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A.A.,
Dr. Silkworth, and the “Great Physician”
Dick
B. © 2005 All rights reserved
Game
Bird Hunting
Trying to find the facts
about early A.A. and its influential founding
people is a lot like hunting for game birds.
When you are hunting for
pheasant, quail, and even ducks, you may
assemble a number of items before leaving
home. Probably a shot gun. Definitely some
shells. Maybe a camouflage jacket. Maybe
a horn or whistle. And hopefully a good
bird dog. The dog may be a retriever, but
more often than not, you need a hound that
can flush out the targets in their abiding
places. And you may still return home empty
handed.
My dad and I often hunted
for game birds when I was a kid. Sometimes
with a talented English Cocker. And I learned
several things about the birds.
If we were hunting pheasants,
we often beat our way through cornfields
or maize. You never saw the pheasants. The
grain was tall. And you either hoped the
pheasants would fly up as you pressed forward;
or—if you had a good bird dog—you
hoped the dog would flush out the pheasants
so that they would fly above the grain and
enable you to get a good shot.
Let’s say we were
after quail. If so, we’d drive up
into the foothills where there was lots
of brush. And once again the birds were
in hiding because you seldom got a crack
at them until something happened. The something
was that they left their shelter on hearing
you or your bird dog flushed them out where
you could wing them on the fly.
And then there were ducks.
That was a wholly different story. The ducks
were among the reeds or in the water. Some
people camouflaged themselves in hunting
jackets. Some hung out in duck blinds waiting
for some action. And some, like my dad and
I, marched along the edge of the pond looking
for action. But again, it was better when
we scared them out, or a dog did it for
us.
Now I don’t deny
there were lots of other types of birds
to go after. There were doves who were often
on the wing or on telephone poles or in
trees; but they weren’t necessarily
hiding. There were geese on their journeys
in the sky, but I never hunted for them.
But the others—the pheasants, quail,
and ducks—all had one thing in common.
They were stashed away in the grain field,
the bushes, or the reeds—sometimes
feeding, sometimes, resting, and sometimes
just quietly preparing for their next flight.
But you had to hunt them down. Also, you
had to flush them out. And, of course, you
had to get a good shot at them and be a
good shot to bring one down.
As I said, researching
A.A. history and personalities reminded
me of hunting those birds. First of all,
you had to go to a place where the birds
were likely to be hanging out. Second, you
had to work at your task and be patient.
Third, if you reached a fruitful spot, you
needed to get those birds out of hiding
and on the wing. Finally, you needed to
take good aim, be a good shot, and plan
to bag one provided all the factors had
come together.
Hunting
down the Dr. William D. Silkworth Story
When and where I got sober
in 1986, you could have taken a survey among
the Marin County A.A. Fellowship members;
and I’ll bet few of them knew much
about “Silky”—the benign
little doctor who loved drunks. They might
have known he supposedly wrote the “Doctor’s
Opinion” which opened the basic text
of their Big Books. They might have gleaned
from Bill’s Story in the first chapter
of the Big Book that Silkworth had treated
Bill Wilson for alcoholism several times,
that Bill finally surrendered in Towns Hospital
in 1934, that Bill had his “hot flash”
experience there—never to drink again,
and that Silkworth told Bill he thought
Bill had found something. That “something”
turned out to be the New York/Big Book solution
for alcoholism—a conversion experience
as it is properly called by those who know
the origin of the idea.
Take it a little farther.
Some could and would read in the Big Book
that the doctor had felt that something
more than moral psychology was needed to
cure the drunk. They would see that he was
credited with saying a “psychic change”
was required. And a few would read in Pass
It On and other A.A. writings that Silkworth
probably authored the “disease”
theory within the fellowship—the theory
that the alcoholic suffered from an obsession
of the mind that condemned him to drink
and an allergy of the body that condemned
him to die or go insane once he began again.
And the Silkworth story has been presented
in many places, in many ways, and by many
authors. In fact, there is an excellent
website (http://silkworth.net)
that assembles and offers many of the Silkworth
subjects very well.
