Alpha course

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The Alpha course is a basic course on the Christian faith, commonly advertised as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life". It has spread all over the world and is currently run in 152 countries by many different denominations. It is probably the most popular "introduction to Christianity" course in the world. A majority of the congregations running the course can be described as established churches with a renewal or evangelical tendency.

1 Structure
2 History
3 Doctrine
4 Praise
5 Critics
6 Related and alternative courses
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Structure

The Alpha course is organized as a series of sessions over ten weeks, typically preceded by an 'Alpha Supper' which often includes the talk "Christianity Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?" and with a day or weekend away which includes three or four of the talks asterisked [*] below. Each session starts with a meal, followed by a talk (often a video of one by Nicky Gumbel) and then discussion in small groups. The talks aim to cover the basic beliefs of evangelical Christianity. The complete list of talk titles, which follows the chapters of Nicky Gumbel's book Questions of Life, is:

Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus die?
How can I be sure of my faith?
Why and how should I read the Bible?
Why and how should I pray?
How does God guide us?
Who is the Holy Spirit? [*]
What does the Holy Spirit do? [*]
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? [*]
How can I resist evil?
Why and how should I tell others?
Does God heal today?
What about the church?
How can I make the most of the rest of my Life? [*]

The content is evangelical and draws heavily on the Anglican thought of C. S. Lewis and John Stott.

Attendees are issued with The Alpha Course Manual, which contains an outline of each talk, and space for making notes.

[edit] History

Alpha was started by Charles Marnham, a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton Church, an Anglican church in London. It started as a course for church members on the basics of the Christian faith, but then began to be used as an introduction for those interested in the faith. In 1990 Nicky Gumbel, at that time a curate (assistant minister) at Holy Trinity took over the running of the course from Sandy Millar, the then vicar, and oversaw its revision and expansion.

In 2005, over 30,000 courses were offered in more than 152 countries, and in many Christian denominations. By 2005 it was reported that over 7 million people worldwide had attended an Alpha course.

[edit] Doctrine

As far as denominational slant is apparent in the course make up, the Alpha Course reflects its roots in the evangelical wing of the Anglican church. Since an explicit aim of the course is to appeal widely within Christianity, including to Roman Catholics, doctrinal differences are deemphasised. Nonetheless, views on salvation (through faith alone) and sin (inherent, and escapable only through Jesus) are identifiably Protestant. Catholic distinctives, for instance pertaining to saints and the Virgin Mary, are absent, although many Roman Catholic churches teach the course.

The New International Version of the Bible is quoted in the course materials. The Bible is described as "divinely breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16), although whether this view of scripture implies strict inerrancy is not made clear. While certain moral injunctions are deemed relevant and binding today, other controversial aspects of the Bible message are not subjected to a literalist interpretation. Perhaps most notable among these is the Biblical creation account, which Nicky Gumbel does not insist on being taken literally.

Within evangelical Protestantism, the most controversial element of the Alpha Course is its charismatic slant. Heavy emphasis is given to the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit; speaking in tongues and healing via prayer are introduced as practical gifts from God. Conversion stories in the book of Acts (see 2:1ff, 9:17-19, 10:44-46, 19:1-6) are seen as normative.

The Alpha Course itself avoids mention of divisive issues such as homosexuality, but alongside various evangelical texts recommended during the English version of the course, Nicky Gumbel's post-Alpha book, Searching Issues, condemns homosexual activity. "Searching Issues" also suggests that pre-marital sex is unequivocally wrong, that "New Age" materials (e.g. Ouija boards and horoscopes) are 'a power of evil' that should be removed from the home, and that demonic possession is a reality.

[edit] Praise

The Alpha course has attracted praise as a technique for spreading an understanding of the basics of the Christian faith. Although begun in the Anglican church, it has subsequently been used by a variety of denominations and groups. It operates through unpressured (albeit directed) discussion in a non-threatening environment.

The Alpha course has been endorsed by a number of leaders, mainly of evangelical persuasion, including George Carey when he was Archbishop of Canterbury. The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has been slightly more guarded, describing it as "a very special tool" and "a unique mixture of Christian content and Christian style".

[edit] Critics

The Alpha course has been criticized for a charismatic emphasis, which has led some critics to suggest that the course is insufficiently focused on the Bible, privileging instead experiential revelation. A particular bone of contention for non-charismatic evangelicals is Gumbel's endorsement of the so-called Toronto Blessing. As a result, some churches have chosen to teach a modified version which avoids the subject of the Holy Spirit, although this is discouraged in Gumbel's book How to Run the Alpha Course and is in violation of the carefully guarded Alpha course brand name.

Another source of intra-Christian criticism is Nicky Gumbel's acceptance in Searching Issues that evolution is not incompatible with Genesis, and that the earth may not have been created in six 24-hour days.

More conservative critics (especially from a Reformed and Evangelical perspective) have complained that the course does not adequately define sin and therefore does not properly explain the reason for Jesus' death and resurrection. Nonetheless, Alpha talk number three "Why did Jesus die?" does outline four negative aspects of sin, as well as making clear that Jesus's death on the cross is the only remedy. The Christianity Explored course is an attempt to go beyond what the Alpha Course teaches on sin.

Some aspects of the doctrinal position promoted (see "Doctrine" heading above), most notably that regarding homosexuality, are controversial within the Anglican Communion, as well as in the wider church.

Some churches have found that the fired-up expectations of Alpha graduates caused friction with more established members of the congregation. A parish priest in North Lincolnshire noted on Thinking Anglicans in September 2006 that Alpha may work well in metropolitan situations with a large transient population but in his parish repeat performances have produced few converts.

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association has produced an Alpha Briefing.

Michael Marsden, in the New Humanist magazine, has argued that the Alpha course works by appealing to vulnerable and emotionally weak members of society with a community of friends.

[edit] Related and alternative courses

Special versions of the Alpha course tailored for specific demographics exist, including:
- Student Alpha
- Alpha for Prisons
- Youth Alpha
- Alpha for Forces
- Senior Alpha
- Alpha in the Workplace