s ready for delivery or pick-up.
Do Christians need recovery? Or is recovery something needed by the church itself? Addiction-whether to a substance or to a behavior-is a problem within faith communities, just like it is everywhere else. But because churches are rarely experienced as safe places for dealing with addiction, co-addiction, or the legacy of...
Do Christians need recovery? Or is recovery something needed by the church itself?
Addiction-whether to a substance or to a behavior-is a problem within faith communities, just like it is everywhere else. But because churches are rarely experienced as safe places for dealing with addiction, co-addiction, or the legacy of family dysfunction, Christians tend to seek recovery from these conditions in Twelve-Step fellowships. Once they become accustomed to the ethos of vulnerability, acceptance, and healing that these fellowships provide, however, they are often left feeling that the church has failed them, with many asking: why can't church be more like an AA meeting?
Inspired by his own quest to find in church the sort of mutual support and healing he discovered in Twelve-Step fellowships, Stephen Haynes explores the history of Alcoholics Anonymous and its relationship to American Christianity. He shows that, while AA eventually separated from the Christian parachurch movement out of which it emerged, it retained aspects of Christian experience that the church itself has largely lost: comfort with brokenness and vulnerability, an emphasis on honesty and transparency, and suspicion toward claims to piety and respectability. Haynes encourages Christians to reclaim these distinctive elements of the Twelve-Step movement in the process of "recovering church." He argues that this process must begin with he calls "Step 0," which, as he knows from personal experience, can be the hardest step: the admission that, despite appearances, we are not fine.
Why Can't Church Be More Like An Aa Meeting?: And Other Questions Christians Ask About Recovery$34.99
Koorong code588740
ISBN9780802878854
Pages240
PublisherEerdmans
Publication date26 October 2021
Dimensions17 x 152 x 228mm
Weight0.312kg
4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review
DeliveryOrder today for it to arrive in 6-8 weeks
Returns
Enjoy peace of mind with our 60-day hassle-free returns, whether you shop online or in store.
This is a revealing and well researched book on the symbiotic relationship between the Church and the 12-Step Recovery Fellowships. The author is a Christian in an academic setting who has first hand personal experience in a 12-Step Recovery Fellowship. The book looks at the history of the 12-Step Movement, then testimonies of various Christian religious leaders who experienced recovery in 12-Step program while being shunned from their churches for their moral failures. Further multiple religious writers from differing Christian denominations express their for and against, its compatibility and critique of the Recovery movement within Scriptural norms. The book presents both sides of the argument and leaves the reader to decide for himself. The book's final chapter is titled """"What about sex addiction? (is that even a thing?)"""". With the rise of social media and high speed broadband internet pornography has become a problem outside and inside the Church. Christians will disagree on many of the answers to the questions this book poses but the author must be commended for bringing these questions out into the light.
