It might be more honest if this class were titled: “Theological Provocations”. It is my intent to provoke you to think theologically. The process of recovery is, at its core, about spiritual change. As you sometimes hear: “Talking about the spiritual part of the program is like talking about the wet part of the ocean”. Because recovery is rooted in spiritual change, theological concerns will turn up all the time. In the interest of avoiding controversy (which has never helped anyone stay sober) Bill W. and the early members of AA did their best to create a program that did not require participants to affirm any specific theological propositions. That does not mean, however, that doing the program which they recommended won’t lead us into some serious theological territory. Actually doing recovery will involve coming to terms with a long list of theological issues. I don’t mean to imply that there is a need to find the ‘right answers’ to all the ‘right theological questions’ in order to recover. That is clearly not the case. But, especially for people in the Christian tradition, we experience it as helpful to explore the connections between our theological convictions and what we experience in recovery. These presentations are designed to assist you in that integrative process. As always, take what works and leave the rest.
Class Presentations:
- Thinking Theologically in Recovery Culture [53 min]
- Conversion Narratives – Part 1 [50 min]
- Conversion Narratives – Part 2 [29 min]
- Rethinking Church [40 min]
- Let Go and Let God [50 min]
- God’s Work and our Work [24 min]
- Where is God when things get messy? [38 min]
- What’s most important: cognition, affect or behavior? [36 min]
- Recovery and Community (Visiting Presenter: Dr. Matt Russell) [46 min]
- Speed and Power [37 min]
- Creating Shame-Free Sacred Spaces (Visiting Presenter: Dr. Matt Russell) [34 min]
- The Good Self? [35 min]
- Common Grace (Visiting Presenter: Dr. Richard Mouw) [23 min]
