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The
Alpha Course is sweeping through this nation, crossing
the denominational divides, and spreading across the
world with great rapidity. From its inception in 1991
when approximately 600 people attended the four existing
courses, it has steadily grown in popularity to the
extent that in 1996 some 250,000 people attended an
estimated 5,000 courses. The estimated figure for those
attending this year is in the region of 500,000 persons.
The Alpha course is therefore being adopted by more and
more churches as the years pass by. It knows no
denominational boundaries -- Anglicans, Methodist,
Congregationalist, United Reformed, Elim Pentecostal,
Salvation Army, Baptists, Presbyterian, Charismatic
Fellowships, Evangelical Free Churches, and the Roman
Catholic Church all run their Alpha Courses.
If the Alpha course continues to advance at the present
rate its teaching will eventually permeate into the
majority of churches, and influence the greater part of
people who in this land claim to be Christian.
If the Alpha course is a faithful declaration of the
Gospel of Christ and instructs people in sound Biblical
doctrine then it can only be a mighty influence for
good, but if it is not a faithful declaration of the
Gospel, and if its teaching is not rooted in sound
Biblical doctrine then it will be an awful influence for
evil.
The question therefore arises concerning the Alpha
Course -- Is it Bible Based or Hell Inspired? Does its
teaching rest solidly and squarely upon the
authoritative rock of Holy Scripture or does it teach
error in the name of Jesus?
1. REASONS WHY THE CHRISTIAN SHOULD EXAMINE THE ALPHA
COURSE
There are many today who would question the right of any
believer to question the teachings of another who
professes to be a Christian. They think that all that
matters is that a person teaches and does things in the
name of Christ. Such a belief is wrong. In past weeks we
have been examining the conclusion to the Sermon on the
Mount, and we discovered that the false prophet
preached, and prayed, and performed great signs and
wonders in the name of Christ. He deceived the people in
Christ's name and the tragic result was that both the
false prophet and those that heeded him were to be cast
out of the presence of God on the day of Judgment,
Matthew 7v15-23.
It is the Christian's DUTY to test the teaching of
others even when they teach in the name of Christ.
Isaiah 8:20 states, "To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak" (Notice the communication
here. It refers to the thoughts of one being
communicated to another.) "if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light
in them". The Christian is taught by God to test
the utterances of another, to check the words of those
who speak and teach to see if they are in accord with
the Book - the Word of God.
It is the Christian's DUTY to examine the teachings of
those who purport to teach in the name of Christ, to
examine the doctrine and teaching of others to see if
they are founded and fixed upon the Scripture.
It is also the Duty of the Believer having examined the
teaching of another in the light of Scripture to REJECT
anything which is not sound in doctrine. Nowhere does
the Bible teach that the Christian is to embrace error.
Rather the Bible teaches that the Christian should
RECOGNISE error and then REJECT it absolutely. 2 John
10: "If there come any unto you and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid
him God speed." Sound doctrine, Biblical doctrine,
doctrine founded upon and substantiated by the Word of
God is the only basis for fellowship. Any doctrine not
found in the Bible must with those that teach it be
rejected.
It must also be REPROVED. It is one thing to Recognise
error, another to Reject it and yet another to Reprove
it. Eph 5:18: "Have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness." Once more we are
reminded that error, falsehood must not be received but
rejected by the Child of God. Now notice the final words
of the verse, "but rather reprove them."
Error, false doctrine, false practices, false teachers
must not only be recognised by examining them in the
light of God's Word, and rejected by every true believer
but the Christian must then reprove them, speak out
against them, declare that they are wrong.
These then are the Scriptural reasons for examining the
Alpha Course. The believer has a duty to test everything
that is taught in the name of Christ by the Word of God.
They have a duty to recognise that which is error,
reject it as being error and reprove, that is speak out
against that error.