Recently, Hazelden published
a biography of Silkworth. And it was that
biography and several of the snippets about
the good doctor, as well as a mis-quote
from my own research, that brought to my
memory the comments of A.A.’s good
friend, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Peale’s
story had to do with Silkworth, one of Silkworth’s
patients (not Bill W.). and the Great Physician.
Now, until fairly recently
and after I had published the Great Physician
story in its relationship to A.A., the facts
were still like the game birds. They had
virtually been hidden, un-discovered, and
never flushed out or targeted for their
important value. Some still need some hunting
and flushing. These pertain to Silkworth’s
beliefs and comments about: (1) Jesus Christ,
the Great Physician. (2) Discussions Silky
had with Wilson about this subject. (3)
Silkworth’s Christian and religious
background. (4) Silkworth’s thoughts
about “conversion,” about a
“higher power,” about a “psychic
change,” and about “moral psychology,”
(5) The significance to Silkworth and Bill
Wilson of the phrase “Great Physician.”
(6) The interrelationships of Silkworth,
Bill Wilson, Rev. Sam Shoemaker, and Dr.
Norman Vincent Peale.
Now let’s turn the
bird dogs loose and see how much game is
on the wing and how much is still in the
reeds, the bushes, and the trees.
Dr.
Silkworth, the “Great Physician,”
and Bill Wilson
In the present-day secular
climate in 12 Step Fellowships, I don’t
see great value in doing anyone’s
homework for him when it comes to phrases
like the “Great Physician.”
Nor in laying out a great quantity of details
as to the roots of the phrase. Nor in trying
to “prove” anything at all about
Dr. Silkworth, his religious beliefs, the
Great Physician, or Jesus Christ. But I
will mention two or three good starting
points for those who are on the hunt. And
in this article, I’ll just lay out
some statements made by others who researched
or knew Silkworth or who have looked into
this subject.
First, let’s look
at some things that Silkworth’s recent
biographer Dale Mitchel found and wrote
in his biography, Silkworth: The Little
Doctor Who Loved Drunks. Center City,
MN: Hazelden, 2002. Mitchell wrote:
Silkworth’s family
remembers him as a deeply spiritual man,
yet unsatisfied with any particular denomination.
A devout Christian, he
initially fit well into the temperance
mind-set developing across the country.
For years he attended
a church that would also have an impact
on the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous,
the Calvary Christian (Episcopal)
Church, pp.11-12.
Though Mitchell doesn’t
specifically say so, this Calvary church
was born on September 19, 1836 and was commonly
called Calvary Church in the City of New
York in which Church, Congregation or Society
Divine Service is celebrated according to
the Protestant Episcopal Church of the State
of New York. See Samuel M. Shoemaker. Calvary
Church Yesterday and Today. New York:
Fleming H. Revell Company, 1936, pp. 15-16.
And it was in 1925 that Samuel Moor Shoemaker,
Jr., accepted the call to become the 12th
Rector of Calvary Church. Shoemaker, Calvary
Church, supra, pp. 231-245.
Incidentally, on this subject
of Silkworth’s attendance at Sam Shoemaker’s
church, we could certainly use a lot more
research and information on Silkworth’s
religious upbringing, denominational background,
and churches attended (just the type of
research we did on Dr. Bob’s). Also,
on the years of Silkworth’s being
a communicant at Calvary. More on the nature
and extent of his interest, attendance,
and activities there. More on his personal
papers and his family’s observations—those
that led them to say that he was “a
devout Christian.” And much much more
on whether and how well Silkworth knew Rev.
Sam Shoemaker, the rector. Such information
might tell us much about Silkworth’s
actual discussions with Bill Wilson, his
views on conversion, and his understanding
of faith cures and divine healing. Also,
if there were further exploration into Silkworth’s
membership and activities in Norman Vincent
Peale’s church in New York, this too
could bring some important A.A. roots to
light.
