A Rebel in the Oxford Group: Coming Home & Knowing It for the First Time

David Belden was born into a family of Oxford Group leaders and committed activists. The Group set out “to change the world” and throughout his early years David devoted himself wholeheartedly to this challenge.  But while “carrying the message” in Africa, his life took an unexpected turn that led to his questioning some of principles and practices he had once taken uncritically for granted.

David returned to Oxford University to write his doctoral dissertation on the Group’s history, influence and shortcomings. He recently published a still more intimate account of his own journey toward personal and social transformation and change: The World Remakers’ Child.

This series affords a rare insider’s view of the Group responsible for contributing no fewer than ten of A.A.’s Twelve Steps and yields fresh insights and challenges throughout. Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson praised David’s book for its “steady candor,” “humor about himself,” and “a thirst for a less harsh, more loving, and fairer world.”

In this final episode Dave’s early Oxford Group goal of “world changing” may have traveled full circle. It’s reminiscent of the poet T.S Elliott’s famous lines:

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.

Show notes:

David Belden’s book: The World Remakers’ Child

Dave’s Oxford University Doctoral Thesis:

https://www.academia.edu/27545723/The_Origins_and_Development_of_the_Oxford_Group_Moral_Re_Armament_

Dave’s website: https://www.davidbelden.com/

Dave doing a recent book reading at his Unitarian Universalist Church:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/QgrcJHsHpqWKvMChSdmxXjJNlDCGCJGCgHL?projector=1

This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century by Paul and Mark Engler

How 12 Step Programs Can Help Build Healthier Movements

https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/10/how-12-step-programs-can-help-build-healthier-movements/