what about the church alpha course catholic

Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith, usually run over eleven weeks by lay leaders on behalf of the parish. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. No two Alphas look the same, but generally they have three key things in common: food, a talk and good conversation

Full Answer

Is the Alpha Course against the Catholic Church?

Alpha is an 11-week course that creates a space, online or in person, where people are excited to bring their friends for a conversation about Jesus. Parish Impact. Endorsements. Alpha has empowered many Catholic parishes and organisations around the world to answer the call to the New Evangelisation.

Does the Alpha course teach the Gospel?

What Is Alpha? Alpha presents itself as "a basic introductory course to the Christian faith." According to the ChristLife website, it provides a clear and non-threatening way to …

What is the Alpha course?

What many of these critics fail to understand is that the Alpha Course is meant to be a basic introduction to the heart of the Gospel and not a systematic and exhaustive catechesis or course in theology. That comes later. So Alpha is particularly useful in introducing non-Catholics—or reintroducing lapsed Catholics—to the basics of the Faith.

Is Alpha a Christian church?

The Alpha Course is an effective form of evangelism when run by and through the local church. By focusing on the fundamentals of Christianity, it opens the door for Alpha to be used in almost any context so that everyone has the opportunity to engage is discussions and be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How much is the Alpha course?

Is Nicky Gumbel Catholic?

Is Alpha youth a Catholic series?

Who started Alpha?

What is Alpha religious group?

Is there a Catholic version of Alpha?

How many sessions is Youth Alpha?

What is Alpha Youth Series?

What is Catholic Alpha?

The Houston Catholic parishes hosting Alpha use " Alpha for Catholics, " as developed by ChristLife and a Catholic Alpha Office in the UK. This is not a Catholic adaptation of the Protestant program, but is the Protestant program with Catholic teaching presented afterwards as a supplement. As the British office says, "Catholic Alpha uses the Alpha course as it stands, but recognizes that for Catholics, and those wishing to become Catholics, much more teaching is needed after Alpha. Courses such as Exploring the Catholic Church and Drink from the Wells of the Church may be used as the first step in the sharing of specifically Catholic teaching." 4

What is the Alpha Course?

One of the fastest growing evangelization programs in Evangelical and Charismatic Protestant circles these days is the "Alpha Course," developed over 20 years ago at a charismatic Anglican parish in London, Holy Trinity Brompton, and currently directed by Nicky Gumbel. It has been promoted to Catholics in the United States for six years by ChristLife Catholic Evangelization Services in Baltimore, which claims that "hundreds of Catholic parishes" are now using it. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and content of the "Alpha Course", and to evaluate whether "Alpha", either in its original form or in the "Alpha for Catholics" model, should be recommended to Catholic parishes looking for evangelization tools.

What is the Charismatic Agenda in Alpha?

A Charismatic Agenda. If we compare the amount of space given to different topics, we see that Alpha is not interested in giving "common Christian teaching" but is in fact advancing a specific theological agenda. Contrasting the one small paragraph on Baptism, and the two pages on "Holy Communion," with the eight pages on "speaking in tongues" 15 and sixteen pages on "healing," 16 we get a truer sense of what Alpha is about. Though Gumbel says not all have to speak in tongues, he encourages people to ask for it, and then to start speaking, starting with a limited vocabulary and developing the "prayer" "language." 17 The extensive chapter on healing presents the distinctive claims of the "signs and wonders" school of thought associated with John Wimber. Recall that these chapters precede mention of the Church (understood in a congregationalist way) or the sacraments (reduced to two, and understood in an Evangelical way). Recall as well that Catholics are told that "denominational distinctives" must be left out of Alpha, which only wants to present "common Christian teaching." Clearly the claim is false.

What was the greatest concern of the Anglicans who replied to the question of the sacraments?

The greatest concern voiced by the Anglicans who replied was the lack of adequate teaching on the sacraments. The Area Bishop of Stafford commented, "…there is a danger I believe that a fairly minimalist understanding of the Eucharist in the Alpha material I have seen (but not used) is somewhat restrictive of one of the greatest well-springs of Christian spirituality and experience. And it was (is) the memorial that the Lord gave of His Passion (as St. Paul says!)." Gumbel and Millar gave no ground on the objection. Gumbel ducked the question by noting that Alpha is used "by both Roman Catholics and the Salvation Army, whose understanding of the sacraments differs totally," and that "we should rejoice" in this. "What is written about baptism and holy communion in Questions of Life has been carefully scripted to enable as far as possible Roman Catholics, Baptists and the Salvation Army to all feel comfortable using it." And Millar emphasized that those who want to add their own teachings, are free to do so afterwards. 19

Where did Alpha come from?

As mentioned out the outset, Alpha was developed by a parish of the Church of England, Holy Trinity Brompton in London. From Anglicanism, it has spread to other Christian groups. Yet one of the first detailed criticisms of the course came from an Anglican source—an M.A. dissertation written by Rev. Mark Ireland, Diocesan Missioner for the Diocese of Lichfield, in the year 2000. Ireland questioned the 426 parishes in the diocese about the evangelization programs they were using, and then his Bishop followed up with a letter to the parishes which used Alpha, asking if they had any concerns. "The main theological areas of concern centred on lack of teaching on the sacraments, social ethics and the resurrection, and the perceived over-emphasis on tongues, physical healing and substitutionary atonement." These issues were then raised in a meeting between Ireland and the Area Bishop of Shrewsbury with Sandy Millar and Nicky Gumbel at Holy Trinity Brompton. 18

What is the evaluation of alpha?

An evaluation of Alpha materials reveals that Alpha does not offer simply "basic Christian truths" common to all, but presents specific teachings on the Church, the Sacraments, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that constitute the theology of the Charismatic Protestantism which gave birth to Alpha.

What is the Alpha faith?

The basic thrust of Alpha is to communicate the essentials of the Christian faith, with its understanding of God the Father, of Jesus Christ—his incarnation, death and resurrection—and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the historic faith expressed in the ancient creeds.

Question

Our parish is about to start the Alpha series. I need to be assured that it is ok for Catholics to take part in Alpha. Is it?

Answer

If faithfully implemented, the Alpha for Catholics program is definitely a worthwhile one, as the U.S. Bishops have noted.

What is the Alpha Course?

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.

Where did Alpha start?

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 ...

What is the Alpha Talks series?

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.

When was Alpha filmed?

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.

Can you preview all the videos before running Alpha?

Before you run Alpha, you can preview all the videos for all of the Alpha series.

ALPHA - CATHOLIC

Alpha is a parish tool for evangelisation based on hospitality, sharing and open conversation. The same Alpha content is run all over the world, by Christians of all traditions, and provides a common expression of proclamation, service and witness.

Endorsements

See and hear the stories of people who have experienced the impact of Alpha first-hand in their parish.

How it works

Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith, usually run over eleven weeks by lay leaders on behalf of the parish. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. No two Alphas look the same, but generally they have three key things in common: food, a talk and good conversation

Discipleship and Formation

Once a guest has finished Alpha, they are likely to want to continue their journey as a follower of Jesus. Increasingly, parishes are finding that they need to adapt the way they think about mission and formation to help people grow as disciples after Alpha.

Create a Game Plan for Your Parish

Developing a plan for evangelisation and discipleship is essential for parishes to grow and be healthy. Forming missionary disciples will not happen unless there is an intentional process in place.

What does the Alphas Course not define?

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.

Who commended the Alpha Course?

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.”

What does Alpha do?

Alpha then gently puts forward answers from a Christian perspective without being offensive and pushy.

What are the dangers of the Alpha Course?

Dangers are that the main message of the gospel is glossed over to make it have basically little or no effect.

What is a good Bible study?

A good study Bible with commentary is an excellent source for learning. So are many Sunday school classes, Wednesday night Bible studies, and a Word-centered worship service.   Instead of depending on an Alpha Course, look to He Who is the Alpha and the Omega.

Where did the Alpha start?

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.

Is Alpha a good course?

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.

How long is Alpha course?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Alpha, it is a 10-week course, which introduces participants to…you guessed it…the kerygma. It was first developed by an Anglican Parish in London over thirty years ago and has been experienced by millions of people worldwide, across many denominations. It has been adapted for Catholics and has been hailed by many Catholic Cardinals, Bishops, theologians, scholars, pastors, and leaders as an effective tool for awakening faith in people who are on the fringes of parish life, as well as faithful Catholics and those outside the faith.

What is the Gospel Kerygma?

Thus through catechesis the Gospel kerygma (the initial ardent proclamation by which a person is one day overwhelmed and brought to the decision to entrust himself to Jesus Christ by faith) is gradually deepened, developed in its implicit consequences, explained in language that includes an appeal to reason, and channeled towards Christian practice in the Church and the world (CT 25).

What is the dominant pastoral paradigm?

The dominant pastoral paradigm, operative in the vast majority of parishes today, dictates that we evangelize and bring people to Christ primarily through didache (teaching and instruction in the faith, or catechesis).

Have Catholics been evangelized?

The reality is that many Catholics have been catechized without ever truly being evangelized. They have been presented with the teachings of the Catholic faith, without ever having been introduced to the person of Christ.

Is the Alpha Course theologically flawed?

The Alpha Course is not without its detractors. There are some who assert that the course is theologically flawed and deficient, given its Protestant origins. Personally, I think that the many of the adaptations that have been made to it over the years have gone a long way towards resolving those issues. What many of these critics fail to understand is that the Alpha Course is meant to be a basic introduction to the heart of the Gospel and not a systematic and exhaustive catechesis or course in theology. That comes later.

Is the Alpha Course a perfect program?

Is the Alpha Course a perfect program? As Father Riccardo notes in the video, no, it isn’t. Then again, what program is? There are many parishes, like Our Lady of Good Counsel, that recognize the tremendous value and potential in the Alpha Course and have decided to build upon it.

Does catechesis replace the kergygma?

While catechesis ( didache) is an important component in the process of evangelization, it does not replace the proclamation of the kergygma, but should complement it. Bl. John Paul II, in his 1979 apostolic exhortation Catechesi Tradendae, describes how catechesis (didache) builds upon the kerygma: Thus through catechesis the Gospel kerygma (the ...