Now let’s return to an extremely interesting,
though inadequately detailed, account that
Mitchel wrote about several discussions
between Bill Wilson and Dr. Silkworth:
During his third visit
to Towns Hospital, Bill had a
discussion with Dr. Silkworth on the subject
of the “Great Physician.”
Many theorists mistakenly believe this
discussion occurred on his last and successful
visit. In fact, Bill Wilson himself wrote
that he had thought about this discussion
before he decided to check himself
into Towns for the last time,
at the urging of his wife and his brother-in-law
(Mitchell, Silkworth, supra.
p.
44).
The official AA position
on Bill’s experiences at Towns Hospital
includes little mention of the amount
of time he had already spent with Dr.
Silkworth, particularly during his prior
visit to Towns. Long before he had experienced
his “enlightenment,” Bill
Wilson had grown to trust the compassion
offered by Dr. Silkworth. They would spend
hours talking in Dr. Silkworth’s
little office (Mitchel, Silkworth,
supra., pp. 44-45).
In his autobiography, Bill
wrote of the darkness that had descended
upon him before his hospitalization for
the last time, and said, “But
what of the Great Physician? For
a brief moment, I suppose, the last trace
of my obstinacy was crushed out as the abyss
yawned.” Bill Wilson, Bill W.:
My First 40 Years (Center City, MN:
Hazelden, 2000, p. 145. Later, according
to Mitchel, Bill Wilson wrote
in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age:
A Brief History of A.A., “Alcoholism
took longer to kill, but the result was
the same. Yes, if there was any
Great Physician that could cure the alcohol
sickness, I’d better find him at once.”
Mitchel, Silkworth, supra, p. 44.
Also, in his autobiography,
Bill wrote that just before he had his hot
flash experience at Towns Hospital, the
following occurred: “I remember saying
to myself, ‘I’ll do anything,
anything at all. If there be a Great
Physician, I’ll call on him.’
Then, with neither faith nor hope I cried
out, ‘If there be a God,
let him show himself.’ The effect
was instant, electric. Suddenly my room
blazed with an indescribably white light.”
(Wilson, Bill W., supra, p. 145).
Mitchell fails to mention
that before, or possibly just after, his
“Physician” discussion with
Silkworth during Bill’s third hospitalization,
and before his finally check-in at Towns
Hospital, Bill had met with Ebby Thacher
to discuss Ebby’s altar call at Shoemaker’s
Calvary Rescue Mission. Thacher told Bill
that he (Ebby) had been to Calvary
Rescue Mission—also operated
by Shoemaker’s Church; that he there
had “found religion;” and that
God had done for him what he could not do
for himself. Wilson himself then
went to the Rescue Mission, stated
he wanted what Ebby had received there,
and then went to the altar and made
a decision for Christ. I personally
talked with Mrs. Samuel Shoemaker on the
phone, and she told me she was there when
Bill made that decision for Christ. Mrs.
Shoemaker used those very words. Many years
later, Lois Wilson stated in an address
that Bill had there given his life to Christ.
And whether Bill then was
referring to his decision at the Calvary
Mission altar or to his hot-flash conversion
experience at Towns Hospital not long thereafter,
Bill Wilson twice wrote “For
sure I’d been born again”
(Bill Wilson., Bill W.: My First 40
Years. Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000,
p. 147; Dick B., Turning Point: A History
of Early A.A.’s Spiritual Roots and
Successes. San Rafael, CA: Paradise
Research Publications, 1997, pp. 94-98).
I personally found at Stepping Stones a
letter that Bill had written in which he
stated that he [like Ebby] had “found
religion.”
As to Bill Wilson’s
subsequent conversion experience at Towns
Hospital, Mitchel wrote:
What is not known is
on what day of this eleven-day stay at
Towns Hospital the now famous “white
light transformation” occurred.
