How does one decide whether the current Alpha course originating from Holy Trinity, Brompton, in London, is a well-balanced biblical form of evangelism for today? As with any new evangelism programme, reading their published literature is obviously the place to start. With Alpha rapidly spreading around the world, many churches may be trying to determine whether this is an appropriate course to implement.

Alpha Origins⤒🔗

According to its own publicity, Alpha began in 1977 at Holy Trinity, Brompton (HTB). It was the idea of a clergyman called Charles Marnham who sought to present basic Christian principles to new Christians in a relaxed, informal setting. Originally a few people met each week to discuss questions such as: 'Who is Jesus?', 'How and why do I pray?' and 'How does God guide us?' When Marnham moved, others rose up to lead and modify the course. In 1981 a significant change was made when a 'Holy Spirit week­end' was added.

Five years ago Nicky Gumbel, who previously had read Law at Cambridge and Theology at Oxford, was ordained and became curate at HTB. Under his creative drive Alpha has seen amazing growth. In 1991 there were four courses in London involving 600 people. By March 1996, the figure had risen to 3,000 courses registered worldwide with an estimated 250,000 people attending. Latest Australian publicity claims 4,000 Alpha courses for 1996! (Note: Major Davies rechecked these figures and they are printed as they appear in the Alpha literature).

Publicity←⤒🔗

The weight of Alpha publicity is formidable. A free thirty-six-page Alpha News reveals the broad spectrum of churches now involved. Alpha News also abounds with recommendations. Eight pages give assurances from church leaders of various denominations and theological persuasions. These include the Archbishops of Canterbury and York; with James Packer, John Wimber, Michael Green, Gerald Coates, Alister McGrath and R. T. Kendall among other notable supporters.

Alpha News is also full of success stories and personal testimonies from individuals who have either become Christians or been spiritually renewed by attending this course. The publishers even include a small print segment detailing some thousands of churches throughout Britain (and the world) who have so far registered for Alpha.

Finally, the publishing of Alpha books, teaching videos and cassettes, posters, T-shirts, car stickers and HTB Songbooks all makes one realise that Alpha has become big business indeed. We are also informed that Alpha means: Anyone may Attend — Learning & Laughter — Pasta — Helping one another — Ask anything.

In this marketing age such powerful publicity will doubtless persuade many to accept Alpha without further questions. One problem church pastors and ministers face these days is how to evaluate the flow of advertising literature promoting the latest Church Growth systems, visiting speakers and evangelism seminars.

To peruse Alpha literature is to be impressed by its success. Alpha is spreading at an amazing rate. Reading some of the excellent testimonies of converts is moving. To hear of struggling churches now attracting people to learn of Christ is encouraging.

Assessing Alpha←⤒🔗

In assessing any new form of evangelism it is obviously important to examine what doctrines are being taught. Numerical success is no proof that an evangelical programme is necessarily a work of God. Were that not so, we would have to admit fast-growing cults (such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons) were also from God. There is danger in any Church Growth pragmatism that says: 'If it works, it must be from God!'

To attempt an analysis of Alpha one is immediately conscious of its rapid and widespread acceptance, particularly across Britain. Also obvious from reading Alpha literature is that much of its biblical teaching is commendable. Nicky Gumbel and his team have developed a practical way to introduce non-churched people to the gospel. Emphasis upon Bible study, prayer, discussion groups, plus use of friendship networks in a non-threatening environment, are well-accepted ways of evangelism. Best of all, Alpha seeks to reach the unsaved, something easily lost sight of in the busy church programmes we too often perpetuate with little passion or creativity.

So on the surface there appears much to commend Alpha as a course for evangelism.

Supernatural Gifts←⤒🔗

However, to look more closely at the teaching of Alpha is soon to realise that it seeks strongly to promote 'supernatural gifts', in particular, tongues, healing and words of knowledge. A choice to use Alpha involves deciding whether an emphasis upon such 'gifts' is now the road churches in general should follow.

It cannot be overlooked that Alpha has surfaced hot on the heels of the 'Toronto Blessing' and that HTB was the focal point in Britain for that dubious burst of religious hysteria.

Of course supporters of Alpha and HTB may argue differently. Namely, that any immaturity evidenced in the 'Toronto Blessing' is now justified by the emergence from HTB of what is certainly more spiritually mature in content. However, does not the first excess warn us to be cautious before accepting teaching from the same source?

