The problem with Alpha is that, not only does it present half-truths and an incomplete Christianity, it present outright errors. Alpha lays a faulty foundation that needs to be undone in order to teach about the Catholic faith.
How much does the Alpha Course cost? The course is free. Every attender to the course receives a pack containing a course manual and other information regarding the course. The only cost is for the Course Day away. However, we endeavour to keep the cost of this to an absolute minimum. Help is available for the unemployed etc.
What People Say About The Alpha Course The Alpha course is a most engaging way of passing on the basics of Christianity. It is a tool for evangelism and nurture that I highly recommend. - J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver
The Dangers Of The Alpha Course
0:201:30What is the Alpha Course? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis alpha is a series of sessions exploring life faith and meaning it's a space to explore the bigMoreThis alpha is a series of sessions exploring life faith and meaning it's a space to explore the big questions to say what you think and hear other people's points of view.
The Alpha talks are designed to engage people from all walks of life and inspire conversation. They explore the big issues of life and faith and unpack the basics of Christian belief, addressing questions like “Who is Jesus?”, “Why and how do I pray?” and “How does God guide us?”
Alpha is an eleven-week series of interactive sessions that explore the big questions of life through the lens of the Christian faith, in a relaxed and low-pressured environment, where no question is out of bounds.
Alpha is an opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith, in a friendly, open and informal environment, usually over a meal. Alpha is no-cost, no-pressure and no-commitment. More than 4,000 Alpha courses have been run around the world, including in many Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
As the first letter of the alphabet, Alpha as a Greek numeral came to represent the number 1. Therefore, Alpha, both as a symbol and term, is used to refer to the "first", or "primary", or "principal" (most significant) occurrence or status of a thing.
Charles MarnhamAlpha course / Founder
There is no charge for attending the Alpha course. There will be a $3 fee for adult dinners (Kids eat free and free childcare is available during class). There will be a fee for the weekend away in order to offset costs for that also. What Happens At Alpha?
For $120 a year (or $40 every 3 months), get access to all-inclusive online visits for over 60 medical conditions including cold & flu, rashes, and more. Mental Health Service, Weight Loss and Diabetes are not included.
Alpha is a series of interactive sessions exploring the basics of the Christian faith. Each session looks at a different question, and is designed to create conversation. No two Alphas look the same–they run in coffee shops, churches, bars, prisons, universities, schools and homes.
Afterall, Alpha didn't come from the Catholic Church. Alpha started in an Anglican parish in London called Holy Trinity Brompton. It was further developed and popularized by an Anglican vicar named Nicky Gumbel. And it has gone on to be used in churches of virtually every Christian denomination and tradition.
Read allThe Alpha Youth Series is a brand new interactive series exploring life, faith and meaning. Re-imagined for today's youth culture, each episode looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. It's for young people with no Christian or church background.
Nicholas Glyn Paul Gumbel (born 1955), known as Nicky Gumbel, is an English Anglican priest and author in the evangelical and charismatic traditions. He is known as the developer of the Alpha Course, a basic introduction to Christianity supported by churches of many Christian traditions.
The Alpha course is an evangelistic course which seeks to introduce the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions. It is described by its organisers as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life". Alpha courses are run in churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, universities and a wide variety of other locations.
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. It operates in Britain, Canada, South Africa and the United States.
Alpha's teachings are intended to centre upon aspects of Christian faith on which all denominations are in general agreement. Nicky Gumbel says (quoting the current Apostolic Preacher Raniero Cantalamessa ), "What unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us."
In April 2016, Alpha introduced the Alpha Film Series, where traditional Alpha content is shown in a series of films, featuring stories and interviews. This series is mainly presented by Nicky Gumbel, Toby Flint (a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton) and Gemma Hunt.
The alternative Christianity Explored course is an attempt to go beyond what Alpha teaches on sin.
A peak was reached in 1998, when 10,500 courses were run. By 2001 this had fallen to 7,300. In 2018, the Alpha website described the course as running in over 100 countries and over 100 languages, with over 24 million people having taken the course.
Alpha was started in 1977 by Charles Marnham, a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), a parish of the Church of England in London. It started as a course for church members regarding the basics of beliefs commonly held by many believers in Christ but then began to be used as an introduction for those interested in the faith.
The Alphas Course, by not defining sin properly, fails to give the emphasis of Jesus sacrifice, the reason for His sacrifice, and for His resurrection.
In Alpha News, July 1997 issue, Catholic Bishop Ambrose Griffiths commended the Alpha Course for being a “powerful evangelistic tool…it doesn’t contain anything that is contrary to Catholic doctrine.”
Alpha then gently puts forward answers from a Christian perspective without being offensive and pushy.
Dangers are that the main message of the gospel is glossed over to make it have basically little or no effect.
Since London is known to be the headquarters of the occult, it is not surprising that the Alpha originated there. In1970 an English cleric, Charles Marnham, devised a four- week series of lessons for non-churchgoers and new Christians. In 1981 a former barrister of Holy Trinity Brompton extended the course to 8 weeks.
Indeed, as several people have commented, the Alpha course serves more as an introduction, and not an exhaustive Theological course. It may not be perfect, yes; but it is to a good extent suitable for its intended audience, and it has helped thousands of people come to the Christian faith.
