Br. Raymond La Grange, O.P., on Alcoholics Anonymous and the New Evangelization

"The second step of Alcoholics Anonymous is to admit that only a 'higher power' can save one from the scourge of alcoholism. This is unsurprising, since AA grew out of Christian evangelization groups. But the early members of AA thought that an atheist could also believe in some kind of higher power - it could even be AA itself. At the same time, they also had great confidence that, however vague or atheistic someone's initial idea of a higher power was, anyone who hung around in the program for long enough would probably end up believing in God in a more conventional sense: . . .

"The New Evangelization - the mission of the Church to those who have heard of the Gospel but have never followed it or have fallen away - is no easy task. Many in our society have already heard of the Gospel already and are predisposed not to believe it or take interest in it. They ignore the missionary even before he gets a chance to make his case. Yet the missionary of today does have one thing he can count on: so many today are seeking an answer to their own suffering."

In a recent commentary, Brother Raymond La Grange, O.P., reflected on the relationship between the philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous and the New Evangelization.

To access Br. Raymond's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Alcoholics Anonymous and the New Evangelization (10 MAY 22)