Feature Article

Alpha's salvation motorway

The introduction to Christianity known as the Alpha course, pioneered by evangelical Anglicans in London, has been phenomenally successful. Why? And what do the critics say? A young freelance journalist has taken a straw poll.

ALPHA. Suddenly, it?s everywhere. The Guardian, often prone to anti-Christianity, has given it positive news coverage. The Observer journalist Jon Ronson thinks its leading light, the Anglican priest Nicky Gumbel, is wonderful. ITV is showing a 10-episode series introduced by Sir David Frost in which you can live through the Alpha experience on television. Worldwide, 121 countries have an Alpha programme, and three million people have taken an Alpha course. The face of an Alpha convert will soon be beaming out from 1,500 billboard advertisements in Britain.

Alpha, the Christian introductory course that calls itself an opportunity to explore the meaning of life, has become the main evangelising tool of the Christian churches. Alpha itself was devised by the evangelical Anglicans of Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, London (HTB) under the inspiration of Nicky Gumbel. The course is extraordinarily successful and radically simple in its formula. It consists of 10 evenings and what is sometimes called a Holy Spirit weekend. Basic doctrine is presented in a witty and interesting way and discussed in a group setting. No one is pressured to convert to Christianity, but the groups are allowed to debate their views in freedom and come to their own decisions.

In churches and rooms across the world people have supper, attend to a presentation on a Christian theme (either a talk or a video), and then are divided into groups to discuss what they have heard. Finally they sing a few hymns and pray. After 10 sessions, they go on a weekend away together to experience the Holy Spirit. Many of them become Christians; some leave without converting. Those that do leave are not called up to try and persuade them to get involved.

A Catholic Alpha course lasting two years has also been introduced by Catholic Evangelisation Services (CES). This consists of a similar programme but with the addition of two years of talks to acquaint people with Catholicism. David Payne, director of Catholic Evangelisation Services, argues that Alpha is in fact an add-on to the teaching of the Catholic Church. He considers it to be one module of a process of evangelisation of the parishes, aimed at reaching the unchurched and the lapsed. He cites the support of many theologians, including Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, the Preacher to the Papal Household, and the American theologian Marcellino D?Ambrosio. He points out that the General Directory for Catechesis asks for a clear proclamation of the Gospel, which is to be quickly solidified by life-giving catechesis. He believes that Alpha with the extra modules of Catholic Alpha provides exactly this.

Nicky Gumbel is always spoken about with great affection by all who come into contact with him. But is Alpha about Jesus Christ, or is it a Nicky Gumbel fan club? Those who have attended are unanimous that there wasn?t any hero-worshipping. Nicky Gumbel is considered a charming, likeable man, at his best when talking about others, rather than a great spiritual leader as such. He and his team give the impression of being a close-knit group of genuine Christians who have a gift for public relations. His courses are generously funded by wealthy Christians in a wide variety of professions.

When I attended an Alpha introduction, more than 600 young, well-heeled Londoners were gathered at HTB, and I found it somewhat overwhelming. My own fear of groups came into play, and I felt alienated by the male-dominated atmosphere. But the talks were inspiring and there was a genuine sense of mutual support and love amongst the Alpha team which impressed me.

My initial image of Alpha was of a Christian motorway designed to get you to salvation as quickly as possible. And I wasn?t sure I wanted to zoom to heaven along it. Instead of leading to the kingdom of heaven I might lose my soul in a large industrial town by mistake. For me, walking with Christ often involves taking quieter, rockier paths, lined with wild flowers and country fields. There is a risk that the glossy, gung-ho, churn ?em out approach of Alpha will exclude the contemplatives, the lonely, the marginalised, the artists, the misfits and will ride roughshod over the fragile beauty of the individual. It also concerned me that there was very little follow-up for young Alpha Christians after their 10 weeks had flashed by.

