AlphaAlpha thethe unofficialunofficial guideguide WORLD A Special Handbook on the Alpha Course plus the missing bits! Elizabeth McDonald and Dusty Peterson AlphaAlpha thethe unofficialunofficial guideguide WORLD A Special Handbook on the Alpha Course plus the missing bits! Elizabeth McDonald and Dusty Peterson Alpha – The Unofficial Guide: World First published in Great Britain in November 2002 by St Matthew Publishing Ltd Copyright Elizabeth McDonald & Dusty Peterson 2002,2003. All rights reserved. ISBN: 1 901546 1 3 6 This publication, or extracts therefrom, may be freely reproduced, but only for non-commercial purposes (if quoting more than 3000 words). In either case, the book’s title and authors must be acknowledged. Extracts from the Authorized Version of the Bible (The King James Bible), the rights in which are vested in the Crown, are reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press. The Authorized (King James) Version of the Bible has been used throughout. Please note that all emphases in quotations in this document, whether from the Bible or elsewhere, are the authors’ own unless otherwise stated. Cover graphic: Janice Andrews Designs Cover Design: Rachel Schroeder, The Ink Spot Instant Printing Pty First Revision (typographical amendments) February 2003 Second Revision November 2003 (Revisions 1 and 2 also published by CWM in Australia) Use of a given publisher must not be construed as any type of endorsement of other items produced by that publisher. For details of how to obtain further copies of this book, please see the page immediately preceding the Cross-Reference at the very end. CONTENTS Page Important Introduction! 7 Foreword 8 Preface 10 WORLD: Part One – “The Love of the Truth” Chapter 1 What is the “Truth”? 1 2 What About Other Faiths? 11 3 Other Faiths and Alpha 26 4 Cults 40 5 Our Attitude to Other Religions 45 Part Two – When in Rome... Chapter 6 Alpha’s Unique Relationship 61 7 “Blessed Be My Rock” 79 8 Adding Up the Mass 95 9 What We Must Do to be Saved 109 10 Sacred Scripture and Tradition 134 11 The Reformation 158 12 Alpha and Ecumenism 180 Part Three – The Best Testimonies Chapter 13 A Gospel Summary 206 14 The Experience of Alpha 212 15 Cross Roads 223 16 The Star 246 Cross Reference 270 With love to our precious brothers and sisters in the Lord who have readily contributed excellent advice, inspired material, lots of prayer – and endless patience. “…the LORD thy God shall bless thee…” (Deuteronomy 16:15) Most of all, though, we want to dedicate this book to our Heavenly Father who has faithfully supplied everything we have needed to produce it and has graciously directed our steps. “Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.” (Psalm 63:7) IMPORTANT INTRODUCTION! “A masterpiece … Essential reading” (MH, Missionary, Spain) “I have been fascinated … [and] learned a lot” (NW, London) “Wonderful to read” (RB, England) St Matthew Publishing is delighted to be able to offer this crucial volume to the Church. The reader should find it one of the most helpful and vital books available today. The authors have both invested a great deal of time and care into producing this volume, and their commitment has resulted in a profoundly useful work. For instance, the material has been struc- tured and written to provide an exceptionally clear and logical flow. (As such, it is particularly effective when read from the start.) St Matthew Publishing also commends the Foreword and Preface to the reader, as both sections provide information which should substantially enhance your enjoyment of this very fine work. “So comprehensive and so well annotated, the mind boggles at the amount of work you have put in” (CB, Pastor, England) “I have thoroughly enjoyed your book” (GC, Australia) Philip Foster St Matthew Publishing Cambridge, England vii FOREWORD Anyone put off by this book’s title or cover text need not be alarmed. This book is not destructive but constructive; I would not have written a Foreword for it otherwise! To those who feel that they already know everything they need to about Alpha, or who groan at the thought of ‘yet another book’ about the Course, I urge you to think again. Alpha – the Unoffi- cial Guide is unlike anything else on the market. It comes from an exciting and different angle, and the vast majority of its information is simply unavailable from other guides. This book is not just a ‘quick read’ as some are these days; it is a sensitive and enthralling look at Alpha, full of great tips and eye- opening quotes, while serving as a reference work for later use too. Its qualities go much deeper still because it gently, yet powerfully, enables people to recognize how their entire worldview fits together – and how it relates to Scripture. This makes The Unofficial Guide