One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life (Psalm 27:4)                 Bayith Ministries

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Foundations
Christian Beliefs, Teachings, Doctrines, Christian Living, Christian Ethics

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them ...
is like a [wise] man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundations on a rock:
and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it:
for it was founded upon a rock
(Luke 6:47-48)

Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay that is laid, which is Jesus Christ
(1 Corinthians 3:10b-11)

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3)

The Alpha Course

Books   |   Articles   |   Foundations Home Page

 

 

Online Versions of our Books Discussing the Alpha Course

                                          

Alpha: New Life or New Lifestyle?

The New Age of Alpha

Alpha - the Unofficial Guide: World

Alpha - the Unofficial Guide: Church

Alpha - the Unofficial Guide: Overview

 

Articles

Please note that our articles below discussing the Alpha Course are entirely separate from our books, and cover aspects of Alpha only touched on briefly in the books.


Chapter and Verse on Alpha's Jesus

Part 3: The Divinity of Alpha's Jesus  (December 2002)

"Nicky Gumbel writes, 'the most important question we can ever ask is, "Who is Jesus?"'. In the same book, he states 'This is the heart of the Christian faith: knowing Jesus Christ'. The Lord Jesus is indeed the very centre of the Christian faith, and it is vital therefore to know who He truly is..."

Part 2: The Nature of Alpha's Jesus  (December 2002)

"In a radio interview recently, we were asked what Alpha taught about the nature of the Lord Jesus. ... We were aware of a few problems, but the question prompted us to look in detail at this matter. Firstly, though, we should establish whether or not accuracy on this topic is a serious one..."

Part 1: The Character of Alpha's Jesus  (December 2002)

"According to Gallup, the Alpha Course has now been run in over 150 countries. Alpha materials have been translated into scores of languages, and a million people took the course last year alone. It is clearly something that every believer should be well-versed about..."


Open Letters to the Leaders of the Alpha Course

Your Understanding of 'Toronto'  (12 November 2003)

"Dear Rev. Nicky Gumbel, As you know, January 2004 is exactly ten years since the 'Toronto Experience' (TE) appeared in Toronto. Despite this elapsed time, some crucial questions on the subject still remain. Because your church, Holy Trinity Brompton, (HTB), was at the forefront of promoting the TE in Britain, we have sent this letter in the hope that you will be able to assist the many people who received the TE but who do not fully grasp what they were encouraged to involve themselves in..."

Alpha's 'Holy Spirit Retreat'  (04 April 2003)

"Dear Rev. Nicky Gumbel, Certain important questions are being asked regarding aspects of Alpha's 'Holy Spirit Retreat'. Some of the main ones are given below and we wondered if it might be possible for you to help clear them up - as we cannot find the answers in any Alpha publications..."


The Powers Behind the Alpha Course

Part 3: The Powerful Spirit  (2003/2006)

English version  |  Spanish version  |  Swedish version  |  Danish version  |  German version

"Some Alpha Course literature [for example] 'The God Who Changes Lives', and newspapers published by Holy Trinity Brompton are ... filled with testimonies of people who have been transformed during the program. This fact is constantly used to defend Alpha against the multitude of concerns that have been raised about its source..."

Part 2: The Powerful Men  (July/August 2003)

"It is perfectly understandable. Knowing that [the] Toronto [Experience] is questionable (to say the least) many people now deny that Alpha could possibly be a companion to the Toronto spirit..."

Part 1: The Powerful Message  (July/August 2002)

"Although the Alpha Course has been in existence since 1977, the modern version originated in the early nineties through Nicky Gumbel - a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton church (HTB). Gumbel is a qualified barrister, but he apparently attributes his powerful gift for communication to an extraordinary single event in 1982. The following account by Gumbel is lengthy but also very interesting:..."


Miscellaneous Alpha Material

The New Age of Alpha
  (2009)

"Despite failing to reverse the decline in church attendance in Britain, the Alpha Course has swept the globe and is being used by an incredibly wide range of groups - including Methodists and Lutherans, Roman Catholics and Seventh-Day Adventists. Where other evangelistic initiatives have petered out very swiftly, Alpha has done the opposite. From its roots in the late 1970s, Alpha has grown to stunning  proportions today and over a million souls try it each year. Let us uncover its secret..."

Is This the Hottest Ticket to Heaven?  (July 2005)

This article is the full transcript of the comments we were asked to give the Mail On Sunday for their article in YOU magazine about the Alpha Course.

The Dragnet Behind Alpha, Vineyard, 'Purpose Driven', 'Toronto' etc (Supporting Documentation)  (2003 / Last updated 2016)

This page is the repository for all information regarding the chart below.

The Dragnet Behind Alpha, Vineyard, 'Purpose Driven', 'Toronto' etc (Chart)  (September 2003)

English version   |  Spanish version   |   French version  |  German version

"Bayith Ministries seeks to produce materials that are as valuable as possible. This chart is no exception, for it not only supplies the key spiritual roots of: a) Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB); b) Rick Warren; c) John Wimber; and d) the Toronto Experience (TE), but it also: a) shows at a glance the key roots of all the other names on the chart; b) demonstrates that they are all part of the same tree (and thus that Alpha and the TE emanated from the same source, despite what some people try to claim); and c) reveals what you and I are really legitimizing if we promote Alpha or 'Purpose Driven' or Vineyard or 'Toronto'..."    

Alpha on Israel!  (May 2002)

"[I]n this article we ... want to explore the question of whether or not Alpha currently teaches truthfully about the physical nation of Israel. After all, this topic is vital for a proper comprehension of the gospel (Romans 11:11-25) and for rightly dividing God's Word..."

Alpha and the New Age  (June 1999)

"While Sandy Millar insists that Alpha is merely an introduction to the Christian faith, the Course nevertheless claims to preach the gospel sufficiently enough for participants to come to salvation; several of the talks end with a prayer of commitment. But testimonies such as [the following] indicate that many participants have neither understood what the gospel is nor what it demands of them..."

Alpha - New Life or New Lifestyle?  (May 1996)

"The Alpha Initiative is the most popular evangelistic programme in use in Britain's churches at present. Alpha's publications manager advises everyone 'to do the course exactly as we've laid out for the first time - because we know it works'. At first glance this advice seems well and good, but in fact a purely pragmatic approach to spiritual things is not scriptural and can even be very dangerous..."

 

 

Thus saith the LORD,
Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls
(Jeremiah 6:16)

 

 

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