Is Celebrate Recovery Biblical?

12/23/2014

"Any teaching that detracts in the slightest from the glory of God is not a biblical teaching."
- James R. White, The Potters Freedom - A defense of the reformation, pg 181

Because Celebrate Recovery is based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and practiced in thousands of Christian churches without ever being questioned or held up to the light of scripture it is one of the most damaging forms of apostasy in the modern Christian church. The Twelve Steps in no way bring glory to the Lord and false teachings cannot be combined with the word of God.

"Substitute anything for Christ, and the Gospel is totally spoiled!
Add anything to Christ, and the Gospel ceases to be a pure Gospel!
Put anything between a person and Christ, and that person will neglect Christ for that very thing!
Spoil the proportions of Christ's Gospel, and you spoil its effectiveness!
Evangelical religion must be the Gospel, the whole Gospel and nothing but the Gospel!"
- J.C. Ryle

The common argument from proponents of Celebrate Recovery when presented with the truth of the twelve steps heretical origins is that because bible verses are used along with the Twelve Steps in Celebrate Recovery it is a Christian program - this defense is ridiculous. If bible verses were added to Hitler's Mein Kampf or the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, would these writings then be considered Christian? Of course not. False teachings are false teachings and have no place in a Christian church.

This [evil] persuasion is not from Him Who called you [Who invited you to freedom in Christ]. A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church]. - Galatians 5:8,9 Amplified Bible

Is adding to God's word by blending the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with the scriptures as the Celebrate Recovery Bible does biblical? Not according to Proverbs 30:5-6, "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar."

Celebrate Recovery is part of Rick Warren's Saddleback church. Rick Warren made the following claims regarding the twelve steps during his "Road to Recovery" series of sermons:

"In 1935 a couple of guys formulated, based upon the scriptures, what are known as the classic Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and used by hundreds of other recovery groups. Twenty million Americans are in a recovery group every week and there are 500,000 recovery groups. The basis is God's word."

Rick Warren's statement above is completely false and it is irresponsible for any Christian Pastor to make such claims. He either never took the time to research the origins of the Twelve Steps and what they teach or he was intentionally making a false statement. There is no way that the Twelve Steps were "based upon the scriptures" or that their "basis is God's word" as he claims. The concept of God as a Higher Power of our own understanding put forward by Bill Wilson in the Twelve Steps is blasphemy. The Twelve Steps also falsely teach forgiveness of sins by a God of our own understanding while Christ is no part of the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Step program whatsoever.

If you have not yet done so, please read through the sections on this website that disclose The Origins of the 12 Steps, The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Other Alcoholics Anonymous Writings and Publications, and Views and Commentary on the 12 Steps. Then honestly and prayerfully decide if, based on the truth of scripture, it is acceptable for Celebrate Recovery meetings to take place in Christian churches since Celebrate Recovery is founded upon the heretical Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. - 1 Corinthians 10:21

The word of God is all we need. 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.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

10 Comments

Susan

1/11/2018 04:40:54 am

In my Celebrate Recovery group we worship the Lord throughout our meeting. Don't judge a book by it's cover.

Chad Prigmore link

1/11/2018 11:46:31 am

Hi Susan,

Actually, we judge Celebrate Recovery by what it is based on and what it teaches - the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps which directly contradict the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

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.

If Christ is our salvation and His Word is our guide - why would something like Celebrate Recovery be needed? Also, we are told in scripture not to add to or take away from God's Word. Yet, CR adds the Twelve Steps to God's Word - even going so far as creating their own Bible with the Twelve Steps included! Proverbs 30:5,6 says, "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar."

Ashley

3/10/2018 08:03:26 am

Hello. You mention Rick Warren added some scripture so it could be sold and marketed as celebrate recovery. John Baker is the one who organized celebrate recovery with the overseer being Rick Warren. John Baker is the one that wrote the curriculum taught by Celebrate Recovery. I believe these facts are important to disclose when you are making claims against something.

Ashley

3/10/2018 08:12:51 am

The Celebrate Recovery Bible is a study bible with added stories and devotions. This is not the same thing as adding to God’s word. The scriptures have not been changed. Commentary, stories, and side notes have been added. So that you can study what Gods word actually says in comparison to those well known 12 steps. Then you are able to test it. I have a question for you. Would you be ok with Celebrate Recovery if they stopped using the familiar 12 steps as a reference and only used the scripture verses? Or what changes would need to be made for you to be a supporter of celebrate recovery?

Chad Prigmore link

3/13/2018 10:19:47 am

Hi Ashley,

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."

The twelve steps referred to in the above excerpt are the demonically inspired twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous which directly contradict the gospel of Jesus Christ. The core of the CR program - the twelve steps are heretical. Also, the eight principles of the CR program are void of the gospel of Jesus Christ. CR is just a humanistic self-help program.

Also on page 11 it is stated, "Accustomed to a traditional twelve-step program and hesitant to make a switch? The good news is that the familiar twelve steps remain intact under the Celebrate Recovery model, except that the vague language about a Higher Power gets specific, focusing in on the one and only true Higher Power, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Where in scripture is Jesus referred to as a generic "Higher Power"? What an insult to Jesus Christ our Savior to label Him with a name from a program (Alcoholics Anonymous) which directly contradicts His gospel!

What changes would need to be made for me to be a supporter of Celebrate Recovery? Get rid of it completely. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's truth in His Word in scripture. Celebrate Recovery does not convey the gospel of Jesus Christ and is not needed.

