Is AA Christian? Its Roots and an Honest Answer
AA is not a Christian organization. It says plainly that it isn’t allied with any sect or denomination, and its members believe many different things. But it was born out of a Christian movement, its steps are full of God, prayer and confession, and a believer can work them with full faith in Jesus.
So the honest answer is “not officially, but more than most people think.” Here’s the history, what’s Christian about it, what isn’t, and what that means if you’re a believer deciding whether to walk in.
Where AA came from
According to AA’s own history, the fellowship began in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, when Bill W., a New York stockbroker, met Dr. Bob S., an Akron surgeon. Both were alcoholics. Both had already spent time with the Oxford Group.
The Oxford Group was a Christian movement started in the early 1920s by Frank Buchman, a Lutheran minister. It taught that people should surrender their lives to God, admit their wrongs honestly, confess them to another person, make restitution to the people they had hurt, listen for God’s guidance in quiet time, and share their faith with others. In the United States it was led at the time by Samuel Shoemaker, an Episcopal clergyman.
Bill got sober under that influence, after an old drinking friend who had found faith visited him. When Bill and Dr. Bob began helping other alcoholics, they used what the Oxford Group had taught them. Within a few years, the alcoholics went their own way and formed their own fellowship. In 1939 they published the book that gave the movement its name, and the core of that book became known as the Twelve Steps.
You can read AA’s own account on its page about the start and growth of AA.
What’s Christian about the steps
Put the Twelve Steps next to the New Testament and the overlap is hard to miss.
- Admitting you can’t save yourself. Step 1 is an admission of powerlessness. Paul said much the same about his own struggle with sin.
- Turning to God. Step 3, in the 1939 wording, is a decision “to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
- Confession. Step 5 is admitting your wrongs to God, to yourself and to another person. James tells believers to confess their sins to each other.
- Making things right. Steps 8 and 9 are about making amends, which echoes Jesus’ call to be reconciled with your brother.
- Prayer. Step 11 is prayer and meditation, seeking God’s will and the power to carry it out.
- Serving others. Step 12 is carrying the message to people who are still suffering.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
None of those ideas started with AA. The founders got them from Christians, who got them from Scripture.
What isn’t Christian about it
It’s equally important to be honest about the differences.
God is left unnamed. The steps speak of “God as we understood Him” and “a Power greater than ourselves.” That wording was chosen on purpose so that people of any faith, or no faith yet, could start. A meeting won’t tell you that God is the Father of Jesus Christ. For more on that phrase, read Higher power vs God.
Jesus isn’t central. AA doesn’t preach the cross, salvation or the church. Prayers in meetings are usually the Serenity Prayer or the Lord’s Prayer, but there’s no teaching about who Jesus is.
Members believe many things. In one room you may sit beside a Catholic, a Baptist, an agnostic and someone who is angry at God. That’s by design. AA’s only aim is to help people stay sober and help other alcoholics.
It isn’t a church. It doesn’t baptize, take communion, or offer pastoral care. It never claimed to.
What Christians tend to say about it
Believers land in different places, and each view is held sincerely.
Some Christians love AA. They say God used the rooms to save their lives, and that meetings gave them people who understood drinking in a way their church couldn’t. They see their faith and the steps as working together.
Others are cautious. They worry the vague language about God can lead people to settle for a spirituality that never gets to Jesus. They’d rather work the steps in a Christ-centered group where Scripture is open on the table.
Many Christians do both: a 12-step meeting during the week, and church and a small group on the weekend. They bring their faith into the meeting quietly, and they bring what they learn in the meeting back to church.
If you’re a Christian thinking about going
Here’s what’s true in practice:
- You can name God as Jesus in your own heart and in your own prayers. Nobody will stop you.
- You don’t have to share in a meeting. You can sit in the back and listen.
- If you share about your faith, keep it about your own experience. That’s the custom in most rooms, and it’s how you’ll be heard.
- Meetings differ a lot. If one feels cold, try another. Many meet in church buildings and have plenty of believers in them.
- A human sponsor who shares your faith can help you work the steps with Scripture.
For a fair look at church groups and other paths, read Christian alternatives to AA. For how the steps look with Jesus at the center, read What is a Christian 12 step program?
What Scripture says about borrowed truth
Paul once stood in Athens before an altar marked “to an unknown god.” He didn’t tear it down. He told the people who that God really was.
“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”
Many Christians in recovery see the steps the same way. The steps point toward a God they leave unnamed. You get to name Him.
A question to ask yourself
If the real reason you haven’t gone to a meeting is not doctrine but fear of being seen, be honest about that. Then ask: “What would I lose by trying one meeting this week?”
A prayer
“Lord Jesus, You know where I should go for help. Keep me from using my questions as an excuse to stay home. Lead me to people who will help me get sober, and keep me close to You in every room I walk into. Amen.”
Not sure where to begin? Start here.
Common questions
Is AA a Christian organization?
No. AA describes itself as not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution. Its members hold many beliefs, and some hold none. It is not a church and doesn't ask anyone to join one.
Is AA based on Christian principles?
In large part, yes, by way of its history. The founders learned honesty, confession, making restitution, prayer and helping others from the Oxford Group, a Christian movement. AA kept those practices and dropped the church language so that anyone could use them.
Can a Christian go to AA without compromising their faith?
Many do. You're free to understand God as the God of the Bible and to pray in Jesus' name. Nobody in a meeting can tell you what to believe. Some Christians pair meetings with a church recovery group for shared faith.
Is Steps & Scripture part of AA?
No. Steps & Scripture is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. or any recovery organization. It's a separate Christian app that encourages people to go to meetings and church.
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