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Nicky' Gumbel's Alpha Course JUNE 2010, MAY 2012 NICKY’ GUMBEL’S ALPHA COURSE I attended a one-day Alpha programme presented by Nicky Gumbel on February 19, 2002 [see pages 111, 112] in Chennai at the Music Academy, a secular venue. I chanced upon him during the lunch break and he signed for me a copy of his 1993 best-selling book “Questions of Life” that I had bought in 1997, and which I have still not opened. I also have a copy each of his 1991 booklet “Why Jesus” and “Telling Others”, 1994. I intended going through the books while preparing this report, but after finding that there is sufficient information on the world-wide web, I gave up the idea. I don't know who arranged Nicky Gumbel’s visit to Chennai. There were many Protestant pastors present. A sizeable delegation from the International Catholic Programme for Evangelization [ICPE] had come down from Bangalore. I recall a Catholic Bishop addressing the gathering, welcoming Nicky Gumbel and his team. I recall very little about the programme. There was a lot of mention of evangelization and reaching the Gospel to others, and that is one issue that has always grabbed my attention. I suppose that since the delegates were from across the denominational spectrum, the contents of the talks were not doctrinal. Even if there had been any aberrations, I would probably have missed them as I was not as well informed then -- especially about the problems associated with a false ecumenism and the errors of Protestant teaching -- as I am now. In the prayer and ministering sessions, I found Alpha spirituality to be charismatic, and I had no problems with that either. Yes, I had not only heard of Holy Trinity Brompton and the “Toronto Blessing”, John Wimber, Rodney Howard-Browne and others whose names the reader will become familiar with in the following pages, I had read their books and watched their video tapes. I was at least a couple of years from graduating into a Catholic apologist.-Michael INDEX [PAGE NUMBERS IN BRACKETS] INTRODUCTION [1] INDEX [2] LETTER FROM AN INDIAN CATHOLIC WHO ATTENDED AN ALPHA TRAINING COURSE [3-5] FIRST CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA [3-5] SECOND CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA 1. Should ALPHA be used in a Catholic Context? - An Analysis by Gillian Van Der Lande www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/alpha1.htm [6-10, 160] THIRD CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA 2. Is ALPHA for Catholics?? by William J. Cork, D. Min. www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/alpha2.htm [11-16, 160] SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS NEWS INFORMATION ON ALPHA [17-32] Alpha course From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [17-18] Which techniques does the "Alpha Course" use to brainwash people? [18] The magnet of Alpha by Ruth Gledhill [18-23] Making waves with hard-sell [23-24] Religious mystery of the Alpha effect [24-25] Alpha 'feeds modern spiritual hunger' [25-26] The Alpha Course and Its Critics: An Overview of the Debates [26-32] MY COMMENTS [33] PROTESTANT CRITIQUES OF ALPHA [34-105] I. The Dangers Of The Alpha Course deceptioninthechurch.com [34-35] Looking at - THE ALPHA COURSE by Tricia Tillin banner.org.uk [35-41] II. The Alpha Course by Chris Hand banner.org.uk [41-43] III. The Gospel According to Gumbel (the Alpha Course) by Michael J. Penfold webtruth.org [44-47] IV. Alpha: Another Road To Rome? Commentary by Roger Oakland understandthetimes.org [47-49] V. What About the Alpha Course? by Rev. Ron Hanko cprf.co.uk [49-50] VI. Is the Alpha Course of God, or is it heresy! by Gordon McGill revivalscotland.com [51-53] VII. THE ALPHA COURSE - FINAL ANSWER OR FATAL ATTRACTION? by G. Richard Fisher pfo.org [53-59] VIII. THE ALPHA COURSE - IS IT THE FINAL ANSWER OR A FATAL ATTRACTION? cephasministry.com [60- 65] IX A. Alpha News by K. B. Napier christiandoctrine.net [65-67] IX B. Alpharisms by K. B. Napier christiandoctrine.net [67-71] X. The Alpha Course Is It Bible Based Or Hell Inspired? by Rev. Paul Fitton regal-network.com [71-77] XI. Book Exposes the Illuminati "Alpha Course" by Nancy Thomson benabraham.com [77-79] XII. HIDDEN SECRETS OF THE ALPHA COURSE [79] XIII. THE ALPHA COURSE/ EVANGELISTIC BIBLE STUDIES wayoflife.org [79-84] XIV. ALPHA: New Life or New Lifestyle? by Elizabeth McDonald [85-98] XV. Does God give us spiritual quick fixes? from Alpha ... to Omega abcog.org [98-99] XVI. Where Does The 'Alpha Course' Stand in 2009? Honestly Facing Up To The Inadequacies of 'Alpha' by Robin A. Brace ukapologetics.net [100-104] XVII. – XXI. Miscellaneous links [104-105] XXII. THE ALPHA COURSE angelfire.com [105-106] TWO REVIEWS OF ALPHA BY “CHURCHMOUSE” [106-110] Alpha Course: truth or error? [106-108] Alpha’s brand of Jesus [108-110] CATHOLIC FUNDAMENTALIST TAKES ON ALPHA 1. ALPHA charismatc-heresy.blogspot.com [110-111] CATHOLIC FUNDAMENTALIST TAKES ON ALPHA 2. ALPHA UNSCRAMBLED by Frank Calneggia [111-114] CATHOLICS FOR ALPHA [114-117, 159, 160] CATHOLIC PRIEST FR. JAMES MALLON DESIGNS FOLLOW UP TO THE ALPHA COURSE [114-116, 159, 160] CATHOLIC PRIEST FR. BENEDICT HERON OSB EULOGISES THE ALPHA COURSE [116-117] MORE CATHOLIC CRITIQUES OF ALPHA [117-129] FOURTH CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA [117-120] 3A. The Dangers of Protestant Material by R. J. Grigaitis S.F.O. 3B. Nicky Gumbel's Alpha Course by R. J. Grigaitis S.F.O. 3C. Sola Scriptura by R. J. Grigaitis S.F.O. 3D. A Letter to Nicky Gumbel by R. J. Grigaitis S.F.O. FIFTH CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA 4. Alpha and the 'New Evangelization' by Paul Likoudis [121-124] SIXTH CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA 5. Bad Directions [124] SEVENTH CATHOLIC CRITIQUE OF ALPHA 6. CATHOLIC ANSWERS FORUM catholic.com [124-129] CATHOLIC ALPHA IN INDIA: ITS PROMOTERS. CORRESPONDENCE WITH OUR BISHOPS [129-134] MY COMMENTS [132-133] EVANGELICAL CRITIQUE OF THE “TORONTO BLESSING”. TO BE READ WITH DISCRETION [135-151] SECULAR REPORT ON THE ALPHA CONNECTION WITH THE “TORONTO BLESSING” [151] THREE CATHOLIC CRITIQUES OF THE “TORONTO BLESSING” [152-156] SOMETHING INEXPLICABLE ON THE INTERNET, CATHOLIC ALPHA INDIA’S RESPONSE [156-158] I never imagined that the Alpha course might be a problem for Catholics until I received the following email: From: name withheld To: prabhu Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 8:51 AM Subject: Re: Hi Dear Michael, Just returned from Mass. Thank you for praying for us at Mass today. We did not remember about the plenary indulgence. We went for Confession last Wednesday at the Alpha course. Do you know about it? It is an initiative of the Anglican Church to bring back members into the church. However Catholic bishops are endorsing it and using it to evangelise lapsed Catholics. We found some disturbing errors in doctrine from the Catholic point of reference and repeatedly brought it to the notice of the course conductors (a team of Catholics from Malaysia which included some Indians), requesting them to intervene and correct the errors as they came up. They ignored us until we got more aggressive. Then they came down on me like a ton of bricks and finally declared that there were no errors. I was fresh from the Steve Ray apologetics program and so I could stand my ground. I have made a report and deliberating on whether I should send it out to all Bishops of India since the CCBI has unofficially endorsed it when it was presented at the last plenary. Would you like to see the report? Do you think I should send it out or send it to our own Bishop first, since he brought it to the diocese and it was approved by the Centre for Lay Apostolate? By the way, the Bishop spoke to [us] when he invited us to attend the Alpha course… name withheld From: name withheld To: prabhu Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 4:57 PM Subject: Alpha course My experience of the Alpha Training Course held at Pilar Reanimation Centre, Goa, India, 22 to 25 February 2010 1. Since this course was organised by the Archdiocese of Goa & Daman, we took it for granted that it was a Catholic programme. So even though Fr. John, the priest on the team mentioned that it originated in the Anglican church, we continued to keep an open mind. During the course of the first DVD, Nicky Gumbel, the creator of Alpha mentioned that he was a vicar (after mentioning his wife several times before that). On the next day, at tea-time I casually asked James, another Alpha team member: “What about the Anglican roots of the program?” He replied something like “it is not important, that Alpha has proven to be very effective in giving people an experience of Jesus Christ and then they experience a hunger to know more – you tell them more about the Catholic Church.” His reply convinced me that there were no grounds for worry. 2. During talk 6, Why and How should I read the Bible? Nicky argued that we need the Bible to give us guidelines and concluded that the Bible is the supreme authority for what we believe and how we act. I immediately felt disturbed hearing this. In the group discussion that followed, I shared my discomfort with my group members. I shared that I had recently returned from a seminar on [Catholic] Apologetics in Mumbai and there Steve Ray, the speaker emphatically stated that the Catholic Church stands like a 3-legged stool: Sacred Tradition, Scripture and the Magisterium. As soon as the break was announced I waited to meet Fr.
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