The Akron Genesis and the Pioneer Program That Predates the Twelve Steps – Dick B.

About This Speaker Tape

Dick B., AA historian broadcasting from Hawaii, presents Session 3 of his roundtable series on AA's Biblical Roots — a detailed reconstruction of exactly what the Akron AA Pioneers did day by day between 1935 and 1938. He calls this his favorite session because it reveals how simple the original program was. Dick opens with Dr. Bob's own words from the conference-approved pamphlet "Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous," where Dr. Bob declared that the early AAs had no Twelve Steps, no Traditions, but were convinced that the answer to their problems was in the Good Book. The steps did not appear until 1938, almost three years after AA's founding, and Dr. Bob insisted he had nothing to do with writing them.

Dick traces Dr. Bob's spiritual formation from childhood in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, through the North Congregational Church, Sunday school, and Christian Endeavor meetings, then through a succession of churches in Akron where Dr. Bob and his wife Ann were active members. He reconstructs a typical day in pioneer AA: early morning quiet times at the Smith home led by Ann Smith, who read from her spiritual journal and the Bible, invited discussion, and served coffee and stale cookies while the sky was getting light. Teams from the "alcoholic squad" visited newcomers hospitalized at Akron City Hospital, told their stories, and on the final day Dr. Bob had the newcomer get on his knees and make surrender. Regular meetings at Clarice Williams' home opened with prayer, featured Dr. Bob reading aloud from the Sermon on the Mount, First Corinthians 13, and the Book of James, followed by discussion — with no drunkalogs and no talk of drinking.

Dick details how Akron AA differed sharply from New York and the Oxford Group: no Four Absolutes emphasis, no world-changing agenda, no Calvary Church structure. Akron was a prayer-and-Bible fellowship focused exclusively on helping drunks. He reads aloud the Frank Amos report to John D. Rockefeller Jr. — the seven-point program that produced a 75 to 93 percent success rate — covering abstinence, absolute surrender to Higher Power, removal of sin, daily devotions, willingness to help others, fellowship with reformed alcoholics, and weekly church attendance. At an earlier meeting in Rockefeller's boardroom, Albert Scott looked at what Akron was doing and said, "Why, this is First Century Christianity. What can we do to help?" Dick closes by emphasizing that these roots are documented, not speculative, and that this simple biblical program is what ultimately led to the writing of the Big Book in 1938.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction and Dr. Bob's declaration that the answer was in the Good Book
• 4:00 The Akron Genesis — Dick B.'s book and the founding at Dr. Bob's home
• 7:30 Dr. Bob's church background from St. Johnsbury through Akron
• 11:00 Dr. Bob's Bible statements and the Sermon on the Mount as AA's philosophy
• 15:00 The James Club — James, Corinthians, and the three essential Bible books
• 19:00 Akron meetings as old-fashioned prayer meetings with Bible devotionals
• 23:00 Surrender on your knees — accepting Jesus Christ before leaving the hospital
• 27:00 Christian Endeavor's influence versus Oxford Group differences
• 31:00 Ann Smith's morning quiet times — spiritual pablum, coffee, and stale cookies
• 35:00 Ann's journal on confession and the language that wound up in the Big Book
• 39:00 Hospital visits, the alcoholic squad, and daily meetings at Clarice Williams' home
• 43:00 Dr. Bob reading the Sermon on the Mount and First Corinthians aloud to the group
• 47:00 The Frank Amos report — seven points that produced 75 percent success
• 51:00 Albert Scott says this is First Century Christianity and Rockefeller approves