The Alpha Course



Alpha Courses have recently become very popular. In 1992 only five were run but last year there were 6500. More than 5000 churches in Britain are involved this September in a nationwide initiative which includes the use of billboards and posters, to provide a Course in every locality. There are several Free Church ministers and members involved. Our General Assembly has alerted our Church to its reservations with regard to the Alpha Courses and particularly to the great stress these lay on “Charismatic views” of Christian doctrine and experience which are contrary to Scripture and the standards of our Church. They have asked the Public Questions Committee of our Church to provide similar material to Alpha but from a Reformed perspective.

Origin

The Alpha Course began at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton (London). This is the Charismatic Anglican Church from which the Toronto Blessing teaching has spread throughout the United Kingdom. Although the Course was begun 20 years ago it has been radically restructured by one of its ministers, Nicky Gumbel, in 1991. General Concept It is designed to be a non-threatening way of presenting the gospel. People who will not come to church can be gathered in homes, have coffee, perhaps watch a Nicky Gumbel video, and then be led into a discussion of Christianity. The idea is to create a relaxed atmosphere and attract people by friendliness, warmth and sincerity. The Course consists of 15 sessions, the final 3 taking the form of a “Holy Spirit day or weekend.”

Good Points

Much of the material is good, especially in the opening sessions. It is attractively and professionally presented. It begins with a simple apologetic for Christianity drawing heavily on C S Lewis. It argues that life is hopeless without Christ, who is the Truth and gives meaning. It then explains who Christ is and why He died. This is followed by sessions on assurance, Bible reading, prayer and guidance.

What are some of the problems?

  1. It is Arminian. It teaches that Christ died for everyone and that faith is a decision for Christ. In reality very little is said about sin, repentance and salvation. Only the first three sessions are properly addressed to non-Christians. The other 12 sessions tend to assume that, because some information about who Christ is and what He has done has been imparted, the individual is now saved and can be regarded as a Christian.
  2. It is man-centred. It has been market-tested by thousands of questionnaires and then adapted to the felt needs of the unsaved. The danger here is of removing the offence of the cross.
  3. It suits Roman Catholicism. Recommended by Cardinal Hume, it has been used to woo back thousands of lapsed Roman Catholics to their Church. Gumbel argues that the differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics are “totally insignificant compared to the things that unite us....We need to unite around the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus; the absolute essential things at the core of the Christian faith on which we are all agreed. We need to give people liberty to disagree on the things that are secondary”. Obviously, to Gumbel, the Protestant Reformation was about secondary matters.
  4. It is Spirit-centred rather than Christ-centred. There is more in the Course about the Spirit than anything else. Many say that the decisive moment for them was not when Christ was proclaimed, but the Holy Spirit weekend. Yet Jesus said: “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come,...he shall not speak of himself....He shall glorify me” (Jn.16:13-14).
  5. It is Charismatic. Great stress is laid on “being filled with the Spirit”. Directions are given as to how to receive the gift of “speaking in tongues”. One whole session deals with healing, as much as is given to the subject of sin and salvation. John Wimber’s Charismatic books entitled, “Power Healing” and “Power Evangelism” are recommended. Gumbel has used the parable of the Prodigal Son to teach that “Church is like a feast...and at a party everyone has a good time....Why shouldn’t there be laughter at the biggest party of all? And that’s what we are seeing today, laughter and fun, and people getting drunk -- not with wine....Come to a party where you can get drunk on God....I was at a party like that last night. It was a whole load of church leaders, and we invited the Spirit to come....It was a party thrown by the Holy Spirit....It was a fun place to be. The Church is meant to be a party”. John Wimber says: “If the price we pay for all this increase in the fruit of the Spirit is an occasional ‘moo’, it is a price worth paying”. Little reverence is shown to God.
Conclusion

Although there is some good teaching in the Alpha Course yet that only makes it all the more dangerous. It is a doorway for Charismatic influences to seep into otherwise sound churches. Because it appears superficially so successful it is difficult to oppose it without appearing to be against evangelism. Yet success must never be our benchmark. Rather our guide must always be the Bible. We must not tolerate any error. Faithfulness to the truth is far more important than success. We achieve nothing without God’s blessing. “Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1Cor.3:6). Beware of Alpha!


Any comments or questions please E-Mail me or Rev William Macleod the editor.

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