The Alpha course is a course which seeks to explore the basics of the Christian faith, described as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life" [1]. Alpha courses are currently being run in churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, universities and a wide variety of other locations. The course is being run around the world by all major Christian denominations.
Contents |
Alpha was started by the Reverend Charles Marnham, a curate at Holy Trinity, Brompton, a Church of England parish in London. The name 'Alpha' was suggested by Marnham's wife, Tricia. 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. The Very Reverend John Irvine, at that time a curate at HTB, took over running the course and developed it into the ten week format which continues to this day. In 1990 the Reverend Nicky Gumbel, at that time a curate at Holy Trinity, took over the running of the course[2] at the invitation of the Reverend Sandy Millar (the then vicar) and oversaw its revision and expansion.
In 2008 over 33,500 courses were offered in 163 countries by Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, British New Church Movement and Orthodox [2] churches and the Roman Catholic Church. Over 15 million people worldwide have attended an Alpha course (two and a half million in the UK).[3]
The Alpha course is organized as a series of sessions over 10 weeks, typically preceded by an 'Alpha Supper' which often includes the talk "Is there more to life than this?" 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 the Christian faith. The complete list of talk titles, which follows the chapters of Gumbel's book Questions of Life, is:
|
|
Attenders are issued with The Alpha Course Manual, which contains an outline of each talk and space for making notes.
As an alternative to the standard Alpha course, the Alpha organisation runs a number of Alpha courses designed for specific demographics:
In conjunction with Youth for Christ, Alpha International produces two study programs designed for children aged 11–14, exploRE: The Christian Faith a 12-week programme on the Christian faith, and exploRE: The Life of Jesus, a 14-lesson study of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection. The capitalised RE is a reference to religious education, part of the curriculum in the United Kingdom. The materials are aimed at religious education teachers.
Alpha operates several marriage-related programmes. The Marriage Course is a seven-session course for married couples, consisting of a "candlelit meal and/or coffee, tea and dessert at a romantic table for two while listening to practical talks that are informative and fun, either given live or played on DVD", while the Marriage Preparation Course follows a similar format over five sessions in preparation for married life.[14] Unlike the Alpha Course, there are no group sessions - the couple are to spend the time together, and relationship details are not shared with a counsellor or other participants[15]
The site's website makes little mention of Christianity, saying that 'while it is based on Christian principles, it is designed for couples with or without a Christian faith'.[16] The courses are authored by Nicky and Sila Lee, staff at Holy Trinity Brompton and authors of 'The Marriage Book' and 'The Parenting Book'.[17]
God at Work is a book and course by Ken Costa, chairman of Alpha International, 31-year veteran of UBS and now Chairman of Lazard UK.[18] The course consists of six hour-long sessions focusing on work, stress, ambition and other work-related issues from a Christian perspective.[19]
Caring for Ex-Offenders is a follow-up to the Alpha for Prisons course, supporting released prisoners by providing them with material assistance including accommodation, work, food, and pastoral support through church life.[20] It operates in the UK, Canada, South Africa and the USA.[21]
St Paul's Theological Centre is Alpha/Holy Trinity Brompton's theological institution, with aims to provide lay training in theology, to provide ordination training, to provide theological resources for theological training in churches across the world, and to provide theological guidance for Alpha.[22]
Worship Central is a school of worship run by Holy Trinity Brompton.
Alpha's teachings are intended to centre upon aspects of Christian faith on which all denominations are in general agreement. Gumbel says "What unites us is far greater than what divides us."
Roman Catholic distinctives, such as those concerning the Virgin Mary and certain sacramental teachings are absent, as are Baptist teachings on baptism. Instead, individual churches are encouraged to provide follow-up courses of their own.
The New International Version of the Bible is quoted in the course materials. St Paul's reference to scripture being "God breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16) is referred to, although whether this view of scripture implies strict inerrancy is not made clear.
