If I Be Lifted Up — Samuel M. Shoemaker - First Published 1931
Offered here is an early copy of If I Be Lifted Up by Samuel M. Shoemaker, first published in 1931.
Written during Shoemaker’s years at Calvary Church in New York City, this book is a collection of sermons centered on the meaning of the Cross and its practical application to daily life. Rather than presenting a formal or complete theology, Shoemaker approaches the subject through lived spiritual experience, personal transformation, and what he describes as “practical redemptive daring toward others.”
In the Foreword, Shoemaker explains that living religion often begins with an individual spiritual experience and then grows through reflection, comparison, and a deeper understanding of enduring Christian truths. His purpose was not merely to discuss theology, but to translate spiritual principles into a language that could be lived.
That approach would become one of the defining marks of Shoemaker’s ministry and one of the reasons his writings remain so important to students of early Alcoholics Anonymous history.
From the Foreword
Shoemaker writes:
“LIVING religion is likely to begin in an individualistic experience. Through the help of another, or alone, we first discover the inner world of the Spirit, and its tremendous power in regulating and enhancing ordinary life.”
He later describes the sermons as incomplete lines of approach, all pointing toward the meaning of the Cross, and expresses the hope that they might lead readers toward:
“high moments of intense and amazed wonder at the Cross” and “adventures in practical redemptive daring toward others.”
The Foreword is signed:
S. M. S., Jr.
Calvary Rectory, New York City
Epiphany, 1931
Samuel M. Shoemaker and Alcoholics Anonymous
Samuel Moor Shoemaker was one of the most influential religious figures in the spiritual background of Alcoholics Anonymous.
An Episcopal priest and longtime rector of Calvary Church in New York City, Shoemaker became closely associated with the Oxford Group, the Christian fellowship that emphasized personal transformation through honesty, self-examination, confession, restitution, surrender to God, and service to others.
These principles formed an important part of the spiritual environment in which Bill W. and other early A.A. members developed the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Shoemaker’s ministry was known for making spiritual ideas practical. His sermons and books consistently emphasized that faith must become more than doctrine or belief—it must lead to personal change and useful action in the lives of others.
Bill W. later wrote of him:
“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.”
Because of this close historical connection, Shoemaker’s books remain highly collectible among those interested in the Oxford Group, Calvary Mission, Bill W., and the spiritual roots of the Twelve Steps.
Historical & Collector Significance
Published in 1931, If I Be Lifted Up appeared several years before the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous and during the period when Shoemaker’s association with the Oxford Group was shaping his ministry.
The book reflects many themes that later became familiar within A.A. and other Twelve Step fellowships:
Personal spiritual experience
Surrender to God
The translation of belief into action
Transformation through service to others
The practical application of spiritual principles
The importance of one person helping another
Although this is a Christian theological work rather than A.A. literature, it provides valuable insight into the spiritual vocabulary and practical religious approach of one of the most important figures behind early A.A.
Book Details
Title: If I Be Lifted Up
Author: Samuel M. Shoemaker
First Published: 1931
Format: Hardcover
Subject Areas: Christianity, the Cross, Oxford Group, Samuel Shoemaker, Calvary Church, pre-A.A. spiritual history
Condition
This book is in very good condition overall, with minor wear to the cover and spine.
There is a handwritten name on the first page. Pen markings appear in the margins throughout the book. The binding remains intact, and the book presents well for its age.
Please review all photos carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
Collector’s Note
A meaningful early Samuel Shoemaker title published during the formative period of his ministry at Calvary Church. For collectors of Oxford Group material, early A.A. influences, Bill W. history, and the spiritual foundations of the Twelve Steps, If I Be Lifted Up is an especially relevant and desirable work.
