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By Neil Richardson The Success of AlphaFriendliness: the two `A's of Alpha stand for Anyone can come and Ask anything. There is an inherent amiability about the form (easy-come, easy-go), style (no wrong answers, open-ended) and personnel who are non-judgemental, facilitators and not teachers- the group leaders do not attempt to offer any answers (Ronson). Is this last thing a good thing?Food: the `P' of Alpha stands for Pasta and perhaps those of us who are wary of Alpha have something to learn about the nature of winning people for Christ. James 2 teaches us that men have bodies as well as souls, and although Jesus sought to give men the living bread (Himself) he also ministered to their earthly needs. There can be few better ways of getting friendly with people than eating with them, and as we all know, for men at least, the way to the heart is via the stomach! Format: it is efficient, simple, established, realistic and with a roll-on, roll-off 15 week structure which enables new converts to bring along their friends, ad infinitum. The Holy Spirit weekend in the middle serves the function of bringing people into a close, emotionally-charged atmosphere where they are more receptive and suggestible. Again, we may want to query the probity of this, though it can be highly beneficial to get away to a different location, to remove mundane distractions and focus on God alone (look at how Jesus went up to high mountains alone, e.g. John 6:15). Founder: frontman Nicky Gumbel, though not the originator of the course, is certainly the man responsible for its present form, and the writer of nearly all of the material and presenter of the video talks. He is, as Ronson puts it, the saviour of Christianity, "the man who is turning the tide, more influential than the Archbishop of Canterbury (CofE). *1. A frightfully nice man, he inspires and encourages the many people who have come into contact with him. He combines intelligence with grace, and an ability to engage one-on-one with the practised skill of a public orator. Without Gumbel's charisma and drive, its unlikely the course would have taken off as it has. The other key contributory factor was the outbreak of the Toronto Experience which coincides directly with the mushrooming of Alpha course (4600 people in 1993; TE broke out in 1994—THEN a jump to 22,100 people in Alpha; 76,400 people in 1995). Gumbel has been prepared to cut corners and avoid contentious issues so as to bring as many different church groups on board, including the Roman Catholics. This is seen as a great coup—that the Roman Catholics feel no need to change Alpha. Facility: Alpha is extremely straightforward and followable. It is challenging without being demanding. A question for anyone writing a Christian basics course: what is the difference between making plain and diluting or the difference between simplified and simplistic? Fame: The `H' of Alpha stands for household name status throughout the world. Its million-pound marketing campaign, plus the momentum of its size, means that it tends to knock all opposition into the long grass. Alternatives such as Discovering Christianity (IVP), Christianity Explained (Narrowgate Press), Simply Christianity (Matthias Media), Exploring Christianity (FIEC), For Starters (Evangelical Press) and so on have cornered only a small niche of the more cautious sector of evangelicalism. The other thing that Alpha News (Alpha's propaganda sheet) seems to have readily at its disposal is an almost infinite list of ringing endorsements from Christian leaders across the board—Billy Graham, the two CofE Archbishops, Alistair McGrath, Luis Palau, the late John Wimber, RT Kendall, Joel Edwards, Roman Catholic Cardinal Basil Hume, Colin Dye, Gerald Coates, etc. Fashion: Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), the home of Alpha is probably the most stylish church in Christendom. Everybody who goes there has gleaming white teeth and shiny black shoes, and it is an amazing media-canny, user-friendly showcase for contemporary Christianity. It's bright and lively and colourful and not at all stuffy or over-serious. HTB's sheer brilliance at packaging means that moth-like celebrities such as former page 3 girl Samantha Fox have been attracted to its son et lumiere (not, we might add, for very long). But certainly what Alpha has achieved is to dispel the notion that you have to wear a grey cardigan and like quiche and rather drizzly elevator music to be a proper Christian—that churches are merely havens for social outcasts. Indeed, Knightsbridge's HTB may well be the place to go to become one of the "in crowd". Fortune: There has been a lot of smart money put into Alpha. There is a logo, a website, a media manager and so on. Gumbel has more staff than George Carey (CofE). Advertising campaigns involve sums exceeding a million. It costs each church upwards of Au$300 to use the course. Gumbel's books have become permanent furniture in the Christian Top 20 Bestsellers. And there's something to be said here. If we bandage together some mismatched A4 sheets with sticky tape and add a few line drawings, is it any wonder people do not believe we are taking