SemperFiDawg
Political Forum Arbiter of Truth (And Lies Too)
This came to me again today when I sat in a support group whose entire premise is that help is only available from God through forming a relationship with God, though not specifically Jesus Christ. Because of that I think about this quote of C.S. Lewis quite frequently. Many members enter as atheist/ agnostic or others who would never dream of gracing the doors of a church, yet almost every one of them, over time, will come to form a real relationship with God. Some will go further and embrace Christ ,or re-embrace Him (as most have at least an elementary concept of Christ from early childhood teaching) but some just are content to have that relationship with the God they have formed a personal relationship with. They won't pursue it further to the point of recognizing Christ as savior for various reasons, though they universally, conceptually realize that it was God who saved them and will freely and eagerly voice that to anyone who will listen.
Like I said, I ponder this subject almost daily, but I'm not God and I don't make judgements one way or the other. What's odd is that this group and others like them have taken quite a bit of criticism from the Christian community for NOT exclusively preaching Jesus. I find this distressing for a number of reasons, but primarily because, like I said, many members enter as atheist/agnostics or individuals who absolutely despise any hint of the concept of religion or the concept of GOD, yet DO come to form a relationship with God and go on to accept Christ on their own.
The Christian Post printed an article entitled "Is it OK for a Christian to attend AA?" (AA or Alcoholics Anonymous is THE BLUEPRINT for almost all self-help groups out there from Narcotics Anonymous, Alanon, Gamblers Anonymous, and most Christian based self help groups also. It's representativeness is why I chose the article. In the article https://www.christianpost.com/news/...-to-attend-alcoholics-anonymous-meetings.html theologian John Piper
Thoughts???
Like I said, I ponder this subject almost daily, but I'm not God and I don't make judgements one way or the other. What's odd is that this group and others like them have taken quite a bit of criticism from the Christian community for NOT exclusively preaching Jesus. I find this distressing for a number of reasons, but primarily because, like I said, many members enter as atheist/agnostics or individuals who absolutely despise any hint of the concept of religion or the concept of GOD, yet DO come to form a relationship with God and go on to accept Christ on their own.
The Christian Post printed an article entitled "Is it OK for a Christian to attend AA?" (AA or Alcoholics Anonymous is THE BLUEPRINT for almost all self-help groups out there from Narcotics Anonymous, Alanon, Gamblers Anonymous, and most Christian based self help groups also. It's representativeness is why I chose the article. In the article https://www.christianpost.com/news/...-to-attend-alcoholics-anonymous-meetings.html theologian John Piper
which seems to me to directly contradict what C.S. Lewis stated in the quote and isn't thisdid take issue over the non-sectarian nature of the 12-step program, stating that “the most serious omission of A.A. is not that the higher power is unnamed.”...But the most glaring omission is the entire transaction between God and man in Christ Jesus at the cross. The cross is missing. The atonement for sin is missing,” said Piper.
“Without this — a grasp of this vertical alienation between us and God and the price paid on the cross to overcome that alienation — even adding the name God or Jesus to the higher power will become a religious technique rather than an act of redemption …”
just saying "The most serious problem is not that AA doesn't mention Jesus by name. The most serious problem is that they don't mention Jesus by name?"the most serious omission of A.A. is not that the higher power is unnamed.”...But the most glaring omission is the entire transaction between God and man in Christ Jesus at the cross.
Thoughts???
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