Ministry←⤒🔗

The disturbing aspects of Alpha are seen most clearly by reading chapter 11 of Nicky Gumbel's book Telling Others (Kingsway). Entitled 'Ministry', this chapter shows the teaching of Alpha on supernatural gifts. Gumbel uses John Wimber's definition of ministry as: 'meeting the needs of others on the basis of God's resources'.

The term 'ministry' is a relatively new teaching now found in many charismatic congregations. It suggests that the public worship of God's people should now include a time of supernatural 'Holy Spirit ministry'. This is generally undertaken by the leader of the meeting who is assisted by small teams. The three most common aspects of such 'ministry' are speaking in tongues, healing and prophetic words of knowledge. In general, 'ministry' claims to be a time when people are 'filled with the Holy Spirit' (this is repeated regularly, thus becoming a self-sustaining aspect of worship).

Gumbel then proceeds with a strange exegesis. From the Exodus account of Moses stretching out his hands to part the Red Sea, he draws the conclusion that 'ministry now involves people doing a similar thing with their hands' (Telling Others, p. 124).

Holy Spirit Weekend←⤒🔗

It is significant that the 'weekend' (or 'Holy Spirit day') in Alpha is described as 'a crucial element of the course!' (Alpha News, p. 14). This time involves general teaching about the Holy Spirit, but with a large segment on the supernatural gifts. The talk: 'How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?' and hands-on ministry' are obvious highlights.

The 'ministry' taught by Nicky Gumbel is best gauged from his own words:

As we pray for a person we stay facing them and, if they have no objection, we lay hands on them. Then keeping our eyes open, we ask the Holy Spirit to come. We welcome him when we see signs of his working and wait on God as we wait for further directions.Telling Others, p. 129

Two or three people are involved in this intimate ministry. The watching eyes during very direct prayers and the 'laying on of hands' all add intensity. Those engaged in ministry seem to assume control over the Holy Spirit rather than the reverse. Gumbel states: 'We don't believe it is possible that ''nothing has happened!"' (p. 130). Soon the objective of this 'Holy Spirit weekend' becomes clearer:

On the Alpha weekend we often pray for people to receive the gift of tongues. This is not because it is the most important gift but because the Alpha course is a beginners' course and the gift of tongues is a beginners' gift. It is neither the mark of being a Christian, nor a necessary sign of being filled with the Spirit. The gift of tongues does not elevate you into a spiritual elite, nor is it indeed necessary to speak in tongues. However, both in the Bible and in experience it is often the first obviously super­natural gift of the Spirit which people receive. Telling Others, p. 129

Yet to tell people: 'The Alpha course is a beginners' course and the gift of tongues is a beginners' gift' it is clearly a leading suggestion, despite the disclaimers which follow. Particularly when Gumbel then adds: 'Our understanding of the New Testament is that it (tongues) is available to all Christians and therefore we can pray with great confidence for them to receive' (sic) (Telling Others, pp. 129-130).

Tongues←⤒🔗

Gumbel then outlines his method of producing the 'tongues gift'.

When praying for people to receive the gift of tongues I have found the greatest barrier is a psychological one — making the first sound. Once the person has made the first sound the rest follows quite naturally. In order to help people get over this barrier I explain this difficulty and suggest they start by copying what I or one of the other prayers is saying. Then I start to speak in tongues slowly so that they can follow. Once they have made the first sound they are usually away praying in their own language!

But such procedure must be challenged. If the 'gift of tongues' is really from the Holy Spirit and is 'supernatural', why should some mere 'psycho­logical barrier' present a problem in the first place? Is the Holy Spirit so helpless?

Furthermore, Gumbel's choice of words here is, to say the least, un­fortunate. In his sentence, 'the first sound having been made' (surely he means 'mimicked'?) 'the rest usually follows quite naturally' (surely he means supernaturally).

On page 18 of the Training Manual leaders are told: 'Encourage the person to start to speak in another language — tell him/her you will do so yourself'. One struggles in vain to imagine the apostle Paul stooping to such methods as these! Any thoughtful assessment of such methods cannot avoid the conclusion that auto-suggestion, mimicking and emotional pressures are most active in the whole process.