If someone is involved in Celebrate Recovery they cannot proclaim the authority and sufficiency of scripture without be hypocritical. 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.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Ashley

3/13/2018 08:17:22 pm

Hi Chad. Thanks for taking the time to respond. The reasoning you gave seems very legalistic to me. Are we to avoid all women’s bible studies and Christian book studies as well? Those are tools and guides for spiritual maturity and personal growth as well.

It’s obvious why the 12 steps are included, because the world is familiar with them. People who are lost and involved in an AA program can step over to CR and meet Jesus. It’s an outreach to the community. They will hear Gods word and the gospel will be shared with them.

I am involved in CR and I am not relying on the 12 steps. I’m relying on my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God, Holy Spirit and the Bible. The program is just a tool and study book like any other study.

Chad Prigmore link

3/14/2018 02:22:54 pm

Ashley,

How is obeying God's Word legalistic? Jesus tells us in John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Obeying the commands of scripture is not legalism - it's a major aspect of the Christian faith. We are to stay on the narrow way which we cannot do without obeying God's Word. Matthew 7:13 says, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." Because Celebrate Recovery is mix of heretical worldly teachings with scripture it is on the broad worldly way.

It is common knowledge that the Alcoholics Anonymous program and the Twelve Steps that Celebrate Recovery adopted were demonically inspired and directly contradict the gospel of Jesus Christ - they are obviously the works of darkness. Ephesians 5:11 tells believers, "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them." How do you reconcile using the heretical Twelve Steps of AA instead of the gospel with this command?

Also, we are told in 1 Corinthians 10:14, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." 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. How do you reconcile using any part of an idolatrous program and mixing it with God's Word in scripture as Celebrate Recovery does?

You state that, "It’s obvious why the 12 steps are included, because the world is familiar with them." Do you have any idea how contrary that statement is to the Christian faith? We are told in Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Your statement is clear evidence of just one of the many ways Celebrate Recovery is contrary to the scriptures. We are to go and preach the gospel not try to figure out what the world is comfortable with and then use that. Mark 16:15 says, "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." 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. Plus, I have heard from many people who spent years in Celebrate Recovery and after being freed from it share the same story - that they never heard the true gospel in CR and they had been introduced to a different Jesus than the true Jesus we come to know through the Gospel from God's Word in scripture.

Ashley, in what way does being involved in and defending Celebrate Recovery which is based on heresy bring glory to Jesus Christ? Is His gospel in His Word not enough? Did God forget something in His Word so that we humans had to come up with a program to help people instead?

C.R. Taylor

9/9/2018 04:09:25 pm

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!

Emily

3/5/2019 03:13:47 pm

Chad,

Where is your external source that backs your beliefs that the 12 steps are demonically inspired. All of the sources you recommend are simply another writing of yours. The origins of AA points to the Oxford Group which is a Christian study group. In my journey of recovery both in traditional 12 steps and at Celebrate Recovery I have witnessed participants struggle with religion and/or There god they were taught and I can respect traditional recovery’s rule against focusing on any particular religion. Even Jesus had struggles with the religious leaders in his life. If anything is to be labeled as demonic it should be addiction itself. Christianty is about a relationship with The Savior Jesus Christ and some people affected by the disease of addiction have been ostracized by the religious people using the version false humility that uses scripture to judge and condemn the addict. These actions will fuel the isolation and cause the lost to runaway from religion. The 12 steps allows the lost to develop their own relationship with what may be described as the god of their own understanding in the beginning but for those who migrate over to Celebrate Recovery they do so because they discover that Jesus is the one who saved them. John Baker was called to create Celebrate Recovery because he wanted to be able to give his higher power the name above all names. Each person has their own unique relationship with Jesus based on how the Holy Spirit translates the scripture to the individual, each person is free to seek outside sources for guidance on how to translate scripture and when they listen to a sermon or read a study it is that individual’s responsibility to test the message against scripture and since we are all unique we don’t have a right to determine that the other persons belief is wrong simply because it doesn’t perfectly match our own. God is the only judge of each individual relationship.

Chad Prigmore link

3/6/2019 01:19:49 pm

Hi Emily,

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. It is common knowledge in AA that the co-founder Bill Wilson was involved in the occult and claimed openly to have communed with spirits.

The Oxford Group was a quasi Christian group that corrupted the gospel and Christian doctrine. Read the articles on this site entitled "Was Alcoholics Anonymous Started by Christians?" parts 1 and 2 which discuss the apostasy of the Oxford Group as well as the true beliefs and teachings of those who started AA.

As a defender of AA and CR who claims to be Christian, you have to ask yourself - how could you ever claim the authority and sufficiency of scripture as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches without being a hypocrite? If God's word in scripture is sufficient and the final authority - then why would the Twelve Steps need to be added to it as CR does?

Also, how could you ever defend the gospel of Jesus Christ when you claim that people need to first come to accept a god of their own understanding and then they can come to Jesus supposedly through Celebrate Recovery? Christians should have faith in the power of the gospel through God's word in scripture and should never rely on anything other than the gospel to reach those lost in the sin of addiction (which by the way you label as disease which is contrary to scripture - Galatians 5:19-21 clearly defines alcoholism and addiction as sin, not disease).

I am sorry to be blunt, but your entire comment reeks of the secular humanism that is the foundation of the program of Celebrate Recovery. How does adding to God's Word, blending the heretical teachings of AA with God's word, labeling the sin of addiction as disease, and focusing on supposed humanistic needs rather than the un-compromised gospel of Jesus Christ in any way bring glory and honor to Him?

I pray the Lord will open your eyes to the apostasy you seem to be trapped in and bring you back to the narrow path of His truth.

God Bless,

Pastor Chad Prigmore

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