our faith seriously? Especially when on the Monday we are happy to toddle off to work and give a stinging Power Point presentation, involving colour projections, CD-sound, sample products, colour handouts and so on? Another question: when is presentation (a) slick, (b) shoddy and (c) spot-on? Can we get to a point where it neither detracts by being so poor and makeshift, nor distracts by being so state-of-the-art we are dazzled and don't notice content? Fun: A great thing that Alpha touts about itself is its happy-go-lucky nature. Wow! It's grrrrreat! It's a gas ! As Gerald Coates says, "Alpha is fun and unthreatening—just like our Lord Himself". I think Coates' disturbingly flippant comment shows how it is possible to go too far up the Willow Creek *2 of seeker-sensitivity. Are we trying to bring people to the Lord in repentance and faith? Or are we just tickling them under the chin in a religious kind of way? To be sure, some of our conservative evangelical churches are so dour and gloomy you'd be more joyful outside in the graveyard. A cartoon my friend once drew showed a character called Nigel being excommunicated for wearing too bright a shade of grey. We mistake glumness for reverence, and resent people dancing, singing, laughing and shouting. Why? Well sometimes it's just because we're built differently. It's called temperament, but should we build a theology on top of it, either to the left (120bpm speed garage and mental body-popping in the aisles) or to the right (infinite prayer-hymn sandwich with all writers before (does he mean after 1900?) 1900 prohibited)? But we cannot dare to extend the notion of fun, can we, to how we describe the Lord Jesus? Especially not when we are trying to address unbelievers whom, as yet, have no reason to rejoice, as they are in mortal peril of judgement and hell. Gumbel seems to overlook this entirely in this exchange between him and an unconverted Jew, Gideon. There is a small silence. `Are you a Christian now?' I ask Gideon. There is another small silence. `No,' he says.'But it's OK. Gumbel said he didn't mind' (Ronson). Far-reaching: Not only is Alpha the ultimate tool in the ecumenical drive to total church unity , but also it has international appeal, taking place in almost every nation of the world, from Albania to Zimbabwe. You have to hand it to Gumbel and co for working so jolly hard to bring this about. Would we, with all our concern for sound doctrine, have a love for people such that we take this saving gospel to the ends of the earth in the way that he has managed with this rather patchy message? Watch Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons rebuffed and spurned from houses up and down your street, and ask yourself, soberly—are we doing enough? "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you go about sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twice a child of hell as you are" (Matthew 23:15). "You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savour, with what shall it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a basket, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16, 11:28). Links to do with the Alpha course We urge readers, please, to follow these up. Fundamental flaws Content of the Alpha course by Jonathan Bayes: Cultic character of the Alpha course by William Horsburgh1. Cults begin under the umbrella of orthodox Christianity, but emerge with a distinct character of their own.2. Error not seen at first but now clear (compare Jehovah Witness, Mormons,) 3. False teachers being amongst us (2 Peter 2:1-2). 4. Another gospel, another Jesus from those in the scriptures. 5. Feelings manipulated: emotional catharsis. 6. Dissent discouraged. 7. Critical thinking discouraged—just accept, don't question. 8. Unfamiliar territory (weekend away- people susceptible to shifts in thinking) 9. Love bombing (everybody is so friendly to me! People converted to church life rather than Jesus). 10. Rat poison technique (only a little bit of error pollutes the whole thing; some truths spoken about Christ, but main focus is defective teaching and behaviours concerning Holy Spirit). 11. Vineyard connection (Vineyard has always been separatist, indulging in `soulish' pursuits rather than biblical means of grace). 12. Guru's touch (Holy Spirit/blessing seeming to be mediated through hands of leaders and through `slain in the spirit' / carpet-time experiences). 13. Deadly error. Alpha makes people think they are already saved by the fourth week, and makes the reception of the Holy Spirit and unusual outward phenomena the marks of faith; the published testimonies that come out of Alpha News nearly always concentrate on the Holy Spirit experience' as the central aspect of conversion, rather than the Bible's emphasis: repentance (and baptism) from sins, faith in our crucified and risen Lord, with the infilling of the Holy Spirit following this (Acts 2:38). What could be worse than making someone think they are a Christian when they have never had their sins dealt with and been born again? Neil Richardson on Alpha, Rome and Toronto1. Recommended by people who due to their association with others eg: Rodney Howard-Browne, John Wimber, Roman Catholics, Gerald Coates, to mention a few. Refer CWM Archives) are themselves tainted.2. Jesus as lifestyle enhancer rather than, Jesus Lord and Saviour covering us from the wrath of God. 3. Alpholatry vs Jesus worship. Reflected in the Alpha course mailouts and newsletters. 