Most believe it occurred on the third
day of his belladonna treatment and also
after possible use of Phenobarbital. While
lying in bed, suicidal, depressed, and
hopeless, Wilson would accept anything
to help him quit drinking. He had tried
everything he knew. He had reached a bottom
that he had never experienced. Just prior
to his experience with “the veritable
sea of living spirit” Wilson often
later talked about, he chastised God and
said to himself “I’ll do anything
at all. If there be a Great Physician,
I’ll call on him!” again referring
to his prior discussions with Silkworth.
Then, according to Wilson, he cried out,
“If there be a God, let him show
himself.” . . . Suddenly the room
lit up with a great white light. . . .
All about me and through me there was
a wonderful feeling of Presence, and I
thought to myself, ‘So this is the
God of the preachers!’ A great peace
stole over me and I thought, ‘No
matter how wrong things seem to be, they
are all right. Things are all right with
God and His world.’” Mitchel,
Silkworth, supra, p. 47.
The
“Great Physician” was Jesus
Christ
In the days of Silkworth,
Shoemaker, Bill Wilson, and Dr. Bob, there
were a number of expressions which may not
be familiar in usage within A.A. today.
But in that period, when someone spoke of
the Good Book, that person meant the Holy
Bible. Also, when someone spoke of the Great
Physician, that person meant Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at a few
of the hundreds of writings about the Jesus,
the “Great Physician,” that
make this usage apparent:
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William Boardman,
The Great Physician (Jehovah Rophi).
Boston, MA: Willard Tract Repository,
1881.
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Ethel B. Willitts,
Healing in Jesus Name. Crawfordsville,
IN: published by the author, 1931. This
title was owned, studied, and circulated
by Dr. Bob; and the author repeatedly
referred to Jesus as the Great Physician,
pp. 66, 104, 151, 209, cf. 95.
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Joe Mcintyre, E.
W. Kenyon and His Message of Faith.
Orlando, FL: Creation House,
1997, p. 79.
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T.L. Osborn, Healing
The Sick. Tulsa, OK: Harrison House,
Inc., 1992. At pages 18, 55, Osborn
referred to Jesus as “Christ the
Healer” and the “High Priest
of our confession.”
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David Fedder. Back
to God: The Great Physician, Oct.10,
1999, n.d.
Dr.
Silkworth’s Specific Referral of a
Patient to the Great Physician
Author Mitchel made this
erroneous statement about my (Dick B.’s)
research:
According to AA historian
Dick B., in a conversation with Peale
[Dr. Norman Vincent Peale] shortly before
his death, Peale discussed the following
account of a hopeless alcoholic named
Charles. After Silkworth told Charles
that his treatment was over and that,
as a doctor, he had done everything he
could, Silkworth told him there was an
area in his brain about which he still
held a reservation and that could be the
cause of his return to drinking after
he left the hospital. Mitchel, Silkworth,
supra, p. 50.
[Then, at pages 50-51,
Mitchel quotes a supposed conversation
I—Dick B,--had with Peale; but no
such conversation ever took place. However,
I did have an hour interview with Peale
and prayed with him prior to his death,
and I also communicated with him by mail.
But the interview did concern two other
subjects: (1) Whether Peale knew who Wilson
was speaking of when Wilson used the phrase
“higher power;” and Peale
replied that he had never met anyone,
including Wilson, who thought the “higher
power” was any god other than Almighty
God. He told me he had written that in
his book The Power of Positive Thinking;
and sure enough, you can find a lengthy
discussion of Almighty God as the “Higher
Power” in that book. (2) What Peale
knew about Wilson’s “spiritual
experience.” Peale replied that
Wilson had told him of two different experiences,
both similar in form and content. And
later, I discovered that Wilson’s
grandfather had had such an experience
in East Dorset, Vermont and described
it in terms almost identical to those
used by Wilson of Wilson’s own Towns
Hospital “hot flash” experience.
