A Brief History of the Serenity Prayer
There are many theories, but no one really
knows who wrote the Serenity Prayer or when it was written. One theory
suggests that it was written in 500A.D. by a philosopher named Boethius
who became a martyr for the Christians of his time.
A theologian in the 1930's and 1940's named Dr.
Reinhold Niebuhr is often cited as the author, but he read it in an
obituary notice and gave credit to an earlier 18th century theologian.
It is claimed that Dr. Niebuhr was so impressed by the prayer that he
brought it to the attention of Bill W., one of the co-founders of
Alcoholics Anonymous. It was so suited for the needs of AA it became a
key part of the AA movement and their 12 step program. Alcoholics
Anonymous and the other 12 step programs deserve the credit for making
the Serenity Prayer so popular in the 20th Century. |
