CELEBRATE RECOVERY 12 STEPS AND BIBLICAL COMPARISONS. I cringed whenever Id hear someone say, Im (insert name), and Im a grateful follower of Jesus Christ! If you arent a Christian and you need help with any sort of addiction or other problem, let me give you step 1 of Jesus program for addressing that: Repent and believe the gospel. It guides us toward new healthy truths and life-giving habits as we repair our broken relationships. The biblical means for helping a saved person who is committing the sin of drunkenness is to follow the steps of church discipline (beginning with a one on one call to repentance and restoration) commanded in Matthew 18, and if he repents, disciple him in obedience to Gods Word. No one can judge who is saved and who isnt because the person has fallen in life or the person is attending a program that others interpret as not biblical. they will send out emails to all the members to not have anything to do with you because you are not attending cr. The ministry below is one Ive been asked about recently, so Ive done a quick check (this is brief research, not exhaustive) on it. So similar, in fact that each Principle is followed by a notation as to which of the 12 steps it corresponds to. Judging and Examining Ourselves [podcast] February 1, 2023. John Baker and Rick Warren of Saddleback Church created the program in 1991 to help people with various addictions. That CR adapts worldly means and methods is abundantly evident below in the video introduction to CR (found on the CR websites What is Celebrate Recovery? What program should be recommended? Celebrate Recovery (CR) is a national, Christ-centered self-help program hosted by local churches to help people struggling with addiction or other life-controlling issues. John Baker is the one who organized celebrate recovery with the overseer being Rick Warren. The Pharisees, who largely set the religious/spiritual tone of the day, would have propagated the photo-negative of the Beatitudes, and, thus, an incorrect understanding of the believer. Celebrate Recovery is a beautiful community of strugglers that courageously enter this safe and beautiful space to get honest about our pain, and the negative ways we may see ourselves, God and others. As I said above, the first half isnt bad. And the answer to that question is a resounding no. There simply is no way to justify the need for anything else - especially something as far from the Christian gospel message as the Twelve Steps. Very sad. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Homosexual Agenda People who are lost and involved in an AA program can step over to CR and meet Jesus. Participants are taken through the material in 25 lessons and testimonies, meeting once per week for 52 weeks. [14] Celebrate Recovery has not been significantly studied, so there is no empirical evidence regarding the impacts or efficacy of the Celebrate Recovery program. God The Father took me in and helped me heal through others that he had waiting on me. He was instantly changed! Commentators agree that the Beatitudes describe the common characteristics of true believers (e.g. A man invited me to it, and some things I liked about it. James 4:4, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. If I want to hear horrid music, Ill search out Captain Beefheart on YouTube. We are in desperate need of an Elijah, Apostle Paul, John the Baptist, or Jonah type of man that truly has been regenerated by God, empowered by the Spirit, trembles at His word, and will stand up and proclaim the whole counsel of God as well as speak out biblically against nonsense like celebrate recovery! - 2 Timothy 3:16-17. (If you absolutely cant find a doctrinally sound church in your area, you could seek out an ACBC certified biblical counselor.). In his review, Davis informs us that CR is founded on eight principles taken from the Beatitudes and has similarities to the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.. Salvation Celebrate Recovery is just the AA program which Rick Warren added some Bible verses to so it could be marketed and sold as a "Christian Recovery" program. August 2020 Meditation Therapeutic Humanism These findings barely scratch the surface of Celebrate Recoverys means, methods, and philosophy, but I think Christians who value sound doctrine will agree that this information is more than sufficient to warn people away from this unbiblical ministry. Page 11 of the Celebrate Recovery Bible states, "The Celebrate Recovery Bible is based on the eight principles and the underlying twelve Christ-centered recovery steps of the proven Celebrate Recovery program." Further, he understands that, having rebelliously and flagrantly violated Gods holy law, he deserves to endure the righteous wrath of God in hell for eternity. I know , I was the saved son that fell into darkness and through other Christians and prayer I found my way back to Jesus. 10. Chad Prigmore is Pastor and President of The Way R122 Ministry USA & Kenya. There is no way that the Twelve Steps were "based upon the scriptures" or that their "basis is God's word" as he claims. Have you actually read all the material? I realize you wrote specifically about Celebrate Recovery, Michelle, but your cautions apply to so many ministries that follow the 12-step model. Ephesians 5:11tells believers, "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them." Home. You don't have to face alcohol addiction alone, so give us a call today to get started at 888-448-0302. Even Jesus had struggles with the religious leaders in his life. Emergent Church Again, this is unbiblical. The question is, Is Celebrate Recovery biblical?. Alcoholics Anonymous promotes idolatry through urging its adherents to believe in a God of their own understanding - which can be pretty much anything or anyone. The man has sinned. The program, created by John Baker and Rick Warren, is supposedly based on biblical principles. If you participate in Celebrate Recovery you have to reject the truth of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 because you are relying on steps and a program from outside of scripture that contradicts scripture. Seeing our church succumb to this "Jesus and ______"; or more specifically, "Christianized AA Lite 12 Step Program" false form of so called psychology laced body ministry, is very sad to say the least! Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. John Blanchard, 54; James Boice, 74; D.A. The reasoning you gave seems very legalistic to me. I wont be publishing comments or answering emails that are answered by this article. I was a consistent attendee of Celebrate Recovery 18 years ago, and then in later years at different churches. Website. "Substitute anything for Christ, and the Gospel is totally spoiled! Healing Advanced trainings that continue to build on your foundational knowledge of how to successfully run your own CR; Face-to-face connection with the national and global team of Celebrate Recovery. (Link in stories and AWFS bio), Popular False Teachers & Unbiblical Trends, please click here and read this article first, a sign, seal, and guarantee of our salvation, Throwback Thursday ~ Clinging to the Golden Calf: 7 Godly Responses When Someone Says You're Following a False Teacher, Choose What Is Right: A Study in Discernment ~ Lesson 1- Introduction, Guest Post: Lauren Daigle and the Fruit of "Losing her Religion", Leaving Lysa: Why You Shouldn't Be Following Lysa TerKeurst or Proverbs 31 Ministries, Going Beyond Scripture: Why It's Time to Say Good-Bye to Priscilla Shirer and Going Beyond Ministries, The Mailbag: Celebrity Christian Hot Takes (Driscoll, Graham, Groeschel, Lewis, Lucado, Piper, Vallotton), Bible Gateway- Fantastic concordance and other Bible tools, CARM- Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, Christian Answers for the New Age (Marcia Montenegro). The word of God is all we need. This is a violation of Scripture. RW and CR go to great lengths to exclude the Gospel of Christ and the power of His resurrection despite their prolific use of Christian-ese speech and the quoting/misuse of Scripture. Sin dominates the sinner and overpowers all. People really need to get back to believing in the transforming power of Christ through true repentance and faith. And, although it should go without saying, the Beatitudes arent about hurts, addictions, or recovery. Ashley, During the past 25 years, some 20,000 churches in the United States have reportedly used CR, with some 2.5 million people having completed the program. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered and Bible-based 12 Step Recovery Program. Since CR claims to be Christian in nature, biblical (13), grounded in Gods word (12), and[b]ased on the actual words of Jesus rather than on psychological theory (12), it deserves to be evaluated as such. If bible verses were added to Hitler's, Is adding to God's word by blending the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with the scriptures as the. [13] A study of Celebrate Recovery participants published in 2011 by the Journal of Religion and Health, found that levels of spirituality were associated with greater confidence to resist substance use. ; The ability to have face-to-face conversations and . Alcoholism Commentary, stories, and side notes have been added. December 2014 Gods Sovereignty ALL sin is a bondage, including addictions. c) The pastor, teacher, or ministry cannot currently and unrepentantly be teaching false doctrine. I would never recommend CR to a fellow believer, no matter how popular it is. In response, various efforts have been made to deal with the problem. Service Labels. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Corinthians 2:14 (emphasis, mine) tells us. The issue here is that the unbeliever is not indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit to resist and flee from sin. More specifically, CR teaches that the Beatitudes (Matt. Matthew 27 John Baker was called to create Celebrate Recovery because he wanted to be able to give his higher power the name above all names. I now vow to never go back. page): Another issue made plain in the video is that Celebrate Recovery teaches a false gospel: At 3:24ff, speaking to lost people, Johnny gives an incomplete (and partially false) presentation of the gospel as a means of differentiating secular recovery programs from CR. July 2016 They are all about getting help from the sins that are destroying us. 5:6). Contents 1 History 2 Programs 3 Methods 4 Program fidelity constraints 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading Those that are pretenders have no clue. So, on the macro-level, CR has taken a worldly philosophy and attempted to Christianize it slightly in order to appeal to the lost, which, again is typical of the way Saddleback the original seeker driven church tends to operate, and which, as I mentioned earlier, is unbiblical. Enslaving behaviors are as old, and common to humanity, as sin itself. He said he spent eight days in Beaumont Hospital. . Celebrate Recovery is not the gospel, nor a substitute for the gospel, for drunkards or drug addicts or anyone else. Celebrate Recovery Summit 2023 For the first time in years, we will be hosting the Celebrate Recovery 2023 Summit at Saddleback Church, CA. Thus, CR claims that the Beatitudes are principles for addiction recovery. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life. There are Celebrate Recovery State Representatives across the globe that are equipped to help get ministries started in local churches, and are available as a resource as the ministry grows. Rick Warren's statement above is completely false and it is irresponsible for any Christian Pastor to make such claims. If it involves anything Purpose-Driven, you should avoid it like a sexually transmitted disease. Journal of Psychology & Christianity 22.4 (2003). Eternity Wouldnt it be wise for these people to attend meetings like CR and have a program to help them learn how to live a life free of sins that destroy lives and familys ? If you are considering commenting or sending me an e-mail objecting to the fact that I warn against certain teachers or ministries, please click here and read this article first. Those are tools and guides for spiritual maturity and personal growth as well. John 15:18-19, Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. Initially, he was a member of his family's singing group, and later a member of The Gaither Vocal Band. Living Water The word poor was used to describe abject poverty and a raggedly covered (if covered at all) beggar, cowered over with head down and hand out (TDNT, 6:886), while in spirit refers to our moral/spiritual state. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be living in any other sin (for example, cohabiting with her boyfriend or living as a homosexual). The fundamental truths of scripture are no longer taught, therefore we have superficial Christians who spew out theyre saved because they say they are and have NO clue what it means to be born again by God! Proper Perspective you will be shunned. Hi Emily, As for whole families being saved, most churches in this country do not even preach the true gospel. The Oxford Group was a quasi Christian group that corrupted the gospel and Christian doctrine. No sound theologian would tell you that is proper. Needless to say, CR has had a major influence on the church. The best first step to start a CR at your church is to contact your State Rep. Another great step when starting a CR is to attend a Training Conference. It is a safe place to overcome your hurts, habits, and hang-ups and find freedom in Jesus Christ. Matthew 7 Its an outreach to the community. Go preach the gospel - not go introduce the addicted to a Twelve Step program and then if all goes well try to get the gospel message in somewhere. CRs Road to Recovery begins with the Eight Principles Based on the Beatitudes (12), stated above. Adapting worldly means and methods for use in the church (though characteristic of Saddleback) is not biblical. Freedom From Sin Proverbs 30:5,6 says, "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Print. The prophets of Baal all believed in Gods existence and power (right before Elijah slaughtered them all). Righteousness humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. In this particular segment, Johnny skips directly from Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sin, rose again, and lives now, to He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. That is a false gospel. They make merchandise of Gods Word. There are over 35,000 churches currently with a Celebrate Recovery ministry. All comments are handled manually, and I do not publish comments which promote false doctrine. The eight principles upon which CR is derived are as follows (the principle is stated, followed by the corresponding Beatitude): Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. www .michaelenglishmusic .com. A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. I dont care for what RW has become, and the direction he has taken. However, in working with a lot of people, a structured program might be needed to help walk out that healing and recovery. CRs 12 Steps are almost identical to the secular 12 steps. House, 1998. ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW STRUGGLING WITH Anger - Codependency - Eating Disorder - Food Issues - Love & Relationship Addiction - Physical, Sexual, and/or Emotional Abuse - Drug Addiction - Alcoholism - Sexual Addiction - Gambling Addiction - Childhood Dysfunction - Grief - Mental Health, Sef Translate - joomla software for automatically website translation, Are you wanting to attend a local Celebrate Recovery, There are Celebrate Recovery State Representatives across the globe that are equipped to help get, Physical, Sexual, and/or Emotional Abuse -. Humility Exposing Recovery - THE WAY MINISTRY CHURCH The Truth about Recovery from a Biblical Perspective There is a common assumption and belief in the recovery industry that the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are Christian in origin. But what about the micro-level of the individual Principles? Generally, the program runs on a one-year repeating schedule. During the past 25 years, some 20,000 churches in the United States have reportedly used CR, with some 2.5 million people having completed the program. The question we must ask ourselves is, should Christians get involved in a program that stems from A.A.s twelve steps? We also know that God can and does work through others to help us. So that you can study what Gods word actually says in comparison to those well known 12 steps. Baker, John. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. If you read through the articles on our site you will see that numerous external sources are referenced which expose the demonic origins of Alcoholics Anonymous - many of those sources are AA's own literature. They present a works-based gospel, which is no gospel at all. The origins of AA points to the Oxford Group which is a Christian study group. Rick Warren writes, " [D]uring the ten-week series that I preached to kick .