Gumbel's teachings about supernatural 'healing' and 'words of knowledge' show similar approaches, including strange claims of 'impressions' and 'sympathy pains' (p. 136).

Despite some commendable aspects of Alpha one must query the under­lying agenda when such teaching is said to be so vital. Gumbel concludes chapter 11 by stating: 'The ministry of the Spirit is crucial to Alpha — without it, it would not really be an Alpha course' (Telling Others, p. 138).

Power Evangelism←⤒🔗

In chapter 1 ('Principles') Gumbel refers to Tomlin's 'three models of evangelism', these being defined as 'classical', 'holistic' and 'power evan­gelism'.

It is this Wimber 'power evangelism' model that Gumbel proceeds to promote at some length (pp. 23-27).

While biblical precedents (in particular, from Acts and 1 Corinthians) are used to support new claims for spectacular 'power healings and miracles', such theology comes from viewing texts in isolation while ignoring main principles of Scripture. One text often treated this way is John 14:14: 'If you ask anything in my name, I will do it'.

Obviously to take this text in literal isolation means Christians may rightly claim healing in every situation, deliverance from every difficulty and material prosperity — all for the asking! It is this error which lies behind the 'health and wealth' gospel taught by E. W. Kenyon, Kenneth Copeland and others.

Using Isolated Texts←⤒🔗

Error is likely to arise whenever a doctrine is built upon an isolated text. We could easily seem to prove 'salvation by works' from passages such as Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46; Romans 2:6 were it not that the bulk of Scripture clearly teaches 'justification by faith alone' and so governs how texts which appear to be in conflict are to be approached.

In the case of John 14:14, to compare other prayer texts immediately reveals the correct balance: 'Thy will be done' (Matthew 6:10); 'If we ask any­thing according to his will, he hears us' (1 John 5:14); even Christ's prayer in Gethsemane, 'Not my will but thine be done' (Luke 22:42). This aspect of our prayers of being subject to God's sovereign will is often despised as 'lack of faith' by those who follow this 'word-faith' teaching. Gumbel himself seems to fall into this error by his statement: 'When we ask the Holy Spirit to come he comes' (Training Manual, p. 15).

The same error of interpretation often occurs in the preceding verses of John 14: 'I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these' (John 14:12). Gumbel does admit that these 'greater things' must refer to quantity rather than quality, but claims: 'We should expect today to see the supernatural display of the power of the Holy Spirit as part of his kingdom activity and as an authentication of the good news' (Telling Others, p. 26).

Yet Paul states: 'I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes' (Romans 1:16). In 1 Corin­thians 1:22-24 Paul emphatically says that no added validation of the gospel is needed: 'Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified ... Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God'. Gumbel follows the flawed 'power theology' of Wimber.

Common Thread←⤒🔗

That Alpha so easily crosses denominational and doctrinal boundaries is also reason to suspect that truth is being compromised. Particularly when Catholic and Anglo-Catholic congregations report: 'Newcomers ... began to attend Mass for the first time' (Alpha News, p. 13). Ultimately the common thread binding divergent churches together is Alpha's charismatic content. Real issues of doctrine remain glossed over.

Summary←⤒🔗

Admittedly it is not easy to raise these questions about the Alpha method when it is clear that many sincere Christians have so quickly taken it up and when some congregations using Alpha are experiencing growth. One is likely to be considered an unsympathetic observer of those currently being saved, which is certainly not the case at all.

It is worth remembering that throughout the long history of the Church, souls have been saved even when the preaching has sometimes been a mixture of both truth and error. Divine sovereignty not infrequently over­rules human frailty and error (even amongst Christ's ministers) to bring about the salvation of his people. Even so, this gives us no licence to ignore error when we become aware of it. Surely we must examine these things and aim for purity in doctrine as well as in life.

Ministers and churches who may currently be wondering whether to embark on the Alpha course will be wise to exercise caution. There is clearly more to Alpha than first meets the eye. While the recent 'Toronto Blessing' was obvious by its emotional excess and lack of sound doctrine, Alpha is dressed far more discretely, and therefore may prove more dangerous in the long run. It is a sad reflection on the present condition of the churches that we now need to make such careful analysis of the evangelistic programmes being promoted.

Positively, we would all be helped by the production of a similar practical course, yet I suggest one without the perilous accessories included with the Alpha package.