On the other hand, my interview with Peale
never involved the topic of the “Great
Physician.” What did occur in the
course of my own historical research is
that my attention was called to Peale
by a person attending a conference at
which I was a speaker.The person showed
me Peale’s The Positive Power
of Jesus Christ. And in that book
is Peale’s own written account (set
forth below in a moment)--an account which
I have since often quoted—but not
in company with any claim that Peale and
I ever discussed it:
Though he did not have
his Peale source correct, Mitchel went on
to make the following important comments
about Silkworth, Peale, and Wilson:
Over time, Silkworth
and Norman Vincent Peale became very good
friends. Dr. Silkworth and his wife once
held their church membership at Marble
Collegiate Church in New York where Peale
was the lead pastor. Much later, during
the Alcoholics Anonymous continued discussion
on the validity of the Carl Jung theories
on spiritual conversion, Peale held his
stance in support of Dr. Carl Jung’s
belief that far too many men turn to physicians
rather than to the minister for spiritual
healing. Silkworth furthered this declaration
in his own early writings, presented later
in this book. A student of Sigmund Freud,
Jung was instrumental in convincing Rowland
H., Ebby’s Oxford Group friend,
and later Bill Wilson of the importance
of ego. An avid reader, Silkworth followed
the principles of Jung and William James
as they pertained to deflation of depth
and the usual requirement of reaching
a “bottom” to enable the alcoholic
to first feel the despair of crisis, then
accept the possibility of a Supreme Being
as the answer. Silkworth referred to Jung
in his speeches and saved a private letter
from him. It was Carl Jung who impressed
upon AA through his conversations with
Rowland and Bill there existed an opportunity
of a spiritual (“religious”)
conversion as a last chance from chronic
alcoholics. Mitchel, Silkworth, supra,
p. 51.
Whether or not Mitchel
is correct in his assumptions about Dr.
Silkworth’s agreement with the principle
of “deflation of depth,” Mitchel’s
point about Silkworth’s interest in
a religious conversion of the type to which
Carl Jung referred is particularly interesting
when you compare it to Dr. Norman Vincent
Peale’s account of Dr. Silkworth and
Charles K., a businessman in Virginia, who
had become a full-fledged alcoholic; so
much so that he had to have help, and fast,
for his life was cracking up. And Peale
then relates the following:
He [Charles K., the
alcoholic] made an appointment with the
late Dr. William Duncan Silkworth, one
of the nation’s greatest experts
on alcoholism, who worked in a New York
City hospital. Receiving Charles into
his clinic as a patient, the doctor gave
him treatment for some days, than called
him into his office. “Charles,”
he said, “I have done everything
that I can do for you. At this moment
you are free of our trouble. But there
is an area in your brain where you may
hold a reservation and that could, in
all likelihood, cause you to return to
your drinking. I wish that I might reach
this place in your consciousness, but
alas, I do not have the skill.”
“But,
doctor,” exclaimed Charles, “you
are the most skilled physician in this
field. When I came to you it was to the
greatest. If you cannot heal me, then
who can possibly do so?” The doctor
hesitated, then said thoughtfully, “There
is another Doctor who can complete this
healing, but he is very expensive.”
“That’s
all right,” cried Charles. “I
can get the money. I can pay his fees.
I cannot go back home until I am healed.
Who is this doctor and where is he?”
“Oh,
but this Physician is not at all moderate
s to expense,” persisted Dr. Silkworth.
“He wants everything you’ve
got. He wants you, all of you. Then He
gives the healing. His price is your entire
self.” Then he added slowly and
impressively, “His name is Jesus
Christ and He keeps office in the New
Testament and is available whenever you
need Him.”
“I
need Him now,” said Charles softly,
“right now, I need Him, and I will
give Him myself.”
“Great,”
remarked the doctor. “You will find
healing and you will never need to come
back to me as a patient, only as a friend.
God Bless you, and,” he concluded,
“He will do just that.” [Peale
then tells how Charles came to Peale’s
church and found the doors locked. But,
said Peale, Charles seemed to feel a Presence,
a strong Presence in which was wondrous
power and love. Peal then continues:]
Reaching
for his wallet, he drew out his business
card. Taking out his pen, he wrote on
the reverse side of the card, “Dear
Dr. Jesus, this is Your unworthy servant
Charles. Dr. Silkworth says that only
You can completely heal me. I hereby now
and with all my heart give myself to You.
