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.
Our goal is to continually support the church with resources and tools that help create a space where people are excited to bring their friends for a conversation about Jesus. Each session covers a key element of the gospel in a way that is easy to follow and leaves space for people to explore their questions about life, faith, and God. Everyone should have the opportunity to explore a relationship with Jesus, wherever they are in the world, for free. Watch The Story. This is normal.
This is historically accurate. He quotes the Jewish historian Josephus, born AD "Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works My knowledge of Josephus is sketchy, but he strikes me as a reliable source. But the agnostics here - it soon becomes clear that Nicky can read our minds - are thinking, "But none of this proves that Jesus was anything more than a human teacher.
Nicky tells an anecdote: he says that he once failed to recognise that his squash partner was Paul Ackford, the England rugby international. Similarly, Jesus's disciples, in the region of Caesarea Philippi, failed to recognise that their master was the Son of God. I could live without the squash anecdote, though it presumably works for some people. Nicky says that Jesus could not have been just a great human teacher.
But don't let us come up with any patronising nonsense about his being a great moral teacher. He hasn't left that open to us. He didn't intend to. It remains in my mind. Then it's on to the small group.
I am in Nicky's group: typically, it consists of around 10 agnostics, some from the City, some from the dot. We sit in a circle. I wonder what will happen to us in the weeks ahead. For now, we verbalise our doubts. We gang up on Nicky and his helpers: his wife, Pippa, an investment banker called James and his doctor wife, Julia, all ex-agnostics who found Christ on Alpha.
We ask them antagonistic questions. Are you saying that all other religions are damned? At the end of the night, Nicky hands out some pamphlets he's written called such is the predictability of agnostics Why Does God Allow Suffering? That includes me - I am a Jew. I am enjoying myself.
I drive away thinking about the things Nicky said. I play them over in my mind. But by the time I arrive home and then watch ER, my mini epiphany has all drained away and I go back to normal. I cannot imagine how any of my fellow agnostics will possibly be converted by the end of the course. As the weeks progress, the timetable becomes routine. Dinner, a talk from Nicky, coffee and digestives, the small groups. But the hostile questions have now become slightly less combative.
One agnostic, Alice, who is the financial manager of an internet company and rides her horse every weekend in Somerset, admits to taking Nicky's pamphlets away with her on business trips.
She says she reads them on the plane and finds them comforting. We talk about the excuses we give our friends for our weekly Wednesday night absences. Some say they're learning French. Others say they're on a business course. There is laughter and blushing.
I miss Week Three because I am reporting on wife swapping parties in Paris. On Week Four, Nicky suggests I tell the group all about wife swapping. The group asks me lots of questions. When I fill in the details, Nicky shakes his head mournfully. Nicky ends the night by saying to me: "I think it's important that you saw something awful like that midway through Alpha.
On Week Five, Nicky talks about answered prayers and how coincidences can sometimes be messages from God. He says he keeps a prayer diary and ticks them off when they are answered. As Nicky says these things, I think about my own life, about how my wife and I were told we couldn't have a baby - about how awful those years of infertility were, how every month was like a funeral without a corpse - and then we did have a baby, and thought that our son, Joel, was a gift from God.
The moment I think about this, I hear Nicky say the word "Joel". I look up. Nicky is quoting from the Book of Joel: "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. Tony sits next to Alice. He is the most vociferous agnostic in the group. He always turns up in his business suit, straight from work, and has a hangdog expression, as if something is always troubling him. So why does the church think he's committing a sin? Are you going to Hell if you commit a sexual act that is completely normal to you?
That seems a bit unfair, doesn't it? There's even an Alpha for gays running in Beverly Hills! I think it's marvellous! But if a paedophile said, 'Ever since I was a child I found myself attracted to children', we wouldn't say that that was normal, would we? The meeting is wound up. Nicky, Pippa and I stay around for a chat. We talk about who we feel might be on the cusp of converting. My money is on Alice.
