Addiction Recovery Part 2: What is Celebrate Recovery and Why it Falls Short

In part 1 of this three-part series on addiction recovery, I discussed some common themes found in traditional 12-step programs from the secular world, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA). These programs often fall short of facilitating true recovery. By denying the existence of God and mankind’s inherent rebellion against Him, they redefine addiction as either a disease, a behavioral problem, or a mental disorder. This redefinition fails to address the core issue and introduces new idols for those who are already suffering, allowing them to choose a “higher power” for themselves. To achieve true recovery from addictions, we must seek solutions in the right place: in the person and work of Jesus Christ—and focus on addressing the heart of the individual.

A Christian alternative to traditional 12-step programs is known as Celebrate Recovery. This program takes the traditional 12 steps and seeks to redefine them using more Christian terminology. My intention in discussing Celebrate Recovery is not to condemn those who participate in it but to educate, raise awareness, and present a better approach.

Unfortunately, Celebrate Recovery often ends up being another form of practical or functional atheism. It is a self-driven program that incorporates a bit of Christianity with the message, “Do this and live,” whereas Jesus offers a different perspective: “It is done; now here is life.” In essence, Celebrate Recovery falls short of providing true recovery, much like its secular counterparts. Let’s begin with a brief history of Celebrate Recovery.

Where did CR Come from?

Celebrate Recovery is a global ministry of Saddleback Church, led by Rick Warren (at the time) and founded by John and Cheryl Baker. Celebrate Recovery claims to be a Christ-centered program designed to assist individuals with their “hurts, hang-ups, and habits.” Starting with forty-three attendees, CR has expanded to thousands of participants globally, engaging in various formats through different types of ministries. Each of these ministries is overseen by those who have completed CR themselves and have undergone brief training on how to facilitate the groups. As such, they are allowed to use the name Celebrate Recovery in their local contexts and churches. All of this information is available on their website and is publicly accessible. However, while all this may sound impressive from the outside, once you start to explore the teachings of CR, the reality isn’t as favorable.  

In the leader’s manual for CR, Rick Warren mentions that he started to notice a need for recovery, and as he studied the Bible, he found “the principles of recovery-in their logical order-given by Christ in His most famous message, the Sermon on the Mount.” Rick Warren asserts that the eight principles from the Sermon on the Mount, known as the Beatitudes, serve as foundational principles for recovery from life’s “hurts, hang-ups, and habits.” Over the course of twenty-five lessons spanning fifty-two weeks, these eight principles are outlined and integrated with traditional 12-step programs.

The Model for Recovery

The model for CR is based on these eight principles in an acrostic format that spells out recovery, with the 12-steps that correspond to each principle. These eight principles are as follows:

1. Realize I’m not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable. (Step 1) “Happy are those who know that they are spiritually poor” (Matt. 5:3).

2. Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover. (Step 2) “Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

3. Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control. (Step 3) “Happy are the meek” (Matt. 5:5).

4. Openly examine and confess my faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. (Steps 4 and 5) “Happy are the pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8).

5. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. (Steps 6 and 7) “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires” (Matt. 5:6).

6. Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, when possible, except when to do so would harm them or others. (Steps 8 and 9) “Happy are the merciful” (Matt. 5:7). “Happy are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9).

7. Reserve a time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. (Steps 10 and 11) (no verse cited).

8. Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and my words. (Step 12) “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires” (Matt. 5:10).

Since CR claims to be a Bible-based and Christ-centered program, we ought to evaluate it as such. In what follows, we will look a little closer, in a brief manner, at what the finer details of CR is teaching.

CR’s Misuse of Scripture

One of the first problems we should notice right away is the way in which the CR material misuses Scripture, interpreting from a lens of eisegesis instead of exegesis. CR is based primarily on the eight principles found in the Beatitudes (as stated above), but these principles are largely taken out of context, and meaning is read into the words that are not necessarily true. The beatitudes were meant to display the characteristics of true believers, not all people in general; CR applies them to both unbelievers and believers alike.

For example, Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Jesus was teaching that true believers are those who understand that they are morally bankrupt and cannot come to God with anything of value for their own salvation and restoration. This has nothing to do with addiction recovery or simply admitting that we are “powerless” to control our own lives. Augustine, speaking on Matthew 5:3, says, “No one who is puffed up is poor in spirit; therefore he that is lowly is poor in spirit.” A distinction in characteristics is being made here; there are some who believe they are morally wealthy (unbelievers), and there are those who recognize their utter moral bankruptcy (believers).

Another example is Matthew 5:4, which says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Reading into this verse, CR teaches that we must “believe that God exists, that I matter to Him and that He has the power to help me recover (principle two above).” Those who mourn are broken over their sinful condition, and they will be comforted by God. To mourn our brokenness is to acknowledge our sinfulness as a rebellion against God and to weep for it. John Chrysostom says about Matthew 5:4, “And here too again he designated not simply all that mourn, but all that do so for sins.” In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul discusses the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow, which leads to repentance and salvation for the souls of men. This is the same message that Jesus conveys in the Beatitudes.