The Alpha Course is an effective form of evangelism when done by and through the local church. By focussing on the essentials of the Christian faith, it opens the door for Alpha to be used in almost any context so that everyone has the opportunity to see their friends’ lives transformed by the gospel.
Alpha began at a church called Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London in 1977, it was taken by Nicky Gumbel in 1990 and repositioned as a course for those outside the church. The number of people attending Alpha at HTB grew quickly into the hundreds and attracted the attention of other churches across denominations seeking to find an effective tool ...
The Alpha Talks have been repackaged for today’s audience in the Alpha Film Series and the Alpha Youth Series was created to reach a younger generation with the Gospel. Even as times have changed, the Alpha course has continued to be used by the church as an effective tool to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As interest grew Alpha conferences were organized internationally and the original Alpha Film Series was filmed in 1994 to make it accessible to the widest possible audience. Now all over the world millions of people have tried Alpha and it has been translated into 112 different languages.
Before you run Alpha, you can preview all the videos for all of the Alpha series.
The Alpha Course, though teaching some truth, also lays truth alongside error. The wooing of people using the gospel message, only to later enslave them in ritualism, works salvation, and occult manifestations is one of the great deceptions of our time.
After Marnham's initial input, Alpha gradually evolved. One of the key figures in this and the main architect of the Alpha course as it now exists is Nicky Gumbel, currently curate at Holy Trinity Brompton. It was through Gumbel's vision and work that Alpha grew to have the impact it has today.
Alpha 10-3-98. Blessings! The foundations of the Alpha course were originally laid in 1979 through the work of Charles Marnham. During his time at Holy Trinity Brompton in west London (one of the main proponants of the Toronto "Blessing" and where Steve Hill of Brownsville picked up his ability to "slay people in the spirit"), ...
To speak against Alpha is being made very difficult, but is all the more necessary. We see churches and fellowships going headlong into this abyss, but some will listen and be saved, and so we carry on. Incidentally, I just received in today's post a leaflet from the Salvation Army promoting Alpha for young people.
Following are two e-mails, then an article detailing the dangers of the Alpha Course. The first e-mail confirms that Luis Palau has indeed endorsed this dangerous course. The second alerts Christians to the fact the the Church of Rome is now using the course for its own purposes. The article following is a critique of the Alpha Course. We hope you will find this information useful when some member of your church attmepts to introduce this course into your church!
The Alpha Course is a course that has been used by many as a way to attempt to introduce the false doctrines and practices of the Third Wave into mainstream denominations.
Alpha Course Promotes Spiritual Formation.
Its first presenter was a man called CHARLES MARNHAM but today 'the face' of ALPHA is the assistant curate ' NICKY GUMBEL and to a lesser extent his boss, the vicar of HTB ' Sandy Millar.
The Alpha talks are designed to engage people from all walks of life and inspire conversation. They explore the big issues of life and faith and unpack the basics of Christian belief, addressing questions like “Who is Jesus?”, “Why and how do I pray?” and “How does God guide us?”
Before you run Alpha, you can preview all the videos for all of the Alpha series.
The Alpha course is an evangelistic course which seeks to introduce the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions. It is described by its organisers as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life". Alpha courses are run in churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, universities and a wide variety of other locations. The course began in Britain and is run around the world by …
Alpha originated in 1977 with the work of Charles Marnham, a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), a parish of the Church of England in London. It started as a course for church members regarding the basics of beliefs commonly held by many believers in Christ, but then began to be used as an introduction for those interested in the faith. John Irvine, Marnham's successor curate at HTB, took over the running of the course in 1981 and developed the 10-week format which co…
Alpha is organised as a series of sessions over 10 weeks, including a day or weekend away. Each session starts with a meal, followed by a talk and then discussion in small groups. The talks aim to cover the basic beliefs of the Christian faith.
In April 2016, Alpha introduced the Alpha Film Series, where traditional Alpha content is shown in a series of films, featuring stories and interviews. This series is mainly presented by Nicky Gumb…
Alpha's teachings are intended to centre upon aspects of Christian faith on which all denominations are in general agreement. Nicky Gumbel says (quoting the current Apostolic Preacher Raniero Cantalamessa), "What unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us."
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox distinctives, such as those concerning the Virgin Mary and certain sacramental teachings are absent, as are Baptist teachings on baptism. Instead, individua…
Possibly Alpha's greatest influence came from 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 to the ministry of E. J. H. Nash, an influential Anglican cleric who set out to evangelise "top boys at top schools" and who organised summer camps at Iwerne Minster in Dorset. David Fletcher, who took responsibility for the camps after Nash, described Alpha as: "ba…
Alpha has been criticised for having a charismatic emphasis, with some non-charismatic evangelicals criticising Gumbel's emphasis upon the person and work of the Holy Spirit in particular. As a result, some churches have chosen to teach a different view of the Holy Spirit in the course, although this is discouraged in Gumbel's book How to Run the Alpha Course.
More conservative critics (especially from a Reformed and evangelical perspective) have complai…
• Awareness Course
• Cursillo
• Living the Questions