I drive home. In the middle of the night it becomes clear to me that I almost certainly had a message from God, that God had spoken to me through Nicky Gumbel. A woman has walked out of her church and is holding services in her living room because she says she cannot bring herself to 'snort like a pig and bark like a dog' on a Church of England course.
Angie Golding, 50, claims she was denied confirmation unless she signed up for the Alpha course, which she says is a 'brainwashing' exercise where participants speak in tongues, make animal noises and then fall over.
Of course, stumbling upon this press cutting comes as a shock. I had no idea that the shepherd's pie, the nice chats, that these things seem to be leading up to something so peculiar; something that will, I guess, occur during our weekend away in Kidderminster.
I visit Mark Elsdon-Dew, Nicky's press man. I have grown fond of Mark. Any time you want. Don't worry, I won't phone you up! Ha ha! Nicky has so many staff - more, even, than the Archbishop of Canterbury, says Mark - that there aren't enough offices in this giant church to accommodate them all.
I want to test Mark, to see how honest he will be about the negative press. I ask him if any journalist has written disapprovingly about Nicky. It reads: "HTB's divorce from the real world, together with a simplistic and communal response to all problems, a strong leader, and a money-conscious hierarchy, are trademarks of a cult. This last one is from the Reverend Ian Paisley. His conclusion, after 15 pages of deliberation, is that it is Hell-Inspired.
Usually, when a discovery such as this presents itself midway through researching a story, I feel nothing but glee. On this occasion, however, the gaiety is tinged with indignation and relief - indignation that these people, this apparent cult, has managed to get under my skin, to instil in me feelings of some kind of awakening, and relief because I no longer feel the need to deal with those feelings. It is Saturday morning, in the countryside near Kidderminster, and Nicky is offering us the strangest invitation.
He is going to beckon us into the supernatural, where he hopes we will physically feel the Holy Spirit enter our bodies. Nicky tells me that he very much hopes people will speak in tongues. The traffic was terrible. I was stuck in a jam behind a mini-van emblazoned with the words "Jews For Jesus", and toyed with the idea of taking this to be another message from God, but I chose to discount it.
We are staying in dormitories - six to a room. Nicky and Pippa are not bunking up with the flock: Nicky says he needs space to concentrate.
I don't think the agnostics quite grasp the reality of what will unfold in the next 36 hours. Many are completely unaware. How can Nicky make this happen? The next morning, we laze in the sun and then we are called into the chapel, a big pine hut. Tonight, England will play Germany.
Nicky takes to the stage: "Now, some of you may be thinking, 'Help! What's going to happen? Enjoy the weather, enjoy the sports, but, most of all, I hope we all experience the Holy Spirit. I love your logic and biblical references. What would Mr. Gumble say about Romans one and two? I think he must have skipped these two chapters because it says men are without excuse. This is all the more reason I am concerned with the Alpha Course because if the originator of this course has such doctrinal errors and questions God then why should he be leading so many others into a ditch?
I wonder if he has ever read Matthew before? I wrote an article about his concern and I believe it explains it well about those who have never heard the gospel.
Its not amazing that those who are lost and never heard the gospel and are judged but that anyone is saved at all! God is good…thank you Jesus. This page Alpha Course book by John D.
Christian is truly a masterpiece of research that brings together the hidden agenda behind the global takeover. Alpha is being used in over countries encompassing 49 different languages. It has infiltrated the homes, schools, universities, business, hospitals, prisons, churches and even the military.
Since London is known to be the headquarters of the occult, it is not surprising that the Alpha originated there. In an English cleric, Charles Marnham, devised a four- week series of lessons for non-churchgoers and new Christians.
In a former barrister of Holy Trinity Brompton extended the course to 8 weeks. This is how the fastest growing ecumenical evangelization program in world history began. Videos and tapes, specially produced by the speakers are based on the book titled Questions of Life.
This book sets out the structure and content of Alpha. The Holy Spirit Weekend Away, which is mandatory, is actually a thinly disguised devil worship experience. In just over 20 years the Alpha system is growing like wildfire in Protestant and Catholic churches. Marriage courses, Alpha in the Workplace, and 80 percent of all prisons and universities in the UK now run Alpha.
