Alcoholics Anonymous group removed from directory over Christian emphasis

Jan 5, 2022 by Jill

from Christian Today:

An Alcoholics Anonymous group has been removed from the organisation’s online directory over its emphasis on Christianity.

The group continues to meet in a church in Yeovil, Somerset, but is no longer officially recognised by the AA.

The Somerset Intergroup, which oversees AA meetings in the region, took the unanimous decision to remove the Yeovil group from the directory and make it “separate” after receiving a complaint from a new member who said they felt “uncomfortable”.

Minutes from the Somerset Intergroup’s meeting describe the “Christian-based meeting” as “lovely but not along AA guidelines”.

Concerns were raised about the group declaring that “the only way to recovery is through Jesus” and its use of an AA-recognised pamphlet called ‘Came to Believe’. The pamphlet is written by 75 AA members and “offers a range of perspectives on what spirituality can look like in the context of Alcoholics”. They speak of a “Higher Power” and “God as we understood Him”.

The Somerset Intergroup said the pamphlet “has its place, but not within AA”, and that “there is nothing wrong with talking about Jesus but it is not AA”.

Read here

Watch: Colin Brazier talks to Andrea Williams of Christian Concern, from GB News