2. THE ROOT FROM WHICH THE ALPHA COURSE DERIVED
Whenever a movement or doctrine is examined it is always
important to trace it back to its roots. The Lord Jesus
Christ declared in Matthew 7:18, "A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit." Similarly we can say
that if a stream is contaminated at its source then the
pollutant will be in the river and all who come into
contact with that river run the risk of being
contaminated. It is therefore essential that we trace
the Alpha course as far back as possible.
The course is formally attributed to Nicky Gumbel,
curate of Holy Trinity, Brompton. Immediately this
information should cause us great concern. Holy Trinity,
Brompton is an Anglican Church. The Anglican Church as a
whole has tolerated error for a very long time. Long
before the ordination of women became an issue there
were very serious doctrinal, and moral issues that the
Anglican Church never addressed and certainly never
dealt with in the light of scripture. The Anglican
Church has embraced the error of the mass even though
one of the thirty-nine articles denounces it as a
"blasphemous fable and dangerous deceit". It
has permitted ungodly men, men who have no knowledge or
experience of the rebirth to minister. It has defended
homosexuals among the clergy despite the Bible's
condemnation of such practices. It has tolerated men who
have denied the Virgin birth, the resurrection and
ascension of Christ. We say this because if Nicky Gumbel
was the spiritual man he and others claim him to be he
would not be a curate in the Church of England. God
calls men out of apostasy not into it.
Let us though concentrate on Holy Trinity, Brompton. It
was there in the early nineties that the "Toronto
Blessing" first showed its ugly and ungodly head in
Britain. In fact Nicky Gumbel was one of the leading
lights in the propagating of this evil in this land. Now
I have not the time to deal with the Toronto Blessing at
this time, but I can assure you that it will be dealt
with on another occasion in the will of God, and shown
to be the evil that it is. Suffice to say the Toronto
Blessing is NOT the work of the Holy Spirit.
Now the main text behind the Alpha course is the book
"Questions of Life" which is attributed to
Nicky Gumbel. The book carries his copyright. The man,
therefore, whose teaching lies at the heart of the Alpha
course not only belongs to a denomination which has
tolerated error, but to a local congregation of that
denomination which was responsible for the inception
into this country of the Toronto Blessing, which is
another great evil and error. Nicky Gumbel may be a very
intelligent man, that we do not dispute, but he is
obviously a man who can embrace doctrinal error.
Now we cannot condemn the Alpha course simply because
the man behind it attends a particular Church.
Nevertheless the fact that he can tolerate doctrinal
error in the Church of England, and not merely embrace
the doctrinal errors of the Toronto Blessing but
actually support and propagate its errors should cause
us concern and alarm. Everything he holds to cannot be
substantiated by the Word of God. Therefore we must
carefully consider what is taught in the Alpha course
because on the whole it is the teaching of Nicky Gumbel.
3. OUR RESERVATIONS CONCERNING THE ALPHA COURSE
Now before we begin to look at our reservations, the
basic problems we find with the doctrines taught in this
course, let me point out that this book is very subtle.
It cloaks serious doctrinal errors in truth. In other
words a lot of what you read in this book is acceptable
but hidden behind that truth is the poison of false
doctrine. It is a bit like a cake made out of the very
best ingredients that the cook can buy. It looks good,
it smells good, it even tastes good, but hidden in the
cake is a deadly poison. A poison that would pass
unnoticed unless you carefully analysed the cake before
eating. Tell me, how much of that cake would you dare
consume?
If the text behind the Alpha course contains the poison
of false doctrine which it undoubtedly does, how much
should the believer tolerate? The answer is none.
"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." As
a little yeast permeates through the whole loaf so a
little false doctrine spreads and corrupts the whole.