There were 8, Alpha courses running in over 7, all denomination churches in the UK alone. The number of churches in the U. Growth is a very important factor in this system. Key advisors from all over America gathered in London in to report on their plans to implement Alpha into the U. The congregation and friends of Holy Trinity Brompton financed the Alpha development resource courses were sold at a profit. Since the goal was to involve the whole world in their project in Alpha International was founded.
The banking firm of Walburg has long been linked to the giant international Marxist Rothschild banking conglomerate based in the City of London. These men, besides implementing our Federal Reserve System, helped found the Bank of International Settlements in Switzerland that is scheduled to become the World Bank.
Many are under the false impression that banking conglomerates J. Morgan and Rockefeller are American. They are not. Rockefellers owned a small portion of their bank and J. Morgan was founded in London. British control of our banking system dates back to the original founding of the Virginia Company.
Books authored by the Warburgs contain communist propaganda. Communism is the end product of apostate Christendom-both Catholic and Protestant. These are actually communist versions based on corrupt text. Fabians acknowledge the principal tenet of Marxism, the abolition of private property.
Massive sums of money by the U. This is just a smattering of history and events presented in the Apha book that brings every area of our existence under the elitists control. Perhaps more can be presented at a later time.
It is easy to pick on something in an artificial environment. Building a paper dragon, lighting it on fire to draw attention. BTW… many a false teacher and preacher uses expository preaching. Expository preachers take great pride in their method. Many have tenuous messages filled with poor exegesis, religion and no life.
And the Alpha course is a blending of secularism and religion just what the Romans did with Christianity and now that is called Chatholism. As Jesus said that in the end times people would be mislead because they have itching ears. Jesus said behold I stand at the door and knock and anyone that opens that door I will come in and sup with him and he with me.
We do not need the pope, the alpha course we need a Personal Walk with Jesus! All who came to faith then went deeper as they joined churches and grew in their faith.
My previous passionate attempts to lead people to Christ created more bad stories than successes and very few disciples. Alpha helped me start fulfilling The Great Commission. It puts evangelism in the hands of every believer with a heart for the lost. You must use it because it works and is annointed by God! Thank you Luis. Another great one is a book which has a study guide and lessons in it called I believe 30 Life Principles from Charles Stanley IntouchMinistries.
Since the Alpha course is not that good, what courses would you recommend? What would you teach person that is begining to be interested or is a newlyborn christian? Thank you again Luis. I agree with Ailsa and Dave in the first comments…I didnt read the rest. Alpha struck a great balance of what the Bible says among all denominations…well except for yours.
This has been a great tool to help atheist and agnostic into Christianity …maybe not so much with Baptist. But there does need to be Gods spirit controlling our life. To anyone reading this review…. It is a great cousre…take it and find out for yourself. The format is great and Nicky Gumbel is a great speaker. Very interesting to hear his stories. I guarantee that you will be glad you went and will want to bring others. As the Alpha course grows quickly in popularity, it is high time to take a look at the New Age underlayers of this program.
Where other evangelistic initiatives have petered out very swiftly, Alpha has done the opposite. From its roots in the late s, Alpha has grown to stunning proportions today and millions have already participated. What is the secret of its popularity — and what issues does this raise? This might sound harsh, and so it is.
Or, whether what Gumble himself believes and teaches, is Bible-based or not, does not seem to matter any more. I have seen this in the many contacts that I have had over the years, of those who blindly support Alpha. You challenge what they say, and they think that you are resisting the Holy Spirit. Add to this another fact, that, as none of these others are from the God of The Holy Bible, leaves us with only one possible conclusion, that they are very demonic and of the devil himself.
IF Alpah were to preach this, then no doubt the likes of the Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and others would be offended and have no part with this course. The only answer can be, NO. God has provided hurdles in the Bible to separate the sheep from the goats. All we need is a five second look into any worship service to know if it is of God or of the devil.
