Christianity 101 via The Alpha Course

In my humble opinion, one of the greatest challenges facing the growth of Christianity today is the fact that we Christians aren’t trained to explain our faith.

We try, of course, and some are better than others, but it’s no easy task. Christianity is a very broad topic, and it’s tough to put into conversational language. The problem is often exacerbated by the fact that some non-Christians feel like it’s their duty to object to your ideas every time you take a breath. Here’s an analogous conversation using history instead of Christianity:

Seeker: Why are you so into American history, man? I don’t get it.

Me: Because it’s important. It’s our culture, our customs, our--

Seeker: Well, maybe, if you believe what was written is true.

Me: Of course it’s true. There’s loads of evidence that--

Seeker: Then how come American history focuses on white, European males?

Me: Uh, because they accomplished the most stuff in American history?

Seeker: Oh, so they’re better and smarter than everyone else?

Me: No! They also made the big mistakes! We can learn from--

Seeker: That’s not true. They covered up their mistakes.

Me: How do you cover up your mistakes from history?

Seeker: Because the winners decide what gets written.

Me: So you think there’s nothing to learn from American history?

Seeker: Not unless it includes the written perspective of an American Indian. What do you think about that?

Me: About American Indians?

Seeker: Yeah.

Me: I’m all for them. My wife is one-quarter Cherokee. In fact, I wish an American Indian was here right now. Maybe he’d be willing to tomahawk me in the head so I could get out of this conversation.

It’s hard stuff, I tell you.

There is, however, hope for the evangelism efforts of folks like me. It’s called the Alpha Course. Alpha was developed in London, England, at a church called Holy Trinity Brompton, and in layman’s terms Alpha is a fun, casual, interesting course in Christianity 101. If you like, you can view it as simply a continuing education course on “What Christians Believe.”

Since its development some 20 years ago, Alpha has spread across the entire globe, and currently experienced its eleven millionth graduate. The format for the course is exceedingly simple, as it’s little more than “dinner and a movie,” with the movie being a video presentation of the Rev. Nicky Gumbel giving a talk about some facet of Christianity. Guests are encouraged to wear whatever makes them comfortable, even if it’s flip-flops and a t-shirt.

The approach Alpha takes is very much in the C.S. Lewis tradition of explaining the faith. Yes, of course, I understand that Christianity isn’t a purely intellectual pursuit. Faith is an eventual must, because one must “choose to believe in Jesus Christ in order to truly understand the faith.” And this is where the Alpha course is so fantastic: It helps knuckleheads like me to move from “not believing” to “kinda getting it” to finally “believing.”

It allows you to put your toe in, and feel the water’s temperature. By the end of the course, you’ve been immersed in some of Christianity’s deepest waters. What you do with the experience is up to you: A few folks dry off and move on, while others spend the rest of their lives trying to be better swimmers. In short, the Alpha Course covers the topics you need to get started.

Among the topics are: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus have to die? How can I be sure of my faith? How and why should I read the Bible? How and why should I pray? Who is the Holy Spirit, and what does he do?

The presentations are fun, funny, and relevant, and if you are breathing you’re sure to enjoy the speaking style of Rev. Nicky Gumbel. He clearly has a passion for the subject, but he also has the gift of placing himself in the shoes of the non-believers in the audience. I’ve never met a single Alpha attendee who didn’t enjoy the video presentations that Nicky provides.

I think it’s important that I comment on why my wife Heidi and I feel that promoting the Alpha Course here in the United States is so important, and the reason is this: When someone from the deepest jungles of Cambodia shows up at the Pearly Gates, they can at least say to their Creator, “Wow… I never heard a word about this. Can you explain it to me?”

I can’t help but believe our Merciful God will act with mercy towards this person. An American, having been born and raised in the modern world’s most Christian nation, will have no choice but to say, “Well, I heard about this stuff, but I didn’t have time to really look into it. But I was a good person, and that’s good enough, right?” Unfortunately, the Bible is quite clear that being a “good person” isn’t good enough.

Allow me this analogy: You can’t RSVP to God’s dinner party if you never get an invitation. But we Americans have received at least an indirect invitation. Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with this fact. And while it’s none of my business if you choose to RSVP or not, it’s my hope that you’ll at least take an Alpha course to learn the basic RSVP etiquette.

Why? Because when you die, you’re going to dine somewhere… and the Bible makes clear it that God won’t allow you to join His dinner party unless you took the time (in advance) to acknowledge His invitation, and thank Him for inviting you.

For information on an Alpha Course near you, go to www.alphausa.org, click on the “Find a Course” button, and type in your zip code. Hey, Bear Grylls did Alpha... come discover what he did!