I was greatly disturbed by the reports in the Alpha News
concerning the acceptance of the Alpha course by the
Roman Catholic Church. Now I say this because I believe
it will bring home the reservations we have about this
course. The Catholic Church despite what many would have
us believe is not a Christian Church. The Bible teaches
that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus
Christ. Ephesians 2:8,9 -- "For by grace are ye
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should
boast". The Roman Catholic Church teaches that any
one who believes that doctrine is "Anathema";
they are cursed. The Council of Trent, session VI, Canon
10:-- "If any one says that justifying faith is
nothing else than trust in the divine mercy pardoning
sins for Christ's sake; or that it is by that trust
alone by which we are justified: Let him be
accursed."
Rome opposes and curses those that hold to the Biblical
doctrine of justifying faith, because her religion is
based upon works. What an individual can do, and what
the Church can do is what Rome bases her doctrine upon.
Acceptance into the Catholic Church is not upon the
grounds of faith in Christ, but that a person accepts
the teaching and practices of the Church. The Alpha
News, July to October issue, page 1, in its report upon
the Alpha conference for Roman Catholics quotes Bishop
Ambrose Griffiths, Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and
Newcastle:-- "It is not a complete exposition of
Catholic doctrine. No introductory course could possibly
do that. But it doesn't contain anything that is
contrary to Catholic doctrine."
Is not that amazing? The teaching of the Bible as
regards salvation is totally contrary to the teaching of
the Church of Rome. But the Bishop states, and it is
reported in the Alpha News, the newsletter printed by
Holy Trinity Brompton, that the Alpha course is not
contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church. It is
not contrary to Rome's teaching that salvation is by
works and not by faith.
This past week I was talking to Doug in the Bethany book
shop here in Bridlington. The conversation came around
to the Alpha course and he informed me that he employed
it, and I quote his words, "to get people
saved". That is why he uses the course, and I am
sure that is why many others use the course, simply
"to get people saved". On the cover of the
book we have the words, "A practical introduction
to the Christian Faith". Gumbel himself says in the
preface on page 9, that the book ".. is based on
"Alpha", a course run at Holy Trinity Brompton
for non-churchgoers, those seeking to find out more
about Christianity, and those who have recently come to
faith in Jesus Christ." It appears to be that the
book, the Alpha course is to be employed in bringing
those who know nothing of Christianity to a knowledge of
the Gospel.
Now before I go any further, do you not think it strange
that a course intended to introduce people to the
Christian Faith spends so little time dealing with the
fundamental issues of the Gospel? In fact, of the
fifteen chapters only four, (and I am being generous by
including the chapter on assurance of salvation) relate
to the necessity of salvation. Here is a course,
intended to be used to teach non-churchgoers, those who
know little or nothing of Christ and the Gospel, and
only three, at best four of fifteen studies deal with
salvation.
Why is this? Well as we shall see in a moment or two the
course has a hidden agenda. It has a concealed
objective. It seeks to open the mind and heart of those
that follow it to things which have no grounding in the
Word of God. It promotes error and heresy upon the back
of apparent truth.
Let's continue to think of the Gospel for a moment. What
Gumbel says of the person and work of Christ on the
whole is acceptable. He is shallow in his presentation
of truth, but on the whole it is there. The same applies
to his dealing with sin. He speaks of it in terms which
don't have great depth but on the whole we will not
object too strongly. Yet even in this section, where
much of what he teaches is correct there is a remarkable
absence of teaching concerning the work of the Holy
Spirit in conversion. I say a remarkable absence because
he goes to great extremes in his teaching regarding the
Holy Spirit in the rest of the chapters.
The Bible teaches that salvation is in the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture teaches
that in order to be saved we must place our trust in
Christ. We must believe that He is the Son of God the
only Saviour, and that He died in our place at the
cross, bearing our sin and penalty. However this act of
faith is not a mere assent of the mind to these truths.