Sheep will practice male headship, i. Sheep will practice modesty, no women with bare shoulders or in pants, no men in short pants or T-shirts. Sheep will have the men bareheaded and the women wearing head coverings during worship. Sheep will be praising the Lord God with their voices, a capella style. Goats will be using demonic musical instruments for worship entertainment. The Alpha course is run by churches that are not Biblical Christian churches to start with, in other words it is a non-Christian course run by non-Christians to swell their numbers.
This they have the right to do and is of no concern to Christians. Just because someone calls them self a Christian does not make it so, only those that meet, follow, obey the biblical standard in both orthodoxy right belief and orthopraxy right practice , qualify as Christians. I personally always look at the women to see if a church is Christian or not. Where the orthopraxy is seen as a reflection of their orthodoxy, or lack there of. Women wearing pants God calls an abomination, Deut Women not wearing head coverings are rebellious, 1 Cor.
Women wearing jewellery are disobedient. Adam, these comments of yours are spot on. Thank you sir for adding what I failed to say more comprehensively in this post. I thank God for men of faith like you who have the passion, the hunger, and the thirst for righteousness and the truth.
Well said. Thank you for your kind words Jack Wellman, many do not like the truth, preferring a demonic illusion. Understandably so, for biblical truths are spiritually discerned and foreign to those carnally minded. Yet we must stand firm and continue to preach the whole word. Even if that means ridicule. Should I ever say anything which you disagree with, please point it out, I would rather be harshly corrected so that I may wisely follow the narrow path, than lovingly tolerated and left ignorant on the broad path.
Adam, your humility is so precious to me my friend. The part where I read out of the Bible. Adam, you sound like a person who either does not know his Bible too well, or just using it to suit your own theological bias, which is far from what Scripture actually teaches.
Let me explain what I mean. This is not Biblically right. If you just look at Psalm , you will clearly see that musical instruments are very much part of worshipping God. By what Bible authority do you make such a bold claim?
Nor are you right in saying that women must cover their head, as Paul clearly says that they do not have to 1 Corinthians By your reasoning millions of true, born-again believers like myself are living lives that are an abomination to the Lord, because our clothing is made from mixed cloths?
You will cearly see from my own posts here, that I have serious doubts about the Alpha course, YET I cannot agree with your conclusion that they are all run by non-christians, as I do know many fine church leaders who are most certainly born-again, and love the Lord and His Word, who do teach the Alpha course. Misguided they may be, but to say that they are non-christian, is very harsh, and wrong. Certainly NOT. You also distort what the Bible says, when you say that women that wear jewellery are disobedient, quoting 1 Timothy Not a forbidding, but caution on how one must dress.
Dear Andy, how the Jews worshiped, with or without musical instruments is irrelevant to Christians. The moment you have to turn to OT scripture without NT support to establish how Christians should live, you are in danger of legalism. You cannot translate a word into another language, Tehillim — Psalms, then tell me the meaning of the translated word as if that meaning also applies to the original.
It certainly does not. Regarding women praying or prophesying aloud in a church, in disobedience to 1Cor, , which you claim 1 Cor permits, please show me how you arrive at the conclusion that 1Cor refers to an assembly, which in light of 1Cor. Prior to this, verses , are not in an assembly setting. The reason verses and clash for you, is because you have mistakenly placed the first 16 verses of 1Cor chapter 11 into a church setting, which Paul has not. Remove the illusion of a church setting and the verses do not clash.
Women are to be silent in the assembly to the point where even a question is forbidden them to ask. How much more so then a discourse, statement or commentary? As far as head coverings go, two different Greek words are used, katakalupto and peribolion, The katakalupto refers to a cloth head covering.
Cloth coverings in the OT Greek Septuagint were called katakalupto, thus when Paul used the word katakalupto, everyone versed in the Septuagint knew it to mean a cloth covering. The fact you confuse the meaning of peribolion with katakalupto is because you are not.
Regarding women wearing pants, first mention is Deut where God calls it an abomination, second mention is 1Tim where Paul instructs all Christian women to wear modest apparel, aka cosmios katastola. Any Christian women wearing a modest katastola, a style of dress, would never be guilty of being an abomination. The wearing of a katastola would ensure that.