4. Regards Roman Catholicism as genuine Christianity, and hence doesn't need to be avoided. 5. Phenomena as seen in the Toronto Blessing, encouraged as signs of the Holy Spirit. 6. Emotional blackmail over unity at expense of truth. 7. Holy Spirit worshipped at expense of Christ (3 vs. 2 sessions). However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you (John 16:13,14). Summary of the Alpha course in deference to Chris Hand1. God: There are no sessions on God the Father, God the Creator, God the Judge, God the Sovereign (doctrine of election or predestination absent) or anything else about the first Person of the Trinity. As a consequence, men and women enter and leave the course,(a) not understanding fully their status as God's creatures, and therefore the absolute requirement to obey Him as Master of all things, (b) not understanding at all the anger of God against their sin, from which they must be saved by the gracious and selfless substitution of the Saviour. 2. Judgement and hell: Because God is not portrayed as angry with humanity (only sorry He can't be friends with us), there is very little if any reference to judgement and hell. This explains why Gumbel does not seem too fussed that the journalist, Gideon, did not become a Christian. There is a universalist tendency in Alpha: Jesus will make you happier and deal with your problems, but if you don't turn to Him, you'll still survive 3. Holy Spirit: Jesus Christ; Physical manifestations, inward repentance & faith. Whilst the second and third Persons of the Trinity are equal to the Father, the Bible's teaching is that Jesus is our Saviour, and the object of our adoration. Gumbel on being asked how one becomes a Christian, repeatedly replies, "We simply ask the Holy Spirit to fill them," (Ronson). There is no fundamental commitment to the message of sin, the Cross, repentance and faith as the means by which God saves us, the very things the Holy Spirit is sent to convict men of. These things are mentioned in passing, but it is just that: a passing reference before the `main event' of the `Holy Spirit' weekend. (In fact, it is hard to believe He, the Spirit, has much to do with these antics which do not glorify Christ at all.) 4. The `L' of Alpha stands for Long on relationships; short on repentance! 5. The bible is one of the words of God, not THE Word of God. Because the bible is ranged alongside other sources of revelation (dreams, words from friends, inner promptings, etc.), the Roman Catholics are once again very happy with Alpha (they derive their views from the bible, tradition and reason, though in practice the latter two override the scriptures). If people are not willing to submit in weakness and fear to the commands of the Good Book, then bits that are uncomfortable or seemingly archaic (such as hell, judgement against deviant sexuality, the role of women, the sovereignty of God in electing His children) can be easily discarded. Alpha is far too palatable, far too popular. The true message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18,23). 6. Propaganda for Rome (ecumenism, Roman Catholicism, One World Church) and Toronto (Word-Faith, bizarre phenomena signs & wonders). See, we are all agreed on the Alpha course material—where are the differences between us [denominations]? How should we then live then?1. With love and grace: to those who are involved with Alpha, gently suggesting to them alternatives and nudging them from time to time about the aspects of the course which they themselves will sense in their heart of hearts to be defective, if they are true believers.2. With humility: lest we also be tempted (Galatians 6:1), acknowledging where the Alpha course has given out the message correctly. 3. With prayerful intercessions: for those who have tasted this `diluted Christianity'. 4. I am the Alpha and the Omega... says the Lord God So here we have a course that concentrates only on the start (Alpha) of Christianity, without apparently any intention to help the participants to reach the end (Omega). Encourage all those who have been through an Alpha course to pursue further reading—study—questioning ["And examined the scriptures every day" (Acts 17:11)] to fortify and build their new Christianity into a faith of strong meat and drink. 5. With studious diligence: getting acquainted daily with the holy scriptures. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16, 17); also, let us keep our eyes open, and follow up the links above. 6. With action: Let's set up these alternative courses then! For example the NEW TRIBES MISSION material. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:3-5). God bless you richly in His service. —NR *1 Primate of the Church of England ( C of E ). Members also known as 'Anglicans' in the Pacific region or 'Episcopalians' in USA *2 Willow Creek of Chicago with Bill Hybels [ TOP ] Appeared in Issue CETF 6.2 December 2000 |
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