It is not a mere consenting of the human will to accept
the doctrine of Christ, but rather, it is the result of
the Holy Spirit working in the heart and soul of
individuals, regenerating them, changing them by His
power that they may receive Christ as He is offered to
them in the Gospel. John 1:12-13-- "But as many as
received Him (Christ) to them gave He the power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His
name: Which were born, NOT of blood, NOR of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." The
Scripture teaches that those that receive Christ, those
that believe in His name, do so not because of an act of
human volition, but because God the Holy Spirit has
changed them from within. He has convinced and convicted
them of their sins and so changed them that they repent
and believe upon Christ.
This teaching is absent in the Alpha course. Indeed it
appears to be what we could call "Conveyor
belt" Christianity, whereby after being informed of
the facts that make up the Gospel, a prayer of
acceptance of Christ is recited and the person then is a
Christian. Salvation here is more a conforming to what a
Christian ought to be, than a change wrought by the Holy
Ghost in the heart of a sinner. This is undoubtedly the
case. In the first Alpha video two testimonies are
given. They refer to a relationship with God and a
prayer life. That's good, but sincere adherents of other
religions claim to have a relationship with God and
pray. They refer to the "baptism of the Holy
Spirit", reading the Bible, attending Church, but
there is a notable absence of terms used to describe
true genuine conversion. For instance there is no
speaking of conviction of sin which leads to repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ. No mention of assurance of
salvation through Christ's death. Indeed there is a
total absence in their testimony of what Christ has done
for them. Even when Gumbel tried to ascertain the reason
for their changes in attitude and lifestyle the response
was "just the relationship that I've developed with
God, simple as that."
There is conversion here, but it is conversion to a
Christian lifestyle rather than a conversion to Christ.
This is repeated time and time again.
Now whilst I do not doubt that there have been some who
have genuinely been converted, I also must point out
that many have been led into a false profession. Bear in
mind the fact that the original course and book were
intended to redress the problem of declining numbers in
the church. Bear in mind also that churches which have
struggled for years to get people into their church see
the course as a quick way to filling the church with
people. It is being taken on by more and more churches
which see it as a way to quickly correct their failures.
These false professors are simply "Proselytes of
Christianity". They consent to the teaching that is
given about Christ and seek to live as a Christian, but
it results from an act of their own volition. They make
a conscious decision to live as a Christian, believing
the tenets of Christianity and doing basic Christian
activities, but sadly their heart has never been changed
by the Holy Spirit.
Gumbel shows us that at the end of the day he holds to
this view. On page 221, he refers to the vastness of the
universal Christian Church, informing us that the Encyclopedia
Britannica states that the Church has some 1.7 billion
adherents world-wide. He confuses Church membership with
belonging to Christ. Sadly, many, many of this vast
number have never experienced the rebirth, they are not
in a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Such thinking as expressed by Gumbel and propagated by
the Alpha course is not Scripturally sound. It is
Arminian in doctrine; humanistic in philosophy. There is
a lack of understanding with respect to the person and
work of the Holy Spirit. This is backed up by Gumbel
himself. On page 120 of "Telling Others" he
writes, "At the end of the course I send out
questionnaires... if there is a change I ask when that
change occurred. For many the decisive moment is the
Saturday evening of the week-end." This of course
is on the "Come Holy Spirit" weekend. It is
the time when Nicky Gumbel invites the Holy Spirit to
come and the participants are filled with the Spirit.
The DECISIVE MOMENT is when the Holy Spirit comes rather
than the momentous occasion when they were supposedly
converted. If nothing else shows the fallacy of the
Alpha Course this certainly does. The time when, as the
Bible teaches, the Spirit of God enters the soul and
works the miracle of regeneration, the soul dead in sin
being made alive, the soul in darkness having the light
of Christ lit within it is not viewed as the decisive
moment. There is something fundamentally wrong here.