To take it one step deeper, only the katastola style of dress is permitted unto women, modest at that and in line with 1Per , not a himation, ie fancy cut or material. Thus only plain, modest katastola are permitted to Christian women, not only are pants forbidden, but so is worldly styles and fashions of dresses and skirts that are not in line with the katastola limitation.
Regarding mixed fiber? Raising this makes you appear confused as to what is what. We are no longer under the law, so please do not ask what if questions based on the law of Moses. If men support and encourage this abomination in their women folk, then they are just as guilty, because clothing style is a law of Moses that has been carried through to the NT, wherein it has been modified to allow only one style of apparel for women, as mentioned, the katastola.
But of cos it does. A tree is know by its fruit. If John Scott believed in and taught heresy, then he is a heretic.
Only a heretic can produce heretical teachings, ie. Is this not clearly understood anymore, that a bad person does bad things? A good tree does not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree does not produce good fruit. As to what makes a Christian a Christian, the same thing that makes a Dalmatian a Dalmatian.
An established standard. For the Dalmatian it is the breed standard and for the Christian it is the Bible standard. A white dog with black spots that falls short of the breed standard cannot be called a Dalmatian, call it a cute dog, but never a Dalmatian.
Likewise a Christian is identified by biblical standards, fall short of biblical standards and one simply is not a Christian, a nice person sure, but a child of heaven, no. Only those who believe in Jesus will be saved, and those who believe will be obedient. A lack of obedience indicates a lack of belief and a lack of belief a lack of salvation.
I cannot conclusively prove heaven or hell, but I can conclusively prove if a person is obedient to the Bible or not and thereby identify the saved, for they shall be obedient. A Jesus who permits His followers to be disobedient to His Fathers commandments, to ignore them, rebel against them, to replace them with heathen worldly standards, is not the Jesus of the Bible, but a Jesus of wishful thinking, a imaginary Jesus who cannot save.
I hope my plain speech above was able to convey the importance of the narrow path of salvation. For the faithful are few in number. How to tell if a preacher is of God or the devil, simple, are they preaching to encourage one to embrace the world and be friends with the godless heathen, or are they calling for one to be separated from the world?
James God requires His faithful to be separated in thought, behavior, dress, manner and speech from the world, if one is not, then pray tell, why does one think that one is a Christian when one does not meet minimal Christian standards of basic separation from the ungodly heathen?
In a public setting, with one glance, I should be able to spot the Christian in the heathen crowd by the way they dress. Different to the heathen around them, whilst similar to Christians the world over.
Travel from Ireland through Europe and Russia to Siberia and observe how the older rural women dress. Why, because despite whatever traditions their respective churches may have added to the Bible, they at least understood the basics and obeyed it. The church once had a universal dress code, because it was a biblical Christian dress code.
It still is a biblical Christian dress code. Those who depart from it do so because they are not Christians, they have perished from a lack of knowledge. I know it is hard to be a biblical Christian in a world filled with fleshly lust and desires, that is why we need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to assist us, thus those who are biblically obedient have the Holy Spirit indwelling, and those who are not, well how can they be without the Holy Spirit.
One last word Andy if I may. When you come across conflicting theological opinions, check when they were first written, basically anything written after maybe , certainly after , should be suspected as a false teaching, it was perhaps the time when the church fell. Most modern interpretations that clash with traditional interpretations, are less than years old. Can we really assume that only now in the last years, have theologians become wiser than all the past years of established theology, that they can overturn and discard biblical teachings held since Jesus called the first apostle to Him?
I think not. We are not citizens of this world and never will be. Would you happen to know who did this, and why? Hello Mr. I have no idea why your comment does not appear. I have not done anything with it. Maybe you could comment again with what you said before. I am so sorry. I do not know what happened and it was not deleted as I checked the trash file in the moderators dashboard.
All of the animal kingdom and we were born as god created us, naked. Adam and Eve were naked in Eden. The animal kingdom lives naturally with no shame in its genitalia. The bible also states our God hates gluttons, and if our God is so unmerciful, most Christians will be punished for gluttony.
