Each year, the managers of The Wilson House in East Dorset, Vermont, have invited author Dick B. to present a weekend seminar on some facet of early A.A.’s historical roots in the Bible. The Wilson House is the birthplace of A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson, the location of his final resting place, and the owner of Griffith House Library, where all of Dick’s titles can be seen and studied. The Griffith House has also acquired a large segment of the 23,900 historical items Dick has collected in his eleven years of research and used in the publication of his writings.

The Golden Text of A.A. is not just the title of one of Dick’s seminars, nor the title of this particular book. It is a phrase taken from page 191 of the Third Edition of A.A.’s basic textbook, Alcoholics Anonymous. The phrase epitomizes A.A., its reliance on our Creator, and its simple formula for success--as the first three AAs saw the picture. The three were Bill Wilson, co-founder, and erstwhile stockbroker; Dr. Bob Smith, co-founder, and physician; and Bill Dotson, who was called A.A. Number Three. The trio gave God the credit for their cure. They felt compelled to tell others about the Creator’s power. And Dr. Bob capped it off by saying in his story in the Big Book: "Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!" (p. 181).

This book tells you what the A.A. pioneers thought about God Almighty: They believed in Him. They understood who God is. He was not some ill-defined "higher power." They used biblical words to describe Him. And only when a few entertained some fear of being "God-bitten" did compromise and dilution begin. Originally, willing unbelievers came to believe in God; and they believed that, when sought, God heals.

Their path to a relationship to God was based on coming to Him through Jesus Christ. They sought to do God’s will. They were rewarded for their reliance by being healed. They adopted yardsticks from the Bible by which they could conduct their lives. And they formulated and preached a simple message much like that in the Gospels and the Book of Acts.

You will learn the golden text they adopted. You will see that they had received the power of God they so earnestly sought. You will be given proof that they gave God the glory and then expressed their gratitude by deed and word. There is a plea for willing believers to seek healing today through God. Readers are reminded that "self-help" does not cut it; that medical and psychological help have not cut it; and that four early factors provide a solution today: A fellowship of those needing help. A healing and cure by God Almighty. A program that changes lives. And a message of victory to carry.

Vague expressions like "spirituality" were simmered to their essence in early A.A. and simply meant reliance upon the Creator and a life based on love and service as Bill and Bob put it.

Paradise Research Publications, Inc.; 76 pp.; 6 x 9; perfect bound; 1999; $14.95; ISBN: 1-885803-29-X.