Please touch me in my brain and in my
heart with your healing grace. I love
You, dear Jesus.” He signed it “Charles”
and dropped the card in the mail slot.
HEALING
COMES. Charles stood quite still, unconscious
of either rain or snow. Suddenly he sensed
light and a pervasive warmth spread throughout
his entire being, beginning at the head
and running down to his feet. It was as
if a great big hand touched his head in
loving-kindness. He had the same feeling
that a person has when after a long illness
comes a sense of well-being. He knew for
sure that he had been healed. There was
no doubt of it at all. He felt clean with
a cleanness never before experienced,
and with it an awareness of newness. He
had been reborn. He was a new man in Christ.
Old things long held in his nature were
passed away. We became acquainted through
his card dropped in the church mail slot,
and I met him later while on a speaking
engagement in Virginia. . . . Charles
never returned to his old life. He had
many problems subsequently, but the power
held firm. It never weakened. His healing,
which came so dramatically, was permanent.
He paid the full price, as the doctor
had said he must. He gave himself, all
of himself, with nothing held back; and
he received the power, the full power,
with none of it held back. See Norman
Vincent Peale, The Positive Power
of Jesus Christ: Life-changing Adventures
in Faith. Carmel, NY: Guideposts,
1980, pp. 60- 62.
Remaining
Facts to be Hunted
Mitchel’s biography
leaves us with the following questions about
Silkworth:
First, using his own subjective
terminology (“Higher Power”),
Mitchel says of Silkworth: “He believed
quite early that a sound personal relationship
with a Higher Power was paramount to the
spiritual healing that went hand in hand
with the physical healing of the addict
and alcoholic. Many of the letters he had
received from patients mention Silkworth’s
description of a spiritual journey; the
patients also thank him for introducing
them to a spiritually based lifestyle.”
Mitchel, Silkworth, supra, p. 34.
Unfortunately, Mitchel reveals his bias
and revisionist thinking about God. The
questions he leaves unanswered are whether
Silkworth talked to these patients—as
he did to Charles K.—about the Great
Physician, about Jesus Christ.
Second, when Silkworth
and Wilson had their discussions about the
“Great Physician,” was Jesus
Christ also specifically mentioned to Bill
and then by Bill himself. Moreover, did
Wilson ever discuss with Silkworth Bill’s
own altar call and decision for Christ at
Calvary Rescue Mission.
Third, Mitchel swiftly
covers and then dodges the hearty arguments
which involved Fitzhugh Mayo’s insistence
on a Christian book, Pass It On’s
statement that 400 manuscript pages were
tossed out, and Ruth Hock’s statement
to Bill Pittman that these pages contained
Christian material. Mitchel says: “In
the formation of AA Wilson initially insisted
on references to God and Jesus as well as
the Great Physician. As the fellowship grew,
however, other members persuaded Bill that
a purely Christian format would alienate
many, keeping potential members away from
joining the group. Silkworth challenged
the alcoholic with an ultimatum. Once hopeless,
the alcoholic would grasp hold of any chance
of sobriety. Silkworth, a medical doctor,
challenged the alcoholic with a spiritual
conversion and a relationship with God as
part of a program of recovery. His approach
with Bill Wilson was no different.”
Mitchel, Silkworth, supra, p. 50.
As he sometimes did, Mitchel makes a statement
but cites no references to authenticate
the statement. But his statement leaves
strong suggestion that the original, and
now missing, manuscripts of the Big Book
specifically referred to God, to Jesus,
and to the Great Physician. And wouldn’t
you like to know his authority for that
claim! I would, and I’ve been hunting
for that bird for many years.
