Religion That Works by Samuel M. Shoemaker - RDJ

Book Details

• Title: Religion That Works: Sermons of Practical Christian Life

• Author: Samuel M. Shoemaker

• Edition: — (copyright page dated 1928; printing/edition not stated, possibly first)

• Printing: Unstated (possibly First Printing)

• Publication Year: 1928

• Binding: Publisher’s cloth (original); supplied photocopy reproduction dust jacket

• Dust Jacket Condition: Facsimile/reproduction jacket (photocopy); no original jacket present

• Condition: Very Good — cover shows some wear and stains; stamp on first page; no other writing or markings observed

• Illustrator/Editor/Preface: Introduction by Albert Parker Fitch

• Rarity / Collectibility: Key Oxford Group-era work by Sam Shoemaker, a major influence on A.A. cofounder Bill W.; important for collectors studying the spiritual roots that shaped early Alcoholics Anonymous

Description
Religion That Works (1928) collects parish sermons by Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, a leading voice in the Oxford Group and a formative spiritual influence on Alcoholics Anonymous. Shoemaker’s messages emphasize a practical, experience-based Christian life—personal honesty, confession, restitution, and daily guidance—principles that closely paralleled ideas later adapted in A.A.’s spiritual program. The volume opens with an appreciative introduction by Albert Parker Fitch, who praises Shoemaker’s “genuine convictions” and the “dynamic of a personal religion” that animates these pages.

For A.A. and Oxford Group historians, this title represents an early, contemporary expression of the spiritual ideas that informed the Fellowship’s beginnings. Bill W. later wrote, “Dr. Sam Shoemaker was one of A.A.’s indispensables.... Had it not been for his ministry to us in our early time, our Fellowship would not be in existence today.”

Condition Notes

• Boards show some wear and light staining

• Stamp on the first page; no other writing or markings observed

• Supplied photocopy reproduction dust jacket (no original jacket present)

See all photos for exact condition and signature details.