Michelle, are you suggesting that we all walk around in the nude? If so, I suggest that you are seriously deluded. If you care to read elsewhere you will very clearly see that clothing is indeed part of how God wants us to live. The greatest proof of this is when God became Incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ, and the Gospels tell us that He never walked around with no clothes on.
Your reasoning is pointless. But I do believe Peter may have been naked when he was fishing and Jesus told him to fish the other side of the boat—I am puzzled by his act of putting the garment on to dive into the water but that is another story.
Do you think the whole clothing thing may have something to do with shame in having moved away from God? I do believe the Roman solders dressed Jesus up and dressed him down and all the while what did Jesus say in rebuttal? Paul walked about as a voice for the we all the church his message was one of unity Christians to be a single kingdom and Jesus brought us this message under one King, in which no one believer is pointless nor should we contrive points of culture into points of law, lest we move away from the Cross.
I am Catholic and just completed the Alpha course in our Parish. While this article admits that it is an introduction to the Christian faith, its main criticism is that it does not teach the doctrines such as that of the Blessed Virgin, etc. Well, in my opinion this is the best way to start that is why the author called it an introduction the many who are in the fringe of any church denomination, Catholic or otherwise. It opens the reason for being in the Christian faith from whence one can grow into the doctrines the author speak of.
Have you witnessed any Catholic renewal programs that starts with doctrines ever succeed? We Catholic should accept the fact that we have not succeeded in massive Christian evangelization when you start with the Cathecism. This is certainly interesting dialogue. I can see many good Biblical foundational comment and some infused with mere human supposition and rhetoric…really no bare shoulders or tee shirts—is this the law?
What does Jesus say of the law? And Acts is an historical account? How is it that Scripture is reduced to history? Do we or should we concern ourselves with what Baptist, Catholics or any other denomination doctrine may be? Yes any Jesus following Christian is commanded to watch for imposters e. Jesus came to show us humble service and the Gospel inclusive of the Spirit—He breathed it on the disciples Read John of course Thomas was out that day so maybe there is hope even for the doubter.
I challenge Christian men to get up out of the chair, stop being concerned with how you look in your suit, stop glaring in judgment the way the lady with bare shoulders looks, the sound of the missing instruments—God loves the way they sound in worship by the way, and raise them arms and praise welcome of the Spirit—He is Jesus sent and is to be embraced—this is warfare not romper room get in the fight. While there are many verses to use I will choose Rom. The basic premise I present is that the satan rebels against God.
People of the world under the yoke of satan will be rebellious. That is how we can tell the difference between the children of God and the children of satan.
Just because the world has accepted the wearing of undergarments in public, does not permit the Christian to do likewise. Women like men desire recognition and admiration, it is a natural human weakness. Filled with the pride of life, people will find ways to garnish admirers. There is no better or faster method than the visual through the lust of the eyes, a fact not lost on the multi-billion dollar pornography business. Make up, hairdos and jewellery serve what purpose, other than to likewise attract admiring glances of lust.
No Christian woman in light of 1Tim. Musical instruments have been forbidden from being used in worship from the 1st century. They continue to be forbidden in Christian churches. There are many unbelievers who have been convinced by false teachers that they are believers, but their lack of obedience and biblical standards betrays them that they remain still unbelievers, even though they may call themselves Christian.
In the churches of these false believers, one will find immodest dress, no head coverings, no gender distinctive dress codes, musical instruments in worship, the wearing in public of tee-shirt undergarments, women ministers, acceptance of homosexuals, belief in evolutionary fairy tales, and everything else forbidden unto Christians.
It is to be expected, for the children of satan, even if they call themselves Christian, can never walk the narrow path that the children of God walk. By their fruits you will know them and their fruits are disobedience, rebelliousness, falseness and worldliness. But I do not blame them, for they have been mislead by the false preachers, intent on fleecing innocents in the name of religion with their false promises of salvation. For God has told us that by their fruits you will know them, not by what they call themselves.
While we remain silent, satan has a field day. I became a Christian on the Alpha Course and so did all of the members in my family.
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