Unfortunately time does not permit to deal with all the
errors of this book, but suffice to say, Christians need
to be on their guard. Gumbel intertwines many falsehoods
with truth as the course is followed. He gives credence
to Westcott and Hort, two heretics responsible for the
production of the text upon which the modern perversions
of scripture are based. He advocates Ecumenical unity at
the expense of fundamental Gospel truths. He teaches
that natural gifts are greatly enhanced when they are
taken on by the Holy Spirit which is why many rock
musicians have turned their natural ability into what is
now termed "Rock Gospel". These are aspects
which we could spend considerable time examining, but
there is an issue at the heart of the Alpha course that
demands our attention.
The main objection to this course is its teaching
regarding the Holy Spirit. This is especially in
connection with His work and gifts. This should come as
no great surprise for Gumbel is extremely Charismatic in
his teaching. His work is therefore filled with
charismatic teaching and although the book was prepared
prior to the phenomenon known as the Toronto Blessing it
is undoubtedly pro-Toronto Blessing.
Throughout the book there are references to John Wimber.
Undoubtedly Wimberism has had its influence on Nicky
Gumbel. On tape five of the video set Nicky Gumbel dates
his call to Evangelism to the 1982 incident in which he
received prayer from John Wimber. He relates part of
that incident on page 201 of "Questions of
Life". The video, however, gives a little more
information. It tells us that on the occasion in
question, he experienced such supernatural power that he
had to call out for it to stop. It was at that time that
Wimber gave a "Word of knowledge" that Gumbel
had been given a gift of telling others. He can trace
his ministry of telling others to that particular time.
Isn't that interesting? Time does not permit me to fully
deal with John Wimber, but let me say this. Wimber says
that in 1977 God clearly spoke to him; that God gave him
a revelation, a direct communication. God said to him,
"I've seen your ministry, now I am going to show
you mine. Preach forgiveness of sins, and the healing of
the body, preach the Kingdom." Note that he is not
being told to preach Christ, or the blood, or the cross
or the Gospel, or the book. He is being told to preach
the Kingdom. This doctrine has been described in a
variety of ways, Restorationism, or Dominion Theology to
name a few. It is a unique and new form of
Pentecostalism and it is the basis of the Toronto
Blessing. In fact it has been said that as to its
theology and practice the Toronto Blessing is "Wimberism".
Gumbel shows aspects of this teaching in chapter
thirteen. He refers to the Kingdom, the preaching of the
Kingdom. He speaks of the Kingdom in the same terms as
Wimber, the healing of the sick, signs and wonders. He
is paving the way for people to experience the same
phenomena as those in the Toronto Blessing.
Now in the Toronto Blessing the New Age philosophy that
"Experience leads to explanation" is the order
of the day. Indeed a close examination of the Toronto
Blessing will reveal that it is a replica of New Age
philosophy and practice in the guise of Christianity.
We are constantly told that the Church is moving into
the realm of the supernatural. This is nothing but New
Age teaching dressed up. They believe humanity is moving
into a higher humanity. That there is a quantum leap.
In the Toronto Blessing there is the "Experience of
the Holy Spirit"; in the New Age it is called
"Tuning in to the Divine Consciousness."
In the Toronto Blessing there is the "Word of
Knowledge" and revelations from the Spirit realm.
In the New Age there is what is termed "Channelling
from the Spirit World".
In the Toronto Blessing there is a "Transmission of
anointing" through the close proximity to a
teacher, or the touch upon the forehead. In the New Age
there is the transmission into Higher Consciousness
through the close proximity of a Guru, or Shakti pat.
Shakti pat comes from Hinduism, shakti meaning power.
Power transmitted by simply a touch.
I could go on but that will suffice for the present to
show the connection between the New Age philosophy and
practice and the Toronto Blessing. Similarly, the thrust
of the Alpha course is towards the experiential and not
the written Word of God. Commenting on the weekend away,
Gumbel says of those from a New Age background,
"They are on more familiar territory in
experiencing the Holy Spirit". "Telling
others", page 19. How is this? Surely Christianity
should be a million miles away from occultism. Yet they
are at home. There is a similarity in what they believed
and held to in the New Age movement, and what they come
across in the teaching and experience regarding the Holy
Spirit in that weekend away.
It is obvious from what we said earlier, that there are
many who arrive at the part of the course which deals
with the work of the Holy Spirit who know nothing of
genuine conversion. There are others and perhaps they
are young converts, and still others who, because of a
lack of teaching in their particular church, have joined
the course. The Alpha course then takes them through the
"Experience" of receiving the Holy Spirit. Now
during this time, on the Saturday evening, Gumbel prays
for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.
Now how do they know that they have received the Holy
Spirit? Well one of the evidences is that they speak in
tongues. I say one because Gumbel does not fall into the
trap of many charismatics. He has learned by their
mistakes and so he does inform us that not every
Christian will speak in tongues. At this point let me do
something which Gumbel tells Christians to do but which
he himself and those on the course fail to do -- test
the spirits. 1 John 4:1 -- "Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world." The Bible teaches us to try, or test the
spirits, to see if they are of God. And the reason given
is that there are false prophets in the world. How do we
try the spirits? By the Book. By the Word of God.
"If they speak not according to this Word it is
because there is no light in them." If it is the
Spirit of God coming upon them then their experience
must measure up to what the Bible teaches. If it does
not, then the phenomenon, in this case tongues, and the
experience - receiving the Spirit must be rejected. If
the phenomenon associated with the coming of the Holy
Spirit does not measure up to the standard of God's Word
then it is not the Holy Spirit of God, but another
spirit that comes upon them.
Gumbel in "Questions of Life", chapter 9,
pages 140-144, makes the following statements regarding
what tongues are and the benefits they bring:-
He states that speaking in tongues "is a form of
prayer" and he quotes 1 Corinthians 14:2 as his
proof. Let us read the verse, "For he that speaketh
in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto
God." That is where the learned Mr Gumbel ends the
verse and states that because it is speaking to God it
is prayer. That is not what the apostle is teaching.
Paul does not say speaking in tongues is prayer. Look at
the rest of the verse, "For no man understandeth
him". He is saying that if a person speaks in
another language, other than the one that they
understand, in the gathering of God's people then only
God knows what they are saying. Paul backs up this
statement by saying, "Howbeit in the spirit he
speaketh mysteries." Note the connecting word in
the next verse, "But he that prophesieth speaketh
unto men to edification, and exhortation, and
comfort". Paul says no man but God knows what a
person speaking in tongues is saying. His words are a
mystery, they are of no value to the church. This is not
a commendation for tongues. It is not saying that
tongues are for prayer, rather Paul is saying they are
of no value if employed in this manner. It is not
prayer. In verse 14, Gumbel expresses that Paul speaks
of prayer in relation to tongues. So he does, "For
if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but
my understanding is unfruitful". Has Mr Gumbel
proved his point? I am afraid not. You must read the
next verse where Paul says "What is it then, I will
pray with the spirit, and pray with the understanding
also ..." Paul continues to apply the same argument
to worship, to praise. What is his argument? It is this
- If you pray in tongues your understanding is empty, it
is unfruitful, but that is not the way you should pray,
that is not the way in which you should worship. Your
understanding, your mind should be active. This is a
terrible aspect of the Charismatic and Toronto style
meetings. People are told to empty their minds but God
never tells Christians to empty their mind. They must be
alert, aware, conscious of what they are doing.