Fourth, it would appear
that Searcy Whaley (now deceased) disclosed
a number of facts to author Mitchel and
that these could have been useful in a hunt
for the truth. Mitchel contends that Searcy
informed him that during the initial manuscript
work for the Big Book, Bill confided regularly
with Dr. Silkworth on the wording and on
the Steps. Without citations, Mitchel then
says that “When the first members
of AA were discussing the many possible
names for their new book, Silkworth and
Dr. Bob first supported the name “The
James Club,” based upon the principles
of the book of James in the Bible.”
Mitchel adds, “During the writing
of the Big Book, there were often heated
discussions about using more Christian-specific
language rather than the term Higher Power.”
See Mitchel, Silkworth, supra,
pp. 64-65. I believe from most of my research
that Mitchel may have been correct, but
I’d certainly like to see his authority
for the assertions. Compare my title, The
James Club and The Original A.A. Program’s
Absolute Essentials (http://aa-history.com/bookstore).
Fifth, Mitchel presents
us with another flock of unflushed game
birds when he speaks of Dr. Bob’s
introducing Silkworth to the term “treatment”
rather than “cure.” Mitchel
claims that Sister Ignatia had persuaded
Dr. Bob that an alcoholic was never cured
and insisted that the word “cure”
should be entirely removed from the recovery
text. Mitchel, Silkworth, supra,
p. 71. Once again, Mitchel fails to authenticate
his assertion. My own research demonstrates
quite clearly that Dr. Bob, Bill W., Bill
Dotson, Clarence Snyder, and almost every
early A.A. made it clear that they had a
“cure” for alcoholism and had
themselves been “cured.” I don’t
doubt that Wilson changed that tune. But
I’d sure like to know whether it was
Bob or Silkworth or Sister Ignatia who persuaded
him to change it. Mitchel leaves us in the
dark on that one or as to any other possibility
like the language of Richard Peabody in
his Common Sense of Drinking. See
Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured and
Why (http://aa-history.com/bookstore).
Sixth, Mitchel deals with
some writings which he believes justify
this statement: “Although Silkworth’s
conversion beliefs are left for secondary
conversations between the two main characters,
conversion indeed occurs in every case of
recovery presented. In accordance with the
Silkworth legacy, it is obvious the book
lays the ground for a firm base of medical
understanding.” Mitchell, Silkworth,
supra, p. 96. And this statement, plus
others made by Mitchel make me wonder just
how many of the people Mitchel quotes or
alludes to really have any understanding
of the word “conversion” or
of Jung’s use of the word “conversion”
or of Wilson’s use of the word “conversion”
or of Silkworth’s understanding of
conversion. Was it in fact the acceptance
of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, just
as the early Akron surrenders practiced
and required? See Dick B., The Golden Text
of A.A. (http://aa-history.com/bookstore).
Finally, there are countless
other rustles in the bushes that leave you
wondering how much more Mitchel knew about
Silkworth, how much more he didn’t
know, and how much more he’d like
to know. Thus on page 100, he says: “One
of the most ardent supporters of conversion
was William Silkworth.” On page 106,
he says that, directed by his friend Fulton
Oursler, Reader’s Digest
also wrote of Silkworth a few months after
his death: “Dr. Silkworth was a great
man who failed with all human science and
was humble enough to use God for a medicine”—not
a higher power, God! On page 122, Mitchel
quotes the Canadian AA Grapevine,
which spoke of the “almost invisible
skill with which he accomplished his daily
miracles of medical and spiritual healing.”
There are other interesting and challenging
questions raised in Mitchel’s book;
and it has certainly shown me once again
just how much of our important A.A. history
concerning Almighty God, the Holy Bible,
Jesus Christ, conversion, cure, and spiritual
healing still remains to be discovered.
For lots of additional
material on Silkworth, see the excellent
Silkworth site: http://silkworth.net/.
And for my own previous article on Silkworth
and Jesus Christ, which is also posted on
the Silkworth site, see:
http://silkworth.net/silkworth/dickb_aatribute.html
END
Dick
B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837; 808
874 4876; dickb@dickb.com
http://www.dickb.com/index.shtml;
http://www.dickb-blog.com |
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