Within evangelical Protestantism the most controversial element of the Alpha Course is what is considered to be its charismatic slant. Three of the fifteen sessions are given to the person and work of the Holy Spirit and cover the infilling of the Spirit; speaking in tongues and healing via prayer. Conversion stories in the book of Acts (see 2:1ff, 9:17-19, 10:44-46, 19:1-6) are seen as normative.
Possibly the greatest influence has been the ministry of John Wimber, who visited Holy Trinity Brompton a number of times during the 1980s and 1990s. Nicky Gumbel's approach can also be linked[23] to the ministry of E. J. H. Nash (Bash), an influential Anglican cleric who set out to evangelise "top boys at top schools"[24] and who organised summer camps at Iwerne Minster in Dorset.[25] David Fletcher, who took responsibility for the camps after Bash, described Alpha as: "basically the Iwerne camp talk scheme with charismatic stuff added on.".[26] Rob Warner addresses both, when he says: "Alpha can... be summed up as Bash camp rationalistic conservatism combined with Wimberist charismatic expressivism... this is a highly unusual, even paradoxical hybrid."[27].
Although originating from the Evangelical Anglican tradition, it has subsequently been used by a variety of church traditions and groups. The Alpha course has been endorsed by a number of leaders, including many Roman Catholic cardinals, Anglican archbishops and bishops,[28] and leading figures of all the main Christian denominations. The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams was an enthusiastic supporter when he was Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales and has carried on his support into his new role,[29] opening an Alpha conference and accepting an invitation to speak at an Alpha supper in London in 2004. He describes it as "a very special tool" and "a unique mixture of Christian content and Christian style".[28] His predecessor, George Carey described the courses as "superb."[29] Father Raniero Cantalamessa, a monk of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and Preacher to the Papal Household for Pope Benedict XVI wrote a document praising Alpha in June 2005.[30]
The Alpha course has been criticised for a charismatic emphasis. A particular problem for non-charismatic evangelicals is what is seen as Gumbel's emphasis upon the person and work of the Holy Spirit. As a result, some churches have chosen to teach a different view of the Holy Spirit, although this is discouraged in Gumbel's book How to Run the Alpha Course.
Because it has been recommended as supplementary reading, Gumbel's book, Searching Issues, has become a focus of criticism. There is a chapter criticising homosexual practice, although this is not unique to the Alpha course but part of the wider Evangelical context.[31]
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's death and resurrection. The alternative Christianity Explored course is an attempt to go beyond what the Alpha Course teaches on sin.
The Revd John Vincent of the Urban Theology Unit in Sheffield has suggested that Alpha presents too narrow a version of Christianity and one too centred on what theologians have said about Jesus, rather than allowing students the freedom to draw their own inspiration from studying Jesus' life and teaching. "The Alpha course, because of its didactic style, its narrow-mindedness and its closed nature, doesn't facilitate alternative views", he says. "I happen to believe it therefore leads people into a self-centred religion which is not the same as the genuine Christian discipleship."[32] The Alpha course has also been accused of using techniques similar to brainwashing and similar to The Third Wave [33] [34] [35] [36]
Alpha in a Catholic Context is Alpha with additional sessions about the Roman Catholic Church. This has drawn harsh criticism from catechists claiming that the course does not present merely Christian ideas, but ideas not supported by Roman Catholic doctrine which are corrected in the additional Roman Catholic sessions.[37]
Proponents and detractors alike indicate the open and friendly atmosphere of the Alpha course where a participant can ask any question coupled with the freedom to attend select talks or leave without a follow-up is a major factor in its success. The only restriction placed is that everyone respects everyone else at the table during discussion. In addition while there has been some restructuring of the format of the Alpha course in the last two decades, it is presented in the native tongue almost unchanged when run in different parts of the world. Usually an Alpha course involves 'previous course guests' inviting new ones, and a large number of published testimonies of guests around the world[38] attribute this success to their discovering an apparent relationship with God through the figure of Jesus Christ while attending a local Alpha course where they could proceed at their pace and freely converse about any topic.
What Alpha offers, and what is attracting thousands of people, is permission, rare in secular culture, to discuss the big questions - life and death and their meaning. The Guardian, London [39]
Books for use with the course:
Books about the course: