The Alpha course is a basic course on the Christian faith, commonly advertised as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life". Originating with the Church of England the course is currently offered in 152 countries by many different denominations.
Alpha was started by the Rev. Charles Marnham at Holy Trinity Brompton, London. In 1990, Nicky Gumbel took over the church course and made it into an introduction to the Christian faith. In 2007, over 33,500 courses were offered in more than 160 countries, and in many Christian denominations. By 2007 it was reported that over 10 million people worldwide had attended an Alpha course.
The Alpha course is organized as a series of sessions over ten weeks, typically preceded by an 'Alpha Supper' which often includes the talk "Christianity Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?" and with a day or weekend away which includes three or four of the talks asterisked [*] below. Each session starts with a meal, followed by a talk (often a video of one by Nicky Gumbel) and then discussion in small groups. The talks aim to cover the basic beliefs of the Christian faith. The complete list of talk titles, which follows the chapters of Nicky Gumbel's book Questions of Life, is:
- Is there more to life than this? (previously Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?)
- Who is Jesus?
- Why did Jesus die?
- How can I be sure of my faith?
- Why and how should I read the Bible?
- Why and how should I pray?
- How does God guide us?
- Who is the Holy Spirit? [*]
- What does the Holy Spirit do? [*]
- How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? [*]
- How can I resist evil?
- Why and how should I tell others?
- Does God heal today?
- What about the church?
- How can I make the most of the rest of my Life? [*]
Blygt.
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