Gumbel then gives us three areas where tongues can help
the Christian:-
1. In Praise and Worship
2. Praying under Pressure
3. Praying for other People
Isn't that strange? The two things Paul has just spoken
of here, praise and praying, are the uses of tongues
which he gives. Paul doesn't substantiate what Gumbel is
teaching. In fact, the Bible teaches the opposite to
what Gumbel is saying. But I find it even more
extraordinary when he omits to mention the Scriptural
purpose for the gift of tongues. Acts 2:4 "And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance." They were speaking in tongues. The Holy
Ghost came upon them and they began to speak with other
tongues. There was no learning to speak. No going over
gibberish until it came. There and then they were given
the gift of tongues. Does it not surprise you to
discover that the same Holy Spirit according to Gumbel
doesn't give a perfect gift? In the training manual of
the Alpha course, relating to the giving of the gift of
tongues (page 17 section g) -- "Encourage the
person to start to speak in another language..." On
page 147 of "Questions of Life" he not only
teaches that we should "Ask God to fill you with
the Spirit and give you the gift of tongues", but
in point six he states, "Persevere. Languages take
time to develop. Most of us start with a very limited
vocabulary. Gradually it develops. Tongues is like that.
It takes time to develop the gift. Don`t give up."
Does the same Spirit give a perfect gift on the day of
Pentecost and an imperfect one today? We are examining
Acts 2:4. They began to speak in tongues - Why? Was it
the sign that they had received the promise of the
Father? Was it to praise or pray to God? No! Verses 5
and 6 give the purpose. They inform us that there were
men in Jerusalem from all parts of the earth and the
Apostles preached to them in their own language. The
gift of tongues was given that they might preach the
Gospel.
Gumbel in his teaching upon the Holy Spirit never
mentions this. His doctrine is not in accord with the
Bible. The experience of many who attend this course is
not in accordance with the Word of God. The tongues
manifested at the "Come Holy Spirit Weekend"
are not the same either in character or purpose as the
tongues in the Scripture. "They speak not according
to this Word". Now it follows that if the evidence
of the experience is unsound, the experience itself must
also be unsound. Whatever comes upon them during that
weekend, we can be sure that it is not the Spirit of
God.
Time does not permit for the examination of other
phenomena associated with this occurrence. Gumbel
teaches that there are those who by the same spirit
receive the gift of healing, words of knowledge,
visions, dreams, and prophecies. He opens the minds of
those who participate in the course to extra-Biblical
revelations, to signs and wonders. The mind of all who
are taught these errors is open to the thought that a
revelation from God, a word of knowledge from the
Spirit, a word given by prophecy, are all on a par with
the Word of God. If this is accepted "Anything
" can be taught in the name of Christ. Absolutely
anything can be taught and it follows that if it is as
they claim from the Spirit of God then it must be
believed. Thus what men say is taken on board as the
truth of God without any scriptural ground.
There is a great danger here. The Alpha course is being
used to prime the pump. To condition the thinking of
church people to accept the teachings and phenomena
which we associate with the Toronto blessing. Phenomena
which have no anchorage in the Scripture. Doctrines
which otherwise would be rejected out of hand.
These phenomena are unbiblical. There is no ground in
Scripture upon which to anchor them. The Alpha course in
Philosophy is New Age; it relies heavily upon
experience. In Practice it leads to experiences that are
rooted in the occult. If they are calling down the
spirit and they are possessed by that spirit, and that
spirit is not the Spirit of God then they have opened
their minds to other spirits, to evil spirits. It
promotes humanism, Arminianism, Ecumenism, and
Charismaticism. There is evil being done in the name of
Christ, wickedness being practiced and taught in the
name of the Lord. The Alpha course is only conditioning
people to accept these errors, to tolerate and to take
on these evils.
The Alpha course is not Bible-based; it does not rest
firmly upon the Book. It leads people away from truth
and into error therefore it is Hell inspired. As
Christians we must stand apart from that which is the
vehicle for propagating false doctrine and false
experience. The Christian is told to reject error, to
withdraw from those who teach and practice falsehood.
God says, "Come out from among them, and be ye
separate... and touch not the unclean thing, and I will
receive you". On the basis of God's Word I say we
must reject the Alpha course and all that is associated
with it.
May God help us therefore to fulfill our duty and
responsibility to reject this error and to speak out
boldly against it.
Rev Paul Fitton, Dungannon FPC
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