Why Can't Church Be More Like an AA Meeting?: And Other Questions Christians Ask about Recovery

by Stephen R. Haynes

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 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 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 the admission that, despite appearances, we are not fine.

Genres: Christian

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2021

About the author

Stephen R. Haynes is Professor of Religious Studies, Albert Bruce Curry Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College. Dr. Haynes holds a Ph.D. in Religion and Literature from Emory University, the M. Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary, an M. A. from Florida State University, and a B. A. from Vanderbilt University. Professor Haynes has been at Rhodes since 1989 and offers courses on the Holocaust, the Bible and its reception, religion and reconciliation, and religion and addiction. In addition to these subjects, he has research interests in Jewish-Christian relations, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the biblical justifications for slavery and segregation. Dr. Haynes was ODK Untenured Teacher of the Year at Rhodes in 1993 and SGA Outstanding Faculty Member in 1995. In 1997 he received the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Research and in 2001 was awarded the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching. He is also a graduate of Leadership Memphis. Since 2016 he has directed the Rhodes Liberal Arts in Prison Program at West Tennessee State Penitentiary.

Reviews

[Norman Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book on recovery and the church by prominent Bonhoeffer scholar Stephen Haynes (I know, I was also surprised).

It’s a great read. Haynes documents how frequently Christians have actually asked — and continue to ask —why the church can’t be more like AA. This fact alone suggests that we may be missing something that recovery communities can give us.
I found the survey material throughout the book especially insightful because it outlines the sometimes helpful and the sometimes-not-so helpful ways churches across the spectrum have answered the question in the book title.

Highly recommended for people in the church business, regardless of prior familiarity with twelve-step programs or not.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book, very detailed and well researched. A bit more info on the history of AA and its offshoots than most people would want, but useful for pastors, seminaries and anyone working in recovery/addictions. Haynes presents a balanced view of many sides approaching the AA model, whether mainline, evangelical or secular. The research is a great model for those studying other areas of concern, such as sexuality and gender, marriage and family therapy and mental health. I wish more books were written with this level of thoroughness and careful writing while still being readable beyond academic circles.

[Kellece Branner]

Excellent book detailing AA’s traditions and the unique sense of unconditional acceptance it provides. It details the progression of Christian acceptance of AA, as well as later adaptation of its methods into the traditional church setting. No denominations are left out, and I specifically enjoyed the part about Recovery Churches and the way that they remove the anonymous aspects of AA from their recovery doctrine. shoutout Dr. Haynes 😃

[Vicars Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful book.