But many people love Alpha and find a commitment to Christianity through the course. Fans come from all walks of life and generally glow with peace and happiness. Hilary, 34, a scientist, is one example. She was a lapsed Catholic who went on the Alpha course and refound her faith. She is now back as part of a parish, committed to several group activities. She describes the course as brilliant. My brother also came back from an Anglican Alpha course in Chiswick, west London, with a similarly mellow look in his eye. Jenny Baker describes how as a cradle Catholic she started to question whether she really believed Catholicism. Having done Alpha I found the answer to many of my questions. It was such a good course I took it back and ran it in my parish with great success.

Nonetheless, there are dissenters (their names have all been changed). Among them is Jonathan Brown, 32, a public-relations executive, who attended a few sessions and dismissed Alpha as a marriage factory; dinner-party Christianity. Judging by the Jaguars outside Holy Trinity, he could be right. There is a real risk that HTB could fall into the trap of becoming a social hub rather than a Christian centre.

Another dissenter is a close friend of mine, Andy Cruickshaw, 30, a sound producer who was persuaded to attend Alpha by Jon Ronson?s moving account of his experience on the course which was printed in the Observer. Andy is a deeply creative person with a pronounced sense of wonder. Creative expression and wonder do not mix well with mandatory answers to life?s more difficult questions, and Andy didn?t make it past the sample session. He liked the sense of togetherness, he liked the person who was doing the talk, and he loved the discussion afterwards. But, he says, the speaker?s list of what was wrong with the world struck me as very bigoted. The rigid assertions of the course alienated him.

Jenny, 33, a lecturer in philosophy, says: Intellectually it irritated me ? subtlety is sacrificed to clarity. She too reacted against the definite answers and interpretations which the Alpha course gives. She enjoyed the lectures but the literal interpretations of morality disappointed her, for she was hoping for a more liberated view. For me, reality is something that is out there, rather than something you can grasp, she says. You believe something because it is an approximation of the truth and you live how it works. There were lots of good things about Alpha but it uses quite emotional ways to appeal to people. I just don?t access my spirituality through those mediums, and I wanted more space.

Giles Read, 25, a public-relations executive, agrees that people are genuine in their motives for attending and hosting Alpha. He found the course at St Paul?s and St George?s Episcopalian church, Edinburgh, interesting and useful, but unsatisfying: At the end of an intellectual discussion the leader just sat back and said, ?Oh well, you wouldn?t understand, you haven?t made the leap of faith.? I wanted a rational theological discussion. I came away thinking, yes, I believe and no, I don?t want this particular evangelical interpretation of Christianity.

Catholic dissenters are hard to track down, because the course has been so popular in churches where it has been run. The only one I could find was Sr Rita, 57, a Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary sister. She ran a Catholic Alpha course and found that it was not negative, but that it didn?t tackle the burning issues at the core of the Catholic faith, such as the sacraments. The pace was wrong, she thought, and the emphasis on spiritual experience made some people feel very frightened. They just are not ready for it yet. It would be like feeding babies on solids.

So why did these people reject Alpha? Andy and Giles appear to have reacted against an overbearing sense of authority. In Jonathan?s case, the atmosphere of wealth and social networking prevalent at Holy Trinity was repellent. Jenny required a more intellectual and theological approach.

For my part, I have a suspicion that Alpha may be formatting large numbers of Chris-tian clones who want a bit of meaning to go with their comfortable lifestyle. The clouds of globalisation, world poverty and climate change are set for a downpour, and I don?t see enough Alpha converts volunteering to help. I meet them mainly at black-tie balls and polo matches.

Protestant Alpha is extraordinarily well marketed, with a glossy press pack full of pictures of smiling faces, whereas Catholic Alpha has much plainer literature reminiscent of council leaflets. At least Holy Trinity?s marketing style is fun. But mass marketing may alienate as many people as it appeals to.

Let?s not get bogged down in issues of taste, however. There is a definite lack of efforts at evangelisation in the Catholic Church, despite the fact that we are clearly called to spread the Gospel by the Bible and by the Pope. Alpha is providing an excellent tool to fill the gap. Nicky Gumbel and the Alpha team give you a sense of a Christ that you would like to spend time with, the most likeable person you could ever hope to meet. As Mark Elsdon Dew, the Alpha press officer, says: We don?t know what is happening but it does seem to be doing some good.