These same types of false, out-of-context interpretations persist through the other six principles listed above and throughout the remaining CR materials. Therefore, it’s evident that relying on a less desirable translation of the Bible (CR uses the GNT) and reading into the text things that aren’t actually present can be very misleading and cause people to believe falsehoods. In simple terms, the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 are not about addiction recovery or addressing our “hurts, hang-ups, and habits.” Instead, they reveal the true characteristics of being a follower of Jesus Christ and the rewards that accompany it. For the sake of time, I will not go through each principle, but a much more lengthy critique can be found on the ACBC website here. Next, we will look at a few other errors repeatedly taught throughout the CR teachings.

Clashes in Theology

In addition to misinterpreting Scripture, CR promotes a low view of God and an inflated view of man, which contradicts the teachings of Scripture. Let’s examine a few examples of some of the key Christian doctrines.

God, Jesus, Man, and the Problem

In the CR teaching about our “hurts, hang-ups, and habits,” God is simply not sovereign. When experiencing hurt, CR states that “It was their (people’s) choice, not God’s. It was not God’s will.” Scripture explicitly states in Ecclesiastes 7:14, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” In God’s decretive will, through the counsel of the Trinity, both good and bad are allowed to happen for the good and benefit of man and for God’s own glory (Rom. 8:28-29). The bottom line is that whether in a good situation or a bad situation, God is sovereign over both and allows them to happen, even if we do not fully understand it.

Another troubling view of God that raises man above Him is the teaching that WE must learn to forgive GOD! “By the way, on your list of ‘others to forgive,’ you might have forgotten about someone you may need to forgive: God.” In a twist of confusion, the teaching (from the leader’s manual) suggests that God cannot sin, yet we need to forgive God. If God cannot sin, why would we, mere creatures of God, need to forgive God? The only way to justify this teaching, which is not found anywhere in Scripture, is to hold a low view of God and sin, making forgiveness about letting go of negative thoughts and emotions rather than repentance for sinning against a holy God.

While on the topic of forgiveness, the CR teaching also states another unbiblical teaching stating that we need to “Extend forgiveness to ourselves (step 9 of principle 6).” Again, this teaching is found nowhere in Scripture; we are to seek forgiveness from God, not ourselves. In Psalm 51:4, David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” We have not sinned against ourselves but against our Holy God; thus, we seek forgiveness from God for our sins, not ourselves.

Lastly, though not exhaustively, CR also teaches, alongside the traditional 12-step programs, that we have a “higher power.” While Jesus is indeed a higher power, this terminology does not fully capture the eternal Son of the Godhead. This terminology is used in secular models of recovery, and anything can serve as a higher power. Therefore, we must be cautious not to diminish the person and work of Jesus Christ, which referring to Him as a “higher power” just as the secularists who oppose God do.

Alongside these false teachings, there are notable issues with how salvation, sanctification, and the root of man’s problems are taught. Essentially, it is claimed that man possesses free will and must choose to come to God for salvation. This perspective directly contradicts Scripture’s teachings on the matter (Eph. 2:1-8). As a result of man’s free will, sanctification is portrayed as something largely dependent on human effort. However, this is a half-truth. We are called to walk in obedience to God’s commands, but Scripture reveals that our obedience is ultimately a work of God within us, which He brings to completion, and not merely our own doing (Phil. 1:6; 2:13).

Furthermore, the idea that man’s greatest problem is his free will—leading to our “hurts, hang-ups, and habits”—is misguided. Scripture teaches that man’s biggest problem is sin and our desperate need for salvation (Rom. 3:23-24; Psalm 62:1). These are just some of the issues one will find within the teaching of Celebrate Recovery.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this examination of Celebrate Recovery is not exhaustive, but it highlights some significant issues within the program. Celebrate Recovery is akin to traditional 12-step programs in that it can be self-willed, focused on false worship, self-seeking, and reliant on our own good works. What we truly need is God-willed, Spirit-filled worship that seeks God’s glory above our own and depends solely on the power of God to rescue us from our sinfulness. We need more of God and less of ourselves (John 3:30). In part three of this series, I will discuss a gospel-centered alternative for those struggling with addictions and other sinful habits in life.

For more information, resources, or counseling please email rdawson28@outlook.com or visit www.redeemercare.net

Celebrate Recovery. Our DNA. https://cr-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AWS+-+DNA+OF+CELEBRATE+RECOVERY+(3).pdf

Celebrate Recovery. About. https://celebraterecovery.com/about/

Warren, Rick. Celebrate Recovery Leader’s Guide. Pg. 12

Augustine of Hippo. “Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament.”Saint Augustin: Sermon on the Mount, Harmony of the Gospels, Homilies on the Gospels, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by R. G. MacMullen, vol. 6, Christian Literature Company, 1888, p. 266.

John Chrysostom. “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople on the Gospel according to St. Matthew.” Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, edited by Philip Schaff, translated by George Prevost and M. B. Riddle, vol. 10, Christian Literature Company, 1888, p. 93.

Celebrate Recovery. Leader’s Manual. Pg. 192

Ibid.

Ibid. Pg. 193