a superb resource for every member of the Body of Christ, including new or struggling Christians and those with a ministry to them. I be- lieve that many will find it a tremendous blessing. I am impressed by the clarity of this book. Luke tells us that he ‘investigated everything carefully’ (Luke 1:3), and Elizabeth has emulated him – an approach which she probably developed during her University studies in Church history. She also has the ability to present her findings in a highly readable way. She has saved us a lot viii of time and effort by performing the hard graft herself; all we have to do is sit back and benefit from the results. Yet, because everything here is properly documented and corroborated (unlike the unsup- ported statements that some others have made), we do not have to ‘take her word for it’ but can easily verify matters for ourselves – and demonstrate them to our friends as well. Elizabeth has put both thought and vitality into this work and she has gone out of her way to make sure that it ‘connects’ with as many people as possible. Although it unavoidably contains some data that will surprise and challenge, and while not everyone will agree with every word, anyone who is hasty enough to stop reading will miss out on much essential spiritual knowledge (Hosea 4:6). I invite you instead to discover this immensely important book – one which I thoroughly commend to all. Doug Harris Director, Reachout Trust [Note from the authors: Reachout Trust is an international ministry that upholds biblical truth and builds bridges to those in the cults, occult and new age. For many years an affiliate member of the Evangelical Alliance, its website can be found at reachouttrust.org] ix PREFACE What is Alpha? The Alpha Course is normally described as “a practical introduction to the Christian faith”. Originating in England, it usually comprises a series of fifteen talks plus some ministry times, and typically takes place over ten weeks – including a day or weekend retreat. Each talk is generally preceded by a meal and is followed by a ‘small group’ session where questions raised by the talks can be freely discussed. It has been used in almost every nation on earth. The Alpha Course is a favourite method by which we can introduce the unsaved to the Christian Church – and it is having a global impact. The unprecedented popularity of the Course has resul- ted in its authors receiving praise from almost every quarter. Of more importance though, Alpha has directly led to the growth in size of many Fellowships. These are phenomenal and incontrovertible facts. People today are dying (literally) to hear the truth and know what the Bible has to say. Well-written evangelistic material is a priceless gift. This book is multi-purpose and should be a considerable asset to all believers, especially those concerned with Alpha in any way. (That includes Course helpers and participants.) Among its aims, the book has been designed to furnish readers with just about everything they need in order to gain, and bring others to, a significantly deeper knowledge of the truth. It explains and enlarges on the main teach- ings of Alpha, and it provides robust tips for everyone involved in running Courses. (For churches that have so far chosen not to use x Alpha, this book should help them to be better informed about the subject. Some folks have charged the Course with compromising over vital issues. We want to give the truth of the matter. Where any potential ambiguity is apparent within the Course materials, we have endeavoured to deal with it so that misinterpretations can be avoided.) Regardless of the level of the reader’s association with Alpha, from onlooker to veteran leader, all should find the material seriously informative and interesting. We are confident that anyone planning to oversee future courses will find that this book plays a critical role in getting God’s very best. The commentary should also enable past attendees to fully grasp what they have been through. If the reader is thinking of attending their first Alpha Course, we en- courage them to explore this volume beforehand. We have sought to make the book’s content as readable and accessible as possible (please forgive the UK spellings if they are unfamiliar though). For example, we have been able to quote many high-quality sources, and even the most advanced material normally starts from first principles. Another feature of the book reflects the fact that people both inside and outside the Church want to know and understand the Bible better. This volume has been constructed to be a real aid in every way and therefore includes a sensible quantity of Scripture reference in the text, remembering that God’s written Word says we should receive “…knowledge rather than choice gold.