The Oxford Group Six Steps and the All Four Absolutes – 1962 – Sam S.

About This Speaker Tape

A high-church Episcopal priest with a sharp tongue and a deep love for the 'stumble bums' takes the podium to bridge the gap between the pulpit and the bottle. He doesn't claim the 12 Steps as his own but he treats them as a divine distillation of human experience comparing Bill W.'s inspiration to Moses descending the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Between anecdotes of a man throwing an alarm clock through a church cross and a 'St.

Bernard puppy' of a man who once stormed out of a service screaming he'd never return the speaker argues that the church has become a 'status' institution of bake sales and mink coats. He calls for a raw burning faith that moves beyond the pew and into the world insisting that the same surrender required to beat the drink is the only cure for a society sliding toward materialism and chaos.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Opening remarks and a joke about not receiving an honorarium.
• 4:15 Laughter: The 'fireplace' vs 'fire' joke regarding Episcopalians and Methodists.
• 6:30 Detailed history of Roland H. and the influence of Dr. J. on the origins of AA.
• 11:45 The story of Bill W.'s relapse on Armistice Day and the subsequent visit from Ebby T.
• 15:20 The 'alarm clock in the cross' story and the failure of early rescue missions.
• 20:10 Discussion of the 12 Steps as direct inspiration and the 'three candles' in Akron.
• 28:40 A critique of the 'half-awakened church' and the dangers of materialism.
• 35:15 The 'Ben C.' routine: using medical case histories to sneak in the gospel.
• 42:10 The story of Charlie, the 'unwilling St. Bernard' who eventually found faith.
• 48:50 Closing call to bring the spirit of recovery into hospital boards and community agencies.