The Alpha collywobbles

Here's my problem. For some months, we have been anticipating launching an Alpha course in our church. Yes, we know that 'Alpha' has been developed by the rather avant garde Holy Trinity Brompton church. It's the place where the 'Toronto Blessing' hit town in 1994 and where people have been known to fall down, stay down and occasionally utter noises. We are also aware of radical negative polemic from some quarters. A talk entitled 'Alpha: A Different Gospel' was one that caught my eye but not my sympathy a few weeks ago.
Although we are not a Third Wave or charismatic church fellowship, we have not been especially known for hostility to this emphasis. I suppose I see myself as one of the 'cautiously open' people.
I had reasoned that, with some adaptation, Alpha would be ideal for our situation. The material is accessible, attractively presented, and proven. We had already sent the suggested £100 contribution towards the costs.
So why am I now so unsettled and unsure? I have just returned from a two-day Alpha National Training Conference at HTB (July 6-7). Two days of intensive teaching, 'ministry times' and seminars have left me distinctly uneasy.
It wasn't that the presentation was unclear. Alpha course director, Nicky Gumbel, and HTB's vicar, Sandy Millar, laid out their stall with characteristic love, charm and wit.
My difficulty arises from the strong and sustained line that Alpha must be used in its entirety and with very little adaptation. They urge that anything else will contravene the terms of its copyright and mislead those who sign up for the 15-week course. In addition to a published copyright statement, a succession of testimonies repeated the emphasis that Alpha only really 'works' when used as given.

Spirit-anointed format?

One can understand their dilemma. They have what they believe to be a Spirit-anointed format. It has now been adopted in some 58 countries worldwide. 5,000 courses are currently being run. Churches of all denominations are queuing up to register. The last thing they desire is for Alpha to come to mean almost as many different things as there are courses available.
Yet is it right or reasonable to impose such a tight rein upon what local churches perceive as the needs and priorities in their local evangelism? Is it not becoming an infringement of their autonomy and a worrying trend towards 'Big Brother'-type domination to demand that churches conform so precisely to what is surely, at best, no more than a manmade pattern of talks upon which the Lord has evidently been pleased to smile?
I am still uncomfortable, however. God has blessed his church with so many gifted teachers and writers of resources. It is rare indeed for them to demand full compliance with the minutiae of their approach in order for them to be used and quoted. Those of us in pastoral and preaching ministry are drawing from many such sources all the time. Surely it would display a true servant-spirit if Alpha allowed much greater flexibility in the use of its material. Doesn't the local effectiveness of Alpha, and the use of the gifts with which God endues the local church, matter far more than compliance with a central 'party line'?
A Baptist minister who had requested permission to include additional material on the sacraments was told he could not. Clearly this is a controversial area. That Roman Catholic theologians have surveyed the material and concluded there is nothing with which they would take issues says a lot! Apparently one of them asked whether the sentence: 'The bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ' could be altered. We were grateful to hear that this request had also been turned down!
My greatest concern is about the prominence given to the charismata and their practice within what is a beginner's course for the non-churchgoer. The 'Holy Spirit Weekend' is 'trailed' from week one. On it, participants are encouraged to pray for the infilling of the Spirit and to receive charismatic gifts.
Although it is emphasised that tongues is not the most important gift, this seems to be the one singled out for attention. As well as the weekend, there is a session of 'Does God heal today?' - no prizes for guessing their answer! This may include 'words of knowledge' on specific ailments there and then. This is definitely not for those of us in the 'cautiously open' fence-sitting camp!
Of course, it would be so easy simply to abandon our plans for Alpha here. Thankfully, that decision is not mine alone. Already I have telephoned/e-mailed several pastoral colleagues to discover how they have tackled the problem. Some share a similar dilemma.
I cannot pretend that the imminence of the national advertising 'Alpha initiative' this autumn doesn't exert its own pressure. We certainly do not want to waste an opportunity to present Christ to a spiritually-needy locality. The last thing I want is to become caught up in reactionary negativity instead of getting on with the job with which we have been entrusted. I do not currently know of any viable alternatives to Alpha on a similar scale. Maybe, despite the advantages of a nationally-known logo and name, we ought to strike out on our own with a similar format but with a different (and hopefully more biblically informed) content.

A pastor outlines his dilemma in connection with the Alpha course

Spirit-anointed format?

Andrew Bryant

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