# What is the Alpha Course?



## Pergamum (Jul 15, 2008)

What is the Alpha Course? Is it good, bad, ugly? Who made it, and who uses it?


----------



## Reformed Christian (Jul 15, 2008)

Pergamum said:


> What is the Alpha Course? Is it good, bad, ugly? Who made it, and who uses it?



Perg, 

Is this what you're talking about - AlphaUSA


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Jul 15, 2008)

There was a discussion of it in the March/April 2005 issue of Modern Reformation: Modern Reformation - Articles

I seem to recall there was a nice tabular comparison of each of the Evangelistic methods. You can sort of get a feel for it from the brief interaction between Mike and the person interviewed in the link above.


----------



## Pergamum (Jul 15, 2008)

At Alpha USA there is some general info. I guess it is a simple overview course about Christianity. They say 11 million have gone through it. It seems to use a narrative approach utlizing the Gospel of Mark.


----------



## Tim (Jul 15, 2008)

I would not recommend Alpha. It is taught by Nicky Gumbel, an Anglican in England. The format is centered around home groups, where a meal is usually eaten together before the teaching, which occurs via video. Gumbel teaches some of the basics of Christianity in an easy to understand fashion. There is nothing wrong with what I have mentioned up to this point, but from what I can recall, the content is questionable. It is largely decisionist (perhaps too much emphasis on the sinner's prayer), is charismatic (one of the sessions is about "receiving the Holy Spirit"), and is not presuppositionalist in its apologetic. I don't remember anything about human depravity. It is definitely not reformed. In my opinion, it is far inferior to any of the confessions or catechisms in its teaching.

I took this course twice in my early days as an evangelical. The second time, when we came to the session on the Holy Spirit, the leaders asked if people wanted to receive the Holy Spirit. One woman went up and they did that falling-back-to-the-ground-Benny Hinn thing and then spoke in tongues. I left the room at that point. 

Recently, when I moved to South Africa and was looking for churches, I actually used this as one of my ways to screen out churches: if a church had an Alpha course, it was deleted from my list.


----------



## Stephen (Jul 15, 2008)

Pergamum said:


> At Alpha USA there is some general info. I guess it is a simple overview course about Christianity. They say 11 million have gone through it. It seems to use a narrative approach utlizing the Gospel of Mark.





*Alpha* does not use the gospel of Mark. The program that does is called _*Christianity Explored *_and it was developed by an Anglican minister named Rico Tice. Alpha is a course started by a minister from a Charismatic Anglican church in London and covers basic Christian doctrine. I have the Christianity Explored course and highly recommend it as an evangelistic tool. I would caution against using Alpha because it is weak on the gospel and heavily Charismatic; tongues, Baptism of Holy Spirit, etc.


----------



## FenderPriest (Jul 15, 2008)

As an example contrary to Tim's, we do the Alpha course at my church. However, we don't do it the way Tim described it, and from what I understand, I believe we're unique in that function. We do the Alpha course at my church as a 10 week class that unbelievers are invited to (or young Christians who don't know very much). There's a free dinner before, and free child care (help incentives for our area). Then one of the pastors gets up and teaches the material (not a video), for 30 minutes or so. We've modified the teaching a little bit to be more Reformed in its approach to, and understanding of, the Gospel. This is done in a large group setting, and then people break up into discussion groups were all questions are welcome, and people process the material. We've found this to be very engaging for people because most times they just have questions and would like an "open" environment. Our church has grown a lot through doing this, which is great because our growth is largely through new conversions, and not church-swapping. It's also great because that's the Biblical model of conversion: repenting, converting, growth and life in the body of Christ. We had over 400 people go through the course last year. We've really seen the Lord use this to bring people to him - though, in relation to your question, we've admittedly modified the class.


----------



## Jimmy the Greek (Jul 15, 2008)

FenderPriest said:


> As an example contrary to Tim's, we do the Alpha course at my church. However, we don't do it the way Tim described it, and from what I understand, I believe we're unique in that function. . . - though, in relation to your question, we've admittedly modified the class.



So, basically, you _don't_ do the Alpha course.  You have a modified form that is palatable and more biblical.


----------



## FenderPriest (Jul 15, 2008)

Gomarus said:


> FenderPriest said:
> 
> 
> > As an example contrary to Tim's, we do the Alpha course at my church. However, we don't do it the way Tim described it, and from what I understand, I believe we're unique in that function. . . - though, in relation to your question, we've admittedly modified the class.
> ...



Ya, that's about right. We still have the logo, name, etc. But, if the class was intended to be Arminian, we don't fit the mold


----------



## Galatians220 (Jul 15, 2008)

It's *ugly.* You could put lipstick, mascara and sequins on it, and splash it with Chanel, but it would still be... *ugly.*   (And it still wouldn't smell too good, either.)

Margaret


----------



## Theogenes (Jul 15, 2008)

Here's a critique of the Alpha course....
The Dangers Of The Alpha Course

And another...
http://www.pfo.org/alpha-cr.htm


----------



## JonathanHunt (Jul 15, 2008)

Pretty much what's been said is all that needs to be.

It is not sufficiently Christ-centred, it assumes that you have been converted by week five and then it rams charismatic experience down your throat for the remaining five weeks.

Either take it, gut it, and use the good bits supplemented by biblical theology, or don't bother and go for the far superior Christianity Explored.

None of this is to say that Alpha has not been an enormous success - which it has - in the hands of God - and many have been saved as a result. But I'd be convinced that many have been deceived too.


----------



## Polhill's Protege (Jul 15, 2008)

The Alpha Course is charismatic. It's soteriology isn't aggressively Arminian, but it certainly isn't Reformed. My wife was converted at an Alpha Course during week three (Why Did Jesus Die?), so it can't be too bad! I find that it is possible to teach the course in a Reformed way without too much tweaking. I am told, however, that Alpha International really don't like people changing the material and can be litigious when they find someone doing it too much! I imagine this is to stop cults and sects using Alpha as bait, but that just speculation. The stuff about the charismata is the most problematic, even for a charismatic calvinist like me because this part of the course owes a great deal to pentecostalism. The emphasis on tongues as a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit is most unhelpful and I know many, many Anglicans who just leave that bit out.


----------



## Pergamum (Jul 15, 2008)

Thanks all.


----------



## JonathanHunt (Jul 15, 2008)

Polhill's Protege said:


> The Alpha Course is charismatic. It's soteriology isn't aggressively Arminian, but it certainly isn't Reformed. My wife was converted at an Alpha Course during week three (Why Did Jesus Die?), so it can't be too bad! I find that it is possible to teach the course in a Reformed way without too much tweaking. I am told, however, that Alpha International really don't like people changing the material and can be litigious when they find someone doing it too much! I imagine this is to stop cults and sects using Alpha as bait, but that just speculation. The stuff about the charismata is the most problematic, even for a charismatic calvinist like me because this part of the course owes a great deal to pentecostalism. The emphasis on tongues as a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit is most unhelpful and I know many, many Anglicans who just leave that bit out.



Well lookee here, another Britisher! Welcome, Sir. I must have missed your joining us.


----------

