More-Than-Church: The Fellowship of Bill W
Wil Darcangelo Dr. Elizabeth Nordbeck - Cults and Controversies Final Paper April 28, 2014 More-Than-Church: The Fellowship of Bill W Abstract This paper examines the cultural definitions of the words “religion” and “church” and the place in our society of organizations which could be considered by alternative nomenclature. It will consider that Alcoholics Anonymous 8 (and the more than sixty authorized adaptations of its faith-based recovery fellowship doctrine) are part of a category of human faith systems which might be termed “more-than-church.” Careful consideration of this categorization in light of what our culture defines as “religion” and “church” might give opportunities for other faith-based groups (that may currently exist in the gray area of spiritual recognition and/or clarity) to be understood and acknowledged for the genuine contribution they make in contemporary spiritual life as such. As well, such novel descriptive terminolo...