Is Alpha Catholic Enough?
“Is Alpha Catholic enough?”
Maybe you’ve asked this question out loud. Or maybe you've at least thought it.
Afterall, Alpha didn’t come from the Catholic Church. Alpha started in an Anglican parish in London called Holy Trinity Brompton. It was further developed and popularized by an Anglican vicar named Nicky Gumbel.
And it has gone on to be used in churches of virtually every Christian denomination and tradition. That being the case… is it Catholic enough?
If we are looking for a tool that summarizes everything Catholics believe, this is not the tool. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Fr. James points out that if this was our filter, we may as well give up on professing the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed (neither of which mention the Eucharist). Even our credal formulas don’t presume to comprehensively teach all of our theology.
The richness of this tool is not it’s comprehensiveness, it’s in its approachability for all who are thirsty. Alpha beautifully holds what we have in common with other Christians—the core of the Gospel message. It lays the groundwork. It is the open door for someone to hear a clear proclamation about the person of Jesus and respond to it.
If you look even deeper, there’s something about it originating outside the Catholic Church that actually offers a unique advantage.
Pope Francis urges us to consider that it is this commonly shared expressions of the Christian faith that hold a unique power, because they speak from a place of unity.
“If we concentrate on the convictions we share, and if we keep in mind the principle of the hierarchy of truths, we will be able to progress decidedly towards common expressions of proclamation, service and witness. The immense numbers of people who have not received the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot leave us indifferent. Consequently, commitment to a unity which helps them to accept Jesus Christ can no longer be a matter of mere diplomacy or forced compliance, but rather an indispensable path to evangelization. Signs of division between Christians in countries ravaged by violence add further causes of conflict on the part of those who should instead be a leaven of peace. How many important things unite us! If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us. (...) Through an exchange of gifts, the Spirit can lead us ever more fully into truth and goodness.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 246)
We believe in the fullness of the Catholic faith. We believe once someone has received the gift of faith, hungry to know more, then is the time for catechesis—the instruction in the Christian life which builds on the foundation of faith.
But we also believe in the beauty of the things that unite all Christians. In other words, when we use a resource like Alpha, it holds a special benefit by its ecumenical dimension. We can tell people the story of Jesus, in the company of Catholics and even other Christians, introducing prayer, and leading to a chance at conversion and a lifetime